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| Topics in Roman mythology | |
|---|---|
| Important Gods: | |
| Jupiter | Minerva |
| Mars | Mercury |
| Quirinus | Vulcan |
| Vesta | Ceres |
| Juno | Venus |
| Fortuna | Lares |
| Topics | |
| Legendary History | |
| Roman religion | |
| The Flamens | |
| Greek/Roman myth compared | |
| Other minor Roman deities: | |
| Penates | Larvae |
| Genius | Manes |
| Lemures | Terminus |
In Roman mythology, the Di Penates or briefly Penates were originally patron gods (really geniuses) of the storeroom, later becoming household gods guarding the entire household. They were related to the Lares, Genii and Larvae. Penates are referred to in Propertius (iv.i).
They can also be associated with the ascendancy of a Roman family, penates being the spirits of the ancestors. Roman houses used to have a little shrine at the entrance dedicated to the goddess Vesta (goddess of the home). In this shrine little statues of the penates were kept.
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