Roman Deities Attis - A god of vegetation, similar to Tammuz and Adonis. Imported together with his mother Cybele from Persia. Driven mad by the deranged love of his mother, Attis castrated himself under a pine tree. Attis' priests were eunuchs. Angerona - Goddess of secrecy. Angerona is portrayed with her mouth bound and sealed, her finger raised to her mouth in a gesture of warning. The ancients thought names were powerful; the commonly known name of an individual or a community was often not the real name at all, the real name being a closely guard secret. Very probably the cult of Angerona guarded the secret name of the city of Rome. Little else is known of her. Bellona - War goddess. Bellona's priests were recruited from the gladiators, and emissaries were received at her temple. Cybele - An Asian goddess adopted by the Greeks and Romans. A healer, mistress of fertility and untamed nature, a protector in war. Cybele is always accompanied by two lions. Cybele granted immortality to those who worshipped her. Cybele's priests danced wildly and mutilated themselves. Her festivals, held at the beginning of spring, were occasions for wild orgies. Fauna - Goddess of fertility. Fauna's festival, which seems to have been quite an orgy, was open only to women, being strictly forbidden to men. Faunus - God of crops and herds. An oracle. Faunus' temple, the Lupercal, was supposed to have been the site where the she-wolf suckled Romulus and Remus. Goats and dogs were sacrificed at his festival, the Lupercalia, and priests dressed in newly skinned goat hides whipped women who wished to become pregnant with whips made of goatskin. Februus - The Etruscan god of the underworld, later associated with Dis Pater, the Latin equivalent of Hades. The month of the dead, February, is named after him. Fides - God of faithfulness. Flora - Goddess of flowers and blooming plants. Usually shown with a wreath of flowers in her hair. A favorite deity of courtesans, Flora's festivals were held in April and May. Fortuna - Goddess of fate and chance. Fortuna's statue was kept veiled, because she was ashamed of the capriciousness of her favors. Fortuna is represented by the sphere, the ship's rudder, the cornucopia, and the wheel. To this day, wheels of fortune can be found in casinos, and the wheel on the tenth card of the Major Arcana is Fortuna. Genius - A guardian who protects both individuals and homes. Janus - Guardian of entrances and exits, the opener of all things who looks inward as well as outward, custodian of the universe. Janus' two-faced image was usually displayed over doorways and gates. Janus signifies both past and future wisdom. Janus is the god of beginnings, so the first month of each year, the first day of each month, and the first hour of each day are dedicated to him. Janus was the first god to be mentioned in prayers, even before Jupiter. Lar - God of the house, a cheerful and beautiful youth. Mars - God of farming, war and springtime. Like the typical Roman citizen, Mars was first a farmer and then a soldier. The wolf, the oak and the woodpecker are sacred to Mars. Often identified with the Greek god Ares, but the differences are more important than the similarities. For one thing, the Romans liked Mars. Mithras - The god who dies and rises again, god of vegetation, the sun god, the Savior who redeems mankind from evil. A Roman version of a Persian god. Especially popular among soldiers, Mithras was widely worshipped throughout the Roman Empire and gave Christianity a run for its money. Mithras' cult served a number of purposes and its organization was highly complex. Quirinias - A mystery. Originally a war god of the Sabines, later a state god of the Romans. One of the highest gods of ancient Rome, every bit as important as Mars or Jupiter, yet almost nothing is known today of Quirinias or his worship. Tellus Mater - An ancient earth goddess. Pregnant cows were sacrificed on her festival, April 15. Tellus is one of the very oldest gods, dating back to the time before the Roman religion was formalized. Vesta - "The Shining One." Goddess of domestic life and the hearth.