Jupiter (deity)

Symbols: thunderbolt, oak, eagle, bull

Culture: Greco-Roman

Mother: Ops or Opis

Father: Saturn

Siblings: Ceres, Juno, Neptune, Pluto, Vesta

Children: Apollo, Bacchus, Diana, Juvenita, Mars, Mercury, Minerva, Proserpina, Venus, Vulcan

Jupiter was the supreme god in the Pantheon of Roman mythology. Also known as Jove, Jupiter was virtually identical to Zeus, the supreme god in Greek mythology. Jupiter was the son of the Titans Saturn and Ops (or Opis), and like Zeus, he led his brothers in their war against the Titans. Triumphant, Jupiter became the lord of the heavens and sky as well as the father of many other gods in the Pantheon.

As the god of the heavens and sky and as the supreme god in Roman mythology, Jupiter had many roles and symbols. He was associated with thunder and lightning, with light, with victory in battle, with protection in defeat, and as the keeper of peace. He was known as dies pater, which means "shining father." This god of light was given multiple titles, the most important of which was Jupiter Optimus Maximus, meaning "the best and the greatest." Other titles included Jupiter Tonans ("thunderer"), Jupiter Fulgurator ("of lightning"), Jupiter Imperator ("supreme general"), Jupiter Invictus ("the unconquered"), and Jupiter Lucetius ("of the light").

He was the god of storms as well as the god of justice. In Roman courts citizens swore their oaths in Jupiter’s name, using the alternate name: "by Jove!" This phrase entered English as an archaic exclamation. The god’s name was given to the largest planet in our solar system, and the word Jove also gave us the name of Thursday in some languages—in Latin it is Iovis Dies, which means "Jupiter’s Day." This naming convention is retained in the Italian word giovedi and the French word jeudi.

In Mythology

Jupiter’s supremacy among the Roman gods was established at his birth. According to one version of the myth, his father Saturn had been warned that his sons would overthrow him. To prevent this outcome, Saturn ate his children as they were born. Jupiter’s mother Ops (or Opis) hid Jupiter at the moment of his birth and gave Saturn a large stone wrapped in swaddling clothes. Saturn swallowed the stone and had to disgorge Jupiter’s five siblings in order to get rid of it. Jupiter emerged from hiding and led his brothers and sisters in a war against Saturn and the other Titans. When Saturn was overthrown, Jupiter took over the leadership of the sky and heavens.

Jupiter went on to become the father of many gods and heroes, often by forcing himself upon goddesses, nymphs, and mortal women. A variety of myths describe these encounters. For example, in order to become the lover of the mortal woman Leda, Jupiter transformed himself into a swan. The result was the births of Helen of Troy, her twin Clytemnestra, and the twins Castor and Pollux. By Latona, the daughter of Titans, he fathered the Olympian gods Apollo and Diana. Minerva was born without the involvement of a mother. With his wife and sister Juno, he sired the Olympian gods Mars, Vulcan, and Juvenita. With Maia he begat Mercury, the messenger god, and with the Titan Themis he sired Horae (the Hours), Parcae (the Fates), and Astraea (Justice, the blindfolded goddess). His liaison with the mortal Alcmene produced the demigod and hero Hercules. Entwined with his sister Ceres as a pair of serpents, Jupiter produced Proserpina, the goddess of spring, who became the queen of the underworld. With the sea-nymph Dione he fathered Venus, the goddess of love. The list goes on and on.

Many of the myths of Jupiter’s paternity were closely related to the mythology of his other attributes. For example, all of his children with Themis are related to his role as the giver of justice and keeper of the law. With the mortal woman Semele he fathered Bacchus, but he was forced to keep the unborn god alive for much of what would have been Semele’s pregnancy. Juno in her jealousy convinced Semele to demand proof of Jupiter’s divinity. He finally complied, but no mortal could survive an encounter with the god of thunder and lightning, and Semele perished. Jupiter rescued the unborn Bacchus and put him in his thigh until the baby was ready to be born.

Origins and Cults

While he was essentially identical to Zeus in most respects, Jupiter’s role in Roman society was somewhat greater than the position Zeus occupied among the ancient Greeks. Jupiter was also considered the patron god of the Roman state and presided over laws and social order. In Roman mythology the most important grouping of gods was called the Capitoline Triad. This was a trio made up of Jupiter, his wife and sister Juno, and Minerva, who had been born directly from Jupiter’s brain.

The largest temple in ancient Rome was dedicated to Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill. It was completed in 509 BCE and was consecrated with the sacrifice of a white ox, which was a preferred beast in the worship of Jupiter. The temple’s foundations are still in existence. Roman generals who returned victorious from their campaigns paraded past the temple and made sacrifices there as well. The tradition of worshipping Jupiter at the top of Capitoline Hill was mimicked throughout the Roman Empire, and shrines and temples to Jupiter were located at the tops of hills from the eastern Mediterranean to what is now England. He was the most important cult figure in the Roman religion. Also, every place where lightning was known to have struck was considered sacred. Such sites were often enclosed by low walls.

One way that Jupiter was worshipped involved lapides silices, which were small stones that were kept at the temple on Capitoline Hill. Priests used the stones for the most serious ceremonies of state, such as declarations of war or peace. The priests held one of the stones and swore by Jupiter, dropping the stone at the end of the oath. An oath made on Iuppiter Lapis—the Jupiter Stone—was the most solemn of all oaths.

The worship of Jupiter and the other Roman gods lasted for many centuries. It may have begun around 700–600 BCE and did not end until the rise of Christianity around 200 CE.

Bibliography

Bolton, Lesley. The Everything Classical Mythology Book: Greek and Roman Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters from Ares to Zeus. Avon: Adams Media, 2002. Print.

Bowman, Laurel, and Anthony Bulloch. Gods and Goddesses of Greece and Rome. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2012. Print.

Day, Malcolm. 100 Charters From Classical Mythology: Discover the Fascinating Stories of the Greek and Roman Deities. Hauppauge: Barron’s Educational Series, 2007. Print.

Freeman, Philip. Oh, My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths. New York: Simon, 2012. Print.

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. New York: Grand Central, 2011. Print.

Innes, Brian. Ancient Roman Myths. New York: Gareth Stevens, 2010. Print.

Johnson, Robin. Roman Myths. New York: Crabtree, 2012. Print.

Temple, Teri. Jupiter: King of the Gods, God of Sky and Storms. Mankato: The Child’s World, 2014. Print.