Neptune(Neptunus, Etruscan. Nethuns, Nethunus) - among the Romans originally was the god of flowing water, like the Greeks Ocean, Poseidon, Nereus, Aheloy. In general, the mythology of the sea among the Romans was poor, which is quite understandable given the lack of maritime relations among the early Latins; Almost all words relating to maritime affairs are borrowed from the Greeks. But the Romans early noticed the life-giving power of springs and rivers and their beneficial effect on the earth, vegetation and living beings. So Neptune was a god river And key water. Neptune's relationship to the sea is indicated by his connection with Salacia, which personified salt water. Venilia or Venelia, the wife of Neptune, was the goddess of the source and was related to Venus. In addition, Roman water mythology did not create any images, any miraculous tales and traditions; everything that we find in its further development is borrowed either from the Etruscans or from the Greeks. The tales of Scylla and Charybdis, the Sirens, and King Forcas are a product of Italic, but not Latin mythology; it is difficult to decide whether these legends belong to Etruscan or Greek. In the historical era, the entire fantastic Hellenic world passed into Roman mythology; the Greek Poseidon, under the Latin name Neptune, was made king of the sea. In addition to the significance of the sea god, Neptune was also considered the patron of equestrian exercises. Ancient Italic god Cons(Consus) was also called Neptunus equester. At the Circus of Flaminius there was the only temple of Neptune in Rome. The holiday in honor of this god (Neptunalia) fell on July 23 and was accompanied by games; he coped either on the Tiber or in Ostia, on the seashore, in the open air. Pompey the Great, after his naval successes, ordered to call himself the son of Neptune. Agrippa, having destroyed the fleet of Antony and Cleopatra, in memory of his victory built a sanctuary and portico in honor of Neptune (Basilica Neptuni) on the Campus Martius.
Neptune's Trident
Neptune's name is etymologically traced not only to the Latin roots "poto" and "nepoto" - translated as to flow, flow, pour, urinate, but also to the root "nepot", which means "nephew, son, son, one of the relatives, younger in the family." The name of the god Neptune indicates his position in the family as the youngest in the family. The Homeric legend tells of the division of the world between three brothers: the elder brother Zeus, who inherited the Sky, the middle brother Hades, who inherited the Underworld, and the younger brother Poseidon, who inherited the sea. The attribute of the Greek Hades was a two-horned pitchfork, which indicated his second place among his brothers. The attribute of the Greek Poseidon and the Roman Neptune was the trident, because he occupied third place among the brothers.
The idea of Poseidon as the god of the sea also arose gradually. He, like Neptune, was originally associated with the moisture of the earth. This is interesting because the name of the Greek god Poseidon is semantically associated with water; it is translated as “lord of the waters.” The name Neptune, in turn, indicates the place of God in the family and, therefore, could only arise after the appearance of the legend of the three divine brothers. It follows that under the name Neptune this god could be understood, according to the legend about the division of the world between brothers, only as the owner of the sea. In addition, Neptune's original attitude to the sea element is reflected in the names of his wives.
One of the oldest Roman gods; the original nature and cult of Neptune are little known, but apparently he was always associated with water, which led to his identification with Poseidon (no later than the beginning of the 3rd century BC). The holiday of Neptune - Neptunalia was celebrated on July 23 in order to prevent drought (during the holiday, huts were built from leaves). Salacia and Vinilia belonged to Neptune's circle. Salacia (from salum, “movement of the sea”) was considered the wife of the sea god Neptune and was identified with Thetis and Amphitrite; Vinilia is a nymph, personification of a surf wave, mother of Turnus. Marine Neptune was revered by people associated with the sea or going on a sea voyage, sometimes with deities personifying storms, winds, calm, and good weather. His identification with Poseidon determined Neptune’s connection with horses and his epithet “equestrian”, Neptune’s role as the god of the equestrian class; the introduction of the cult of Neptune, as well as the establishment of the festival of equestrian Neptune, was attributed to Romulus (Liv. I 9). Then this holiday merged with the consuals (see the article Cons). In the provinces, local gods of water and sea were identified with Neptune.
Neptune in myths:
Before Neptune appeared, the sea kingdom belonged to the titan Ocean, who reluctantly gave his scepter to the young successor, whom he, nevertheless, sincerely admired and described his virtues to his brothers in bright colors.
