Short answer: the Roman gods are largely the Greek gods renamed: Zeus becomes Jupiter, Aphrodite becomes Venus, Ares becomes Mars. But it was not a simple copy: Rome shifted personalities too. Roman Mars was a dignified father of the state; Greek Ares was the war god nobody invited to dinner.
The full table
| Greek | Roman | Domain |
|---|---|---|
| Zeus | Jupiter | Sky and kingship |
| Hera | Juno | Marriage |
| Poseidon | Neptune | Sea |
| Hades | Pluto | Underworld |
| Demeter | Ceres | Harvest ("cereal" hides here) |
| Hestia | Vesta | Hearth |
| Athena | Minerva | Wisdom |
| Apollo | Apollo | Sun and music (same name) |
| Artemis | Diana | Hunt and moon |
| Ares | Mars | War |
| Aphrodite | Venus | Love |
| Hephaestus | Vulcan | Forge ("volcano" hides here) |
| Hermes | Mercury | Messengers and trade |
| Dionysus | Bacchus | Wine |
| Cronus | Saturn | Time and the old order |
| Heracles | Hercules | The great hero |
Three differences that go beyond the name
Mars got a promotion. Greek Ares was feared and disliked, even by his own family. Roman Mars was second only to Jupiter, father of Romulus and protector of the state. Same spear, completely different reputation.
Saturn got a festival. Grim Cronus, the child-swallower, became Saturn, honored each December with Saturnalia, the merriest feast in Rome, where masters served their slaves.
The planets are the Roman roster. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune: when astronomy needed names, it used the Roman ones. That is the easiest memory hook there is: the sky is a Roman family reunion.
Quick questions
Why did Rome adopt the Greek gods?
Rome absorbed Greek culture through its colonies and conquests, matching Greek deities with older Italic ones. The scholarly name for the process is interpretatio romana.
Which gods kept the same name?
Apollo is the famous one. Also most heroes kept recognizable names: Heracles simply became Hercules.
If I read "Ulysses", which tradition am I in?
Roman. Ulysses is the Latin name of Odysseus. The same trick works everywhere: Roman names mean a Roman or later Latin source, and the whole checklist of who is who lives in our table of the 12 Olympians.
Every god in this table has an illustrated profile in our encyclopedia, told as narrated episodes in MythologyNow.
