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Juno (Latin: IVNO) was a major Roman goddess, called Hera by the Greeks. She was queen of the gods. An ancient and central deity in Roman religion, Juno was the twin sister and wife of the Jupiter of Crete (not the god of heaven), and the mother of Hebe, Vulcan and Mars, one of the most important Roman deities. She was also a member of the Capitoline Triad along with Jupiter and Minerva.
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[edit] Etymology and origin
There is a strong possible etymology for Juno in the Indo-European root *yeu-, "vital force", which has such derivatives as the English youth.[1] Although such a derivation could possibly be consistent with an origin as a mother goddess, it is more likely that the root *yeu- is used in the same sense as other Latin words derived from it, such as iuvenis ("young man", with derivatives such as juvenile and rejuvenate), which would imply that Juno's nature prior to the syncretism of Greek and Roman mythology was more akin to Diana's, as a maiden goddess of birth or midwifery. However, the Roman absorption of Greek myth replaced earlier characteristics of Juno with those of Hera, extending her domain from birth to marriage and promoting her to the role of Jupiter's wife and the queen of the gods. She could also throw lightning bolts like Jupiter.[2]
More immediately, Juno's Etruscan equivalent was Uni. It is likely that one of these goddesses inspired the other, but whether Juno comes from Uni, or vice versa, remains disputed. Although there is pojo currently more support for the theory that Uni is derived from Juno,[citation needed] if instead Juno's name is of Etruscan origin, it cannot have an Indo-European link to *yeu-, and its root meaning will remain ambiguous. There is some support for the theory of Uni being the original; Livy states (Book V, Ab Urbe Condita ) that Juno was an Etruscan goddess from Veii, who was ceremonially adopted into the Roman pantheon when Veii was sacked in 396BC.
[edit] Worship
Every year, women held a festival in honor of Juno called the Matronalia. Another festival in her honor, the Nonae Caprotinae ("The Nones of the Wild Fig") was held on July 7. Many considered the month of June, which is named after Juno, the patroness of marriage, to be the most favorable time to marry. The Kalends of every month was also sacred to Juno, and she had festivals on July 1 and September 13.
Juno's own warlike aspect among the Romans is apparent in her attire. She often appeared armed and wearing a goatskin cloak, which was the garment favored by Roman soldiers on campaign. This warlike aspect was assimilated from the Greek goddess Athena, whose goatskin was called the aigis.
[edit] Epithets
Even more than other major Roman deities, Juno held a large number of significant and diverse epithets, names and titles representing various aspects and roles of the goddess. In accordance with her central role as a goddess of marriage, these included Interduca ("she who leads the bride into marriage"), Domiduca ("she who leads the bride to her new home"), Cinxia ("she who loses the bride's girdle"). However, many other epithets of Juno are less thematically linked.
Juno was very frequently called Juno Regina ("Juno the Queen"). This aspect was the one named in the Temple of Jupiter as part of the Capitoline Triad, emphasizing that Juno's role as the wife of Jupiter and queen of the gods was the most important in that context. There were also temples of Juno Regina on the Aventine Hill, in the Circus Flaminius and in the area that became the Porticus Octaviae. On September 1, the festival of Juno took place.[3]
Juno protected the finances of the Roman Empire as Juno Moneta ("Juno who Warns" or "Juno the alone").
Lucina was an epithet for Juno as "she who brings children into the light", and Lucetia as "bringer of light" in general. She was also referenced as Pomona ("goddess of fruit"), Pronuba ("matron of honor") and Ossipagina ("bone setter" or "bone strengthener"). Some of these titles may have been invented as poetic descriptions, however, and may not have been actually used in the cult worship of Juno.
[edit] Statue at Samos
In The Netherlands, in Maastricht, which was founded as Trajectum ad Mosam about 2000 years ago, the remains of the foundations of a substantial temple for Juno and Jupiter are to be found in the cellars of Hotel Derlon. Over part of the Roman remains the first Christian church of The Netherlands has been built in the 4th century A.D.
The story behind these remains begins with Juno and Jupiter being born as twins of Saturn and Opis. Juno was sent to Samos Island when yet a very young child. She was carefully raised there until puberty, when she then married her brother. A statue was made representing Juno, the bride, as a young girl on her wedding day. It was carved out of Parian marble and placed in front of her temple at Samos for many centuries. Ultimately this statue of Juno was brought to Rome and placed in the sanctuary of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill. For a long time the Romans honored her with many ceremonies under the name Queen Juno. The remains were moved then sometime between the first century and the four century to the Netherlands.[4]
[edit] In literature
- Perhaps Juno's most prominent appearance in Roman literature is as the primary antagonistic force in Virgil's Aeneid, where she is depicted as a cruel and savage goddess intent upon supporting first Dido and then Turnus and the Rutulians against Aeneas' attempt to found a new Troy in Italy. There has been some speculation—such as by Maurus Servius Honoratus, an ancient commentator on the Aeneid—that she is perhaps a conflation of Hera with the Carthaginian storm-goddess Tanit in some aspects of her portrayal here.
- Juno is mentioned in The Tempest by Shakespeare by name along with Ceres and Iris.
- Juno is a boat in the book, Middle Passage.
- A statue of Juno is central to Henry James' short story "The Last of the Valerii"
[edit] Notes
- ^ The American Heritage Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-82517-2.
- ^ Puhvel, Jaan (1987). Comparative Mythology (p. 151). Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-3938-6.
- ^ Scullard, H.H. (1981). Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic (p. 183). London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-8014-1402-4.
- ^ Virginia Brown's translation of Giovanni Boccaccio’s Famous Women, p. 13 - 14; Harvard University Press 2001; ISBN 0-674-01130-9
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