Neptune was dissatisfied with the kingdom he inherited and loved to encroach on other people's possessions.
For attempting to overthrow Jupiter, he was expelled from Olympus to earth and was sentenced to build the walls of Troy. Soon after returning from Troy, he argued with Minerva who would own the newly founded city of Athens, which then did not yet have a name. And he entered into the famous competition with her, in which he was defeated. Neptune also argued with Minerva about who should own Troezen, and with Apollo who should own Corinth. In the latter case, Briareus was chosen as the arbitrator, as the most powerful among the gods after Jupiter.
As the god of the sea, Neptune did not live on Olympus, but in the coral caves of his kingdom, which he ruled without any concessions. With one word he raised a terrible storm or calmed it, made the waves roar furiously or turned them into calm ripples.
His jurisdiction included not only rivers, springs, lakes and seas. He could at will cause devastating earthquakes or raise islands from the depths of the sea, which he did when Latona begged to be hidden from Hera’s persecution.
Children of Neptune:
- Winged horses Pegasus and Arion
- Giants Polyphemus, Otus and Ephialtes.
- Ram with golden wool (golden fleece)
Subordinates of Neptune:
All the Nereids, Tritons and other sea deities formed the retinue of Neptune and Amphitrite and followed them when they traveled around their kingdom.
Neptune, in addition, had many subordinates who governed the various seas, lakes, rivers, springs, and so on, which were entrusted to their care. According to their occupations, these deities were either gray-haired river gods, slender youths, beautiful maidens, or infants. They rarely left the cold waters of their homes and sought to win the favor of Neptune by the zeal they showed in the performance of their duties.
The holiday is associated with Neptune neptunalia, which was celebrated on July 23. The holiday was celebrated to prevent drought. During this festival, huts were built from leaves.
Marine Neptune was revered by people associated with the sea or going on a sea voyage.
The eighth and outermost planet in the Solar System, Neptune, is named after the god Neptune.
Initially, the Romans had little worship of him, since they had little to do with the sea. When Greek ideas from Poseidon were subsequently transferred to him, his attitude towards the horse and the horse’s rearing was especially evident, notes Lubker’s dictionary.
Etymology
There is no generally accepted etymology for the name Neptune. Paul Kretschmer traced it back to the Proto-Indo-European basis *neptu-“to be damp, wet.” Georges Dumézil objected to this assumption by arguing that this stem fell out of general use early and was preserved only in Vedic Sanskrit and the Avestan language. Dumezil associated Neptune with the Avestan Apam Napat and the Irish Nechtan, interpreting this ancient theonym as “son of a sister, nephew.” This meaning is associated with the specific plot of the Indo-European myth about a character with the name *nep(o)t G. Petermann connects the name of Neptune with the pan-Indo-European basis *nebh-“cloud, fog, dampness, haze,” to which the Russian word also goes back sky .
In heraldry
Neptune is depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Veliky Ustyug, the trident of Neptune is in the historical coat of arms of Feodosia (1811).
see also
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Notes
Literature
- Obnorsky N.P.// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
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Excerpt characterizing Neptune (mythology)
– How is your health now? - said Princess Marya, herself surprised at what she was saying.“This, my friend, is something you need to ask the doctor,” he said, and, apparently making another effort to be affectionate, he said with just his mouth (it was clear that he did not mean what he was saying): “Merci, chere amie.” , d'etre venue. [Thank you, dear friend, for coming.]
Princess Marya shook his hand. He winced slightly when she shook her hand. He was silent and she didn't know what to say. She understood what happened to him in two days. In his words, in his tone, especially in this look - a cold, almost hostile look - one could feel the alienation from everything worldly, terrible for a living person. He apparently now had difficulty understanding all living things; but at the same time it was felt that he did not understand the living, not because he was deprived of the power of understanding, but because he understood something else, something that the living did not and could not understand and that absorbed him completely.
- Yes, that’s how strange fate brought us together! – he said, breaking the silence and pointing at Natasha. “She keeps following me.”
