Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

150 JUPITERsmall figure with a large head, he carries a staffto which is attached a little book. By traditionthe book contains information about the lifespanof each mortal person. He is accompaniedby a black deer, said to have been made thus byold age.JUPITERORIGIN Roman. Head of the Roman pantheon.KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 400 BC tocirca AD 400.SYNONYMS Iuppiter; Jove; Juppiter.CENTER(S) OF CULT throughout Roman world.ART REFERENCES sculptures, reliefs, etc.LITERARY SOURCES Aeneid (Virgil).Jupiter parallels the Greek supreme deity ZEUS, asthe father of the gods. His origins lie in the Indo-European sky god DYAUS PITAR. His consort isJUNO. His main sanctuary is located on the CapitolineHill in Rome and epithets include Tonans(thunderer) and Fulgurator (sender of lightning)although he is, above all, the giver of the brightlight of day. He is, like Zeus, believed to hurlthunderbolts from the sky and he was representedin the sanctuary of Jupiter Feretrius by a crudelump of stone. He is particularly responsible forthe honoring of oaths which led to the practice ofswearing in his name.In Rome he formed part of an early trinity withMARS, god of war and farming, and QUIRINUS.This was later revised to include Jupiter, Juno andMINERVA, all three of whom shared the CapitolineTemple.Jupiter became known under a variety of assimilatednames. Thus he was Jupiter Victor leadingthe legions to victory, or Jupiter Stator when theywere in a defensive role, or Jupiter Protector.Away from Rome he was allied with the Syrian/Hittitegod DOLICHENUS and in this formbecame popular with the Roman military withshrines as far away as Britain.JuventasGoddess of youth. Roman. Modeled on theGreek goddess HEBE.Jvaraharisvara (lord of fever)Plague god. Hindu. Associated with malaria, particularlyin Bengal.JyesthaGoddess of misfortune. Hindu (Puranic and earlier).The elder sister of the goddess LAKSMI,Jyestha personifies poverty and is depicted with alarge belly and long nose. In earlier Hinduismshe was worshiped particularly in southern India.Also a NAKSATRA of evil influence; daughter ofDAKSA and wife of CANDRA (SOMA). Her animalis an ass. Attributes: arrow, banner with crow, cup,blue lotus, hair-ornament and staff.