Bacchus: Roman God of Wine, Ecstasy, and the Bacchanalia
In 186 BCE, the Roman Senate banned the Bacchanalia and executed thousands of its participants. No other god’s worship was treated as a criminal conspiracy.
Theo Mercer
Apollo and Daphne: The Myth of the Laurel
Apollo pursued Daphne through the forests of Thessaly and was gaining ground when she called out to her father. She became a laurel tree. Apollo declared it sacred — and every laurel crown in Rome carried that story in its leaves ever after.
The Death of Orpheus: The Song That Would Not Die
Orpheus survived the underworld but not the Maenads. His death is the part of the myth people forget — and the part that explains what the Romans actually believed about the power of art.
Ceres: Roman Goddess of Agriculture, Grain, and the Plebeian Order
The word “cereal” comes from her name. So does one of the most politically charged temples in Roman history.
Orpheus and Eurydice: The Myth of Music, Loss, and the Look Back
Orpheus walked into the underworld with a lyre and talked his way past Cerberus, past the Furies, past Pluto himself. He got everything he asked for. Then he looked back.
Romulus: Founder of Rome, Son of Mars, and the City’s First King
Romulus killed his brother to found Rome, abducted the Sabine women to populate it, ruled for thirty-seven years, and then vanished in a storm. The Romans deified him. They also suspected the senators had torn him apart.
The Lupercalia: Ancient Rites of Purification and Fertility
Discover the Lupercalia, Rome’s ancient February festival celebrating fertility, purification, and the primal joy of life.
The Saturnalia: Rome’s Greatest Festival
For seven days each December, Rome’s courts closed, schools emptied, and masters served their slaves at dinner. The Saturnalia was the most beloved festival in the Roman year — and one of the most sophisticated acts of theological inversion in the ancient world.
The Roman Altar: Where the Divine and Human Met
Every Roman god had a temple. What they actually needed was an altar. The temple was a house; the altar was where the conversation happened.
Vulcan: Roman God of Fire, the Forge, and Destructive Flame
His festival was held in August, at the height of summer’s fire risk, and the main ritual involved throwing live fish into a bonfire. The fish died so that people did not have to.