In 1846, it was decided to name the planet Neptune after this god because of the planet’s bluish color. He is considered the definitive Roman god of the sea. It’s clear that many of the qualities associated with Neptune were borrowed from Poseidon. It’s Neptune’s name of “Neptune Equester” in reference to his association with horse racing that gave us the word “equestrian,” meaning related to horse racing or referring to someone who rides horses. There’s no denying that Neptune’s legacy remains with us today. At one time, the ancient Romans held a festival in July to honor Neptune. The idea was that by pleasing this god, the seas would continue to be favorable to the Romans. Special gifts were brought to the temple in order to keep Neptune happy. Honoring Neptuneīecause of the belief that he was helping the Roman’s win important victories, including the ability to take the ancient city of Veii, two temples were build to honor him. He would eventually be the god given credit for Roman victories during battles at sea. It was only when tales of the Greek god Poseidon became well-known that Neptune was elevated to his current status among Roman gods. Fortunus was also the god that was usually given credit for any Roman victories at sea. In fact, it was often the god Fortunus who was associated with the sea before Neptune. Neptune was once a minor god who was not prominently featured as a key player in the stories that were told about Roman gods. This is why the dolphin is sometimes included in depictions of Neptune. As a reward for what the dolphin did, he turned the creature into an immortal and gave it a place of honor in the heavens in the constellation Dolphinus. The clever and charming dolphin was able to convince Amphitrite to change her mind and agree to marry Neptune. Not to be deterred, Neptune sent one of his servants, a dolphin, to try and find her again. He was captivated by her beauty and instantly fell in love and asked her to marry him. According to one story about this relationship, Neptune saw Amphitrite, a water nymph, dancing on the island of Naxos. She is the woman most-often considered to be his wife rather than Salacia. Neptune and the Water NymphĪmphitrite is also a woman said to be Neptune’s wife. The most notable of these children are Pegasus and Atlas. Because of these relationships, he had many other sons and daughters other than the three children he had with his wife. Neptune also had a reputation for being a lady’s man. Triton also represents the sea in his physical appearance as a “merman,” the male version of a mermaid. Like his father, he is depicted carrying a trident (three-pronged staff). In ancient Italian mythology, she may have been the goddess of salt water. RelationshipsĪccording to some stories about the Roman god Neptune, he had a wife named Salacia. Since Neptune was the god the sea, it was thought that an earthquake occurred when he became angry. And the ancient Romans thought they came from the sea, but had no scientific knowledge of things like plates and shifting of the earth. At the time, there was very little understanding of what really caused earthquakes. Neptune and Earthquakesīecause of Neptune’s violent temper, he also became associated with earthquakes. However, he failed in his attempt to accomplish this task. According to one tale, it was his unpredictable nature that caused Neptune to make an attempt to overthrow his brother Jupiter and become ruler of the underworld. His behavior is said to reflect the unpredictable nature of the sea. There are many stories that depict him as being difficult and somewhat vindictive. Neptune is known for his violent nature and temperament. After Saturn was defeated, the three brothers divided control of the world among themselves. They then turned on their father and teamed up to defeat him. In his attempt to get rid of the stone from his belly, the children were released. It was his mother, Ops, who saved her kids by tricking Saturn into swallowing a stone. It’s said that Neptune’s father swallowed his children. He also had three sisters: Vesta, Juno, and Ceres. Saturn was the father of Neptune, Pluto, and Jupiter. Originally, Neptune was a god of the ancient Italians who was not associated with the sea because the Italians did not have any such god at the time. This is because of early depictions of him being pulled across the sea in a chariot pulled by a horse. He is also associated with the sports horse racing. Neptune is sometimes seen with fish and other creatures of the sea around him. He is often shown to be an older man with a long beard. Given a name that means “moist” in Latin, Neptune is often pictured as having a three-pronged fisherman’s spear. Often associated with fresh water, he was first referenced in Roman mythology as being associated with water around 399 BC. He is very similar to Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.
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