Roman Pagan Beliefs

Fresco of Diana (image by Mentnafunangann)

The massive historical and cultural imprint that Rome has on Europe means that Roman history and culture is familiar to most Westerners and so the Roman way to the Gods is a language that is easily understood. Often it is said that Roman polytheism is based on what you do, and not on what you believe, but obviously no-one would practice unless they were at least open-minded as to certain beliefs. In Roman polytheism there are no commandments prescribing the morals by which you must live, there is no holy text in which you must believe, and there is no institution that can claim to represent the Roman Gods. Rather, Roman polytheists work towards a state of Pax Deorum (peace with the Gods), meaning a harmonious relationship with the Gods and the universe at large. Certain perspectives tend to be associated with Roman polytheism, including:

• It is better for religious rites to be performed in a manner that is more or less in keeping with how it was done in ancient Rome. This might include covering the head during prayer, not stumbling over words, and making appropriate offerings. For more see Pagan Prayer, Pagan Offerings, Incense Offerings, Head Covering and Menstruation and Ritual Purity.
• Afterlife beliefs that are varied and may be considered eccentric by some, such as open-mindedness towards the possibility of the dead getting stuck in one of the various places in Hades (and the consequent need for dead bodies to have a coin in their possession so they can pay for passage to another place), that offerings can effectively be made to the dead, the possibility of afterlife punishment for only the very worst of people (Tartarus), and perhaps an afterlife reward for those who were brave in battle (Elysium), as well as reincarnation, and so on. For more on this see Roman Beliefs Regarding the Afterlife.
• Inspiration from ancient Greco-Roman philosophy, including Epicureanism (see more at Epicurean Polytheism), Stoicism (see more at Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations) and Neoplatonism (see more at Julian the Apostate).
• Appreciating that ancient Romans had a completely different conception of the cosmos (by which I mean the earth, the sun and the stars) which necessarily influenced their spiritual ideas. Many ancient Romans believed that space was composed of aether where Gods lived, and that Earth was fundamentally lower in the hierarchy of the cosmos. This lent itself to ideas about the inferiority of the material realm and a spiritual orientation that was vertical. For more on this see Greco-Roman Cosmos.
• A distrust of any form of religious expression which seems to slide into superstition (e.g., hypervigilance regarding omens or excessive fear of the Gods), for more on this see Superstition.

Syncretism

Roman polytheists are free to revere Gods of other pantheons if they wish and can follow any philosophical school, or any other religion which does not preclude polytheism (such as Buddhism, to see how Buddhism and Roman polytheism can be syncretised see 3D Paganism – Philosophy Matters and Devotional Practice – Meditation). Many Roman polytheists revere Gods of other pantheons. This is how it was in the ancient world and this is how it is now. Archaeological findings confirm that both the Hellenic and the Egyptian pantheons were popular in Pompeii. Elsewhere in the empire people maintained the worship of their old Gods and sometimes assimilated them with Roman Gods. We know that in Gallic and Germanic regions of the Roman empire Mercury was a particularly popular Deity and this is almost certainly because he was widely perceived as being the Roman manifestation of the Celtic God Lugus and the Germanic God Wodan. Thus Gods of other pantheons can be viewed as distinct from the Roman pantheon or, applying the interpretatio Romana, as essentially the same, though appearing differently for people of different cultural backgrounds. As Cicero says:

“Juno has one appearance for the Argives [in Greece], another for the people of Lanuvium [an ancient city near Rome], another for us [in Rome]. And in just the same way the appearance of our [Roman] Jupiter Capitolinus is quite different from the Africans’ Jupiter Hammon [Cicero, On the Nature of the Gods].”

The feminine divine is recognised

Goddesses were highly revered in ancient Rome and priestesses were in abundance; the most highly respected of them all being the virgins who attended Vesta’s sacred flame in Rome. In the private sphere, Cato and Propertius suggest that women were strongly active in the rituals surrounding the household shrine. There is absolutely nothing in Roman polytheism (as opposed to ancient Roman social and legal conditions) which assigns the feminine to an inferior role in the context of the divine.

Love is sacred

Ancient Romans were perfectly happy to adopt Hellenic myths wherein Gods had sexual relations with beautiful human males. However, Roman attitudes were not the same as the well-known notions that some ancient Greeks are said to have had. Ancient Romans did not romanticise paedophilia and receptive anal sex between free men was illegal. Freeborn Roman men were expected to avoid being sexually receptive – such an act was considered an abrogation of masculinity in a world in which there was a sharp distinction between free men, who dominate, and slaves, who are dominated. On the other hand teenage slaves and prostitutes (who, like actors and gladiators, were infames – thus precluded from the rights of free men) were potentially considered desirable participants in receptive homosexual sex. Being the active (or top) participant in homosexual sex was not generally considered shameful or perverted, and it seems there was, at least amongst some, a level of idealisation of male beauty, if not male homosexuality, as suggested by the cult of Antinous. Moving away from the historical situation – which can only influence the contemporary situation, and not define it, for we live in different times – Venus is the Goddess of love and love distilled is inherently generous and kind. When we engage in sex without love Venus is displeased – as the story of the Propoetides demonstrates (see Venus and the Path for more). Thus the paedophile is the enemy of love, for he mistakes selfish exploitation for love. Children are unripe and far too green for sexual expression. They are not naturally sexual beings, only the degenerate thinks them so, and when their sexuality begins to develop it is fragile and needs gentle handling. What emerges from this interpretation of the Roman way to the Gods is that sexual love is inherently sacred, except when it is not love, but something cynical and cruel.

Note: this post is largely derived from my other website, which recently became defunct due to sign-in problems.

 

Written by M' Sentia Figula (aka Freki), find me at neo polytheist