Mars

The popular notion of Mars is that he is the Roman god of War. In Gustav Holst's The Planets, the first movement is entitled "Mars, the Bringer of War". This is a misconception that has occurred since Mars ceased to be part of the official religion of Rome seventeen centuries ago. Mars has never been a "bringer of war" in Roman religion; rather, the decision to go to war was always acknowledged to be in the hands of the magistrates. Mars is the bringer of victory in war, and the protector of the Roman army in war. It will surprise most people to learn that originally Mars was the protector of forests and fields, and was associated with the generative forces of springtime, and only later did he assume a military character. Simply stated, Mars is a bestower of life, not a bringer of death.

In addition to Mars, we honor five associated deities and our household lar Martianus Minneus Felix Capella.

Bellona

Bellona, popular among the Roman soldiers, was variously given as his wife or sister, or less often, his daughter. Originally known as Duellona, her attribute is a sword, and she is depicted wearing a helmet and armed with a spear and a torch. She could be of Etruscan origin, and is identified with the Greek Enyo.

Cernunnos

Cernunnos was an important deity of the Celts, essentially a nature god associated with produce and fertility. He was called the "Horned One" (a literal translation of his name) or the "Horned God", and was one of a number of similar deities found in many ancient cultures.

Cernunnos is nearly always portrayed with animals, in particular the stag. He is also frequently associated with a unique beast that seems to belong only to him: a serpent with the horns of a ram. This creature appears to have been a deity in its own right. Less often he is associated with other beasts, including bulls, dogs and rats. Because of his frequent association with beasts scholars often describe Cenunnos as the "Lord of the Animals" or the "Lord of Wild Things". Because of his association with stags in particular (a particularly hunted beast) he is also described as the "Lord of the Hunt". Interestingly, the Pilier des nautes links him with sailors and with commerce, suggesting that he was also associated with material wealth.

Minerva

Minerva was a Roman goddess of crafts and wisdom. Ovid called her the "goddess of a thousand works." She was worshipped throughout Italy, though only in Rome did she take on a warlike character. She is usually depicted wearing a coat of mail and a helmet, and carrying a spear.

Tyr

Very little is known about Tyr. He clearly was a very important deity at one time, given the many places named after him in Denmark. The similarity of his name to Dyaus, Zeus, and Deus implies that Tyr began his existence as a sky god, probably the preeminent Germanic deity, or even the sole deity of a primitive monotheistic belief. Tyr represented the principles of law and justice in this early time, and maintained this attribute at the end of pagan times.

Only later did he acquire the attribute of warrior god, and as such, he became a less important deity. His character was more like that of Mars -- noble and brave -- than like that of the despicable Ares. The Romans thus equated him with their own Mars, who was a rising power in the Roman Pantheon.

Victoria

Victoria, the Roman personification of Victory, was worshipped especially by triumphant generals returning from battle. She was held in higher regard by the Romans than was her counterpart Nike by the Greeks, and when in 382 A.D. her statue was removed by the emperor Gratianus there was much resistance in the pagan reactionary circles.