Princess Marya listened and did not understand what he was saying. He, the sensitive, gentle Prince Andrei, how could he say this in front of the one he loved and who loved him! If he had thought about living, he would not have said this in such a coldly insulting tone. If he didn’t know that he would die, then how could he not feel sorry for her, how could he say this in front of her! There was only one explanation for this, and that was that he didn’t care, and it didn’t matter because something else, something more important, was revealed to him.
The conversation was cold, incoherent and interrupted constantly.
“Marie passed through Ryazan,” said Natasha. Prince Andrei did not notice that she called his sister Marie. And Natasha, calling her that in front of him, noticed it herself for the first time.
- Well, what then? - he said.
“They told her that Moscow was completely burned down, as if...
Natasha stopped: she couldn’t speak. He obviously made an effort to listen, but still could not.
“Yes, it burned down, they say,” he said. “This is very pathetic,” and he began to look forward, absentmindedly straightening his mustache with his fingers.
– Have you met Count Nikolai, Marie? - Prince Andrei suddenly said, apparently wanting to please them. “He wrote here that he really liked you,” he continued simply, calmly, apparently unable to understand all the complex meaning that his words had for living people. “If you fell in love with him too, it would be very good... for you to get married,” he added somewhat more quickly, as if delighted by the words that he had been looking for for a long time and finally found. Princess Marya heard his words, but they had no other meaning for her, except that they proved how terribly far he was now from all living things.
- What to say about me! – she said calmly and looked at Natasha. Natasha, feeling her gaze on her, did not look at her. Again everyone was silent.
“Andre, do you want...” Princess Marya suddenly said in a shuddering voice, “do you want to see Nikolushka?” He thought about you all the time.
Prince Andrei smiled faintly for the first time, but Princess Marya, who knew his face so well, realized with horror that it was not a smile of joy, not tenderness for her son, but of quiet, gentle mockery of what Princess Marya used, in her opinion. , the last resort to bring him to his senses.
The violent water element frightened people, because the catches, the safety of merchant ships, and victories in naval battles depended on the underwater rulers. That is why the gods of the seas among various peoples were considered the most majestic and revered.
The Greek god of the seas Poseidon is the son of the titan Kronos and the goddess Rhea. After birth, he was swallowed by his father, who feared being overthrown from the throne, but was then freed by his brother, Zeus. The main character traits that the Greeks endowed with Poseidon were hot temper, violence, and inconstancy. The sea god easily flew into a rage, and people were then in great danger. To achieve Poseidon's favor, the Greeks brought him rich gifts, throwing them into the depths of the sea. Outwardly, the god of the seas, Poseidon, was portrayed as handsome - powerful, in golden clothes, with thick curly hair and a beard.
He lived in a huge underwater palace, and traveled in his chariot drawn by magic horses, or on horseback or a bull. Poseidon controlled the elements of the sea with the help of a magic trident - with just one swing he could cause or pacify a storm. And by striking the ground with his trident, Poseidon carved out water sources.
The Greeks dedicated many different myths to the god of the seas, Poseidon. In early tales, Poseidon was closely associated with the underworld and sent earthquakes. However, he also controlled the spring waters, on which the harvest depended. Many myths describe how Poseidon argues with other gods for lands, but does not win. For example, he competed with Athena for Attica. However, the goddess's gift - an olive tree - seemed more useful to the judges than the source that Poseidon created. Then the angry sea god sent a flood to the city.
One of the myths about Poseidon describes the appearance of the legendary monster - the Minotaur. One day, King Minos of Crete asked the god of the sea to give him a huge bull that lived in the sea. This animal was supposed to be sacrificed to Poseidon himself. However, Minos liked the bull so much that he decided not to kill it, but to keep it for himself. In revenge, Poseidon instilled in Minos' wife a love for the bull, the fruit of which became the Minotaur - half bull, half man.
God of the seas Neptune
Neptune is the counterpart of Poseidon in Roman mythology. When Jupiter divided the spheres of influence, Neptune received the water element - seas, oceans, rivers and lakes. The subjects of the sea god in Roman mythology are the Tritons and Nereids, as well as lesser gods who watch over rivers and lakes.
These gods were depicted either as old men or as beautiful young men and women. Neptune, like Poseidon, was very loving. He had many children from various lovers. In the form of a horse, Neptune seduced the goddess Proserpine and she gave birth to the winged horse Arion. Theophan's beloved, whom God, who became a ram, turned into a sheep, gave birth to a lamb with golden wool. It was in search of the golden fleece of this ram that Jason and the Argonauts traveled.
