Venus
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Ancient Roman Gods and Goddesses
for kids - Venus
The myths and legends surrounding
Venus, the Roman goddess of love and
beauty
Venus
Discover the legends and myths and
religious beliefs surrounding Venus,
the Roman goddess of love, beauty,
sexuality, passion and desire. She
was the daughter of
Jupiter,
the king of the gods and Dione, an
Oceanide nymph. The name Venus
derives from the Latin word 'vanati'
meaning "desires, loves, wins".
Although she was the wife of Vulcan
she had many lovers including Mars,
the god of war and the handsome
shepherd
Adonis. She possessed an
embroidered girdle, called the
Cestus, which had the power of
inspiring love and desire. The Greek
counterpart of this ancient Roman
deity was
Aphrodite. Additional,
intriguing information about ancient
gods and goddesses is also available
via:
Gods and Deities
Roman Gods
and Goddesses |
Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses |
Who was Venus?
Venus was the Roman goddess of love
and beauty, seen in the following
picture with Pygmalion and her baby
son Cupid by
her lover Mars,
the god of war. The first day of
the month on the Roman calendar was
the Kalends. On the kalends of April
(April 1), the Romans celebrated a
festival to honor Venus, known as
the Veneralia. During the festival
both women and men of all classes
invoked the goddess for her
assistance in affairs of the heart,
sex, betrothal and marriage. There
were many myths and legends
surrounding this beautiful goddess
in ancient mythology, refer to the
Apple of Discord, Proserpine, Adonis
and the Goddess of Beauty.

Picture of Venus and the sculptor
Pygmalion
Facts about Venus
The following facts and profile
provides a fast overview of Venus:
Venus Profile & Fact File
Roman Name: Venus
Role & Function: The function of
Venus is described as being the
goddess of love, beauty, sexuality,
passion and desire
Status: Major Goddess and one of the
'Dei Consentes', the Council of
Gods.
Symbols: the dolphin, scallop shell,
rose, dove, pomegranate, pearl,
mirror and girdle.
Gender: Female
Greek Counterpart: The Greek name
for this goddess was Aphrodite
Name of Husband: Vulcan
Name of Father: Jupiter
Name of Mother: Dione
Names of Children: None by her
husband, but many children by her
lovers including Cupid, god of love
by Mars, the Roman god of war

Facts about Venus in Roman
Mythology
Discover interesting information
and facts about Venus, the Roman
goddess of love and beauty. The
facts about Venus provides a list
detailing fascinating additional
info to increase your knowledge
about Venus in ancient Roman history
and Mythology.
History and Mythical Facts about
Venus
Fact 1 about Venus: She was the
daughter of Jupiter and Dione and
the wife of Vulcan. Dione was one of
the Oceanides, a descendent of the
Titans.
Fact 2 about Venus:
The names of her lovers who included
Mars, Bacchus, Mercury, Neptune,
Anchises, Adonis, Butes, Phaon and
Phaethon.
Fact 3 about Venus: The names of the
children of Aphrodite included
Anteros, Aeneas, Astynoos, Beroe,
Deimos, Cupid,
Eryx, the
Erotes, Eunomia, Concordia,
Hermaphroditos, Himeros, Iakkhos,
Peitho, Phobos, Pothos, Priapos,
Rhodoe,
Tyche, Herophilos and Lyros.
Fact 4 about Venus: The rose and the
myrtle are sacred to Venus and
connected with the Story of Adonis.
Fact 5 about Venus: The pomegranate
was sacred to the goddess
symbolizing the consummation of
marriage and the loss of female
virginity
Fact 6 about Venus: Vulcan made
Venus a beautiful golden carriage
that was drawn by doves.
Fact 7 about Venus: Her children by
Mars were Phobos (fear), Deimos
(terror), Concordia (harmony), Cupid
(love) Himeros (desire), Pothos
(passion), and Anteros (mutual love) |
Fact 8 about Venus: She ordered
Psyche to go to the infernal regions
of Underworld to ask Proserpina, the
consort of Pluto for a box of
precious ointment.
Fact 9 about Venus: All of the gods
were charmed with her beauty and
each one demanded her for his wife.
Jupiter gave her to Vulcan, in
gratitude for the service he had
rendered in forging thunderbolts.
The most beautiful of all the
goddesses became the wife of the
ugliest of the gods.
Fact 10 about Venus: Venus was often
associated with lust, whereas
Verticordia was the goddess of
chastity
Fact 11 about Venus: The Veneralia
was the Ancient Roman festival of
Venus Verticordia and was held on
April 1.
Fact 12 about Venus: The Veneralia
included rites such as the ritual
bathing of the cult statue of Venus.
The jewelry, which included
beautiful golden necklaces was
removed from her statue and then she
was offered sacrifices of flowers,
especially roses.
Fact 13 about Venus: The other
sacrifices offered to Venus, were
white and female goats and swine,
with libations of wine, milk and
honey with crushed poppies.
Fact 14 about Venus: The Veneralia
was a day for Roman women to seek
divine support and aid in their love
lives.
Fact 15 about Venus: Pygmalion was a
sculptor who made a statue that was
more beautiful than any woman that
had ever lived. He prayed to the
goddess of love to change his statue
into a real woman and she granted
his wish.
Fact 16 about Venus: Suadela was one
of her train of attendants; the god
of the soft speech of love. Pothos,
the god of the amities of love was
also part of her retinue

Venus and her lover, Mars, the
god of war
Venus (Greek Counterpart was
Aphrodite)
The Romans habitually
assimilated various elements from
other cultures and civilisations,
including the gods and goddesses
that were worshipped by the Greeks
and other nations. When the Roman
Empire conquered the Greeks in 146BC
many of the Greek gods and goddesses
were adopted by the Romans. The
Romans simply changed the Greek gods
names to Latin equivalents. The
Greek counterpart of Venus was
Aphrodite. The Roman religion
significantly differed from the
Greeks in that it was officially
endorsed by the state and exerted
influence over the government of
Rome. Politicians took the offices
of influential priests, called
pontiffs, to gain control of the
popular worship, Roman gods and
goddesses like Venus were worshipped
at every public event, including the
gladiatorial games, where blood
sacrifices were made to the gods. In
ancient Rome, the pantheon of 12
major gods, including Venus, were
called the 'Dei Consentes' meaning
the Council of Gods.

Venus and the Roman Gods Family
Tree and Genealogy
The Roman gods family tree
provides an instant overview of the
genealogy and the family connections
and relationships between the main
deities, including Venus, who
feature in the legends and mythology
of the ancient Romans. The Primeval
gods and deities, the Titans and the
Roman Olympians. |
Venus
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Goddess of Love and Beauty
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Interesting information and
Facts about the Roman goddess of
love
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The Roman goddess of love,
beauty, sexuality, passion and
desire
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Stories and Legends in Roman
Mythology associated with Venus
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Facts and information about the
Gods and Deities of the Ancient
World for schools and kids
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The Roman goddess of love,
beauty, sexuality, passion and
desire
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