Gods, Goddesses, and Ancient Legends
Augustus let it be whispered that his mother had conceived him by Apollo, who came to her as a serpent in the god’s own temple. He was not merely Apollo’s favorite — by this telling, he was the god’s son.
Augustus built his entire political program around her. The monument he raised in her honor still stands in Rome. Pax was never just an ideal — she was a theological argument about who deserved to rule.
Victoria was not a metaphor for victory. She was victory itself made divine — the force that determined which side of a battle the gods had chosen, and the proof that Rome’s conquests were something more than military success.