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God of the sea among the Slavs: Sea king
The Sea Tsar is the Slavic god of the sea, and is the hero of many fairy tales and epics.
This sea lord appeared to people as an old man with a beard made of grass. This deity should not be confused with mermen - lower creatures with swollen bellies and faces that live in lakes, rivers and swamps. According to legend, the Slavic god of the sea owned great treasures - gold and gems.
But the sea king did not have a good disposition, unlike his wife, the sea queen, who favored people. According to ancient legends, the sea king gave people honey bees - he presented a hive in gratitude for the beautiful black horse that was sacrificed. But one fisherman decided to take the hive for himself, he stole the queen and swallowed it. Then the bees grew stingers and began to sting the thief. The fisherman confessed his crime to the wise men and they ordered him to swallow another queen. After the fisherman was healed, the sea king gave the bees to the wise men. And since then, when creating a new apiary, the Magi began to sacrifice one of the hives to the king of the sea.
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Video: Hot candy corn, cold beer, shrimp. Neptune is the king of the sea, the god of the seas in Zatoka.
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In ancient Roman mythology, the god Neptune was the ruler of sea streams. He was worshiped without fail by all people associated with the sea. The Roman inhabitants, later than others, understood the full vitality of water and, realizing the benefits, began to take care of it and organize holidays to the glory of God.
Who is Neptune?
The most ancient ruler Neptune is the god who owns any streams of water. He was able to plunge even entire islands into the abyss of the sea. Young and ambitious, he quickly acquired all the sea possessions at the direction of his older brother, Jupiter, but he was not able to cope with the abyss right away, and he believed that he had the right to own large territories. His gluttony led to his expulsion from Olympus and being forced to build the city of Troy with his own hands.
What is Neptune responsible for?
All existing water flows of the world were under his control. Neptune, the Roman god of the seas, was young and ambitious and often went too far, playing with his capabilities. People were afraid of him and made sacrifices, especially sea travelers. To this day, celebrations are held in his honor to appease the deep-sea ruler. Neptune is the god of the sea and the fertility of the earth, the number of fish and even earthquakes depend on his decisions.
What does Neptune look like?
In mythology, the god Neptune changed several times over a certain amount of time. Until they began to compare him with Poseidon, he did not have a trident and a wreath, but after that he also acquired these attributes. The Roman god Neptune was a very handsome man, tall, strong and muscular. His thick hair and beard fluttered in the wind as he sailed through the waves. A wreath of seaweed and flowers was visible far beyond the horizon and warned sea travelers of danger.
Neptune and Poseidon - what's the difference?
It was believed that Neptune was the god of the seas and oceans, but his image was taken from Poseidon, who also ruled the expanses of water. Their main difference is that the ancient Greeks called the lord of the sea Poseidon, and the Romans liked the second name. Yet, initially he did not live at the bottom of the sea surrounded by his subjects, he controlled all the flowing rivers, making the lands around them more fertile. The image of the underwater king also comes from Greek myths.
Neptune is a myth
The ancient Roman god of Rome Neptune was not the first ruler of the underwater kingdom. Before him, all possessions were in the hands of the Titan Ocean, who, although he admired the young ruler, did not want to give up such a high rank. The ocean vividly described the new ruler to his relatives and increased his authority among his brothers, but unfortunately, the new ruler was not happy with the territory allocated to him.
An attempt to overthrow Jupiter failed and he was expelled from Olympus and ordered to build the great walls of Troy, the city of the goddess Athena. One defeat was not enough for the sea lord, and he entered into a battle for the possession of the newly built city with Minerva, but lost there too. And this was not his last attempt to take over the cities, only the gods of Olympus confidently stood their ground and did not give him new territories.
For Neptune's disobedience, he was forbidden to live on Olympus, and his habitat was underwater sea caves. He mercilessly created strong storms when he was in a bad mood, and minutes later calmed the sea. He was subject to earthquakes, and he had the power to hide islands under water and raise them. Thus, he helped Latona hide, who was mercilessly pursued by the goddess Hera. She asked Neptune for help and did not even hope for salvation, but the arrogant god of the seas took pity on the girl and they even struck up a friendship.