Ancient Romans believed in many gods. One of the most popular Gods in Roman mythology was Jupiter who was considered as the King of the sky and thunder but is more importantly known as the King of Gods.
In Ancient Roman myth, Jupiter is the son of Saturn and has two brothers as well as three sisters. When his father died, it was believed that Neptune, Pluto, and Jupiter divided the world between themselves.
Neptune and Pluto took the sea and the underworld respectively while Jupiter ruled all the heavens.
Often times, Jupiter is portrayed by the Romans as someone with a long and white beard that carries an eagle atop of his scepter.
Like most Gods, Jupiter is also equipped with a wide range of epithets. Among the most popular roles of Jupiter was being the God of light as well as the protector during defeat and the giver of victory.
Likewise, he was also known as Jupiter Imperator or the supreme general, Jupiter Triumphator or the king of victory, and Jupiter Invictus or the unconquered.
Jupiter was worshipped by Romans on the summits of hills across Italy. In addition, the Romans also built a temple in the Capitoline Hill in honor of Jupiter, his wife Juno, and Minerva.
Jupiter along with Juno and Minerva were considered as the oldest Gods in Roman mythology and the protectors of Rome.
Several scholars believe that the Romans adopted Jupiter from the Greek god Zeus but they changed some of its stories.
While Zeus was primarily controlled in part by the Fates and often times mingled with mortals here on Earth, Jupiter rarely left the heavens and had complete control of the world.
As a matter of fact, it was once believed that Jupiter was in charge of cosmic justice.
Interestingly enough, Ancient Romans typically swore to Jove in their courts of law which gave birth to the common expression “By Jove” that is used by many people today.