Hera = Juno, Hermes = Mercury, Apollo = ... Apollo?

July 22, 2018 2:30 PM

Of all the Greek gods and heroes co-opted by the Romans, why does Apollo (and I think only Apollo) not have a name change?
posted by ricochet biscuit to Society & Culture (3 answers total)

Best answer: Because Greek mythology isn't exactly the same as Roman mythology, or rather the Romans themselves associated Greek gods with some of their own gods, but this was if you like a 'retro-fit' and there isn't an exact 1:1 mapping as implied in the question.

For example, Ares is seen somewhat differently in Greek mythology to Roman mythology; Mars was a much more important (and positive) god to the Romans than to the Greeks. The Roman goddess Venus is also not quite the same as Aphrodite. There are other differences also which mean Apollo isn't unique here - Quirinus is a god of the Roman state who doesn't appear in Greek mythology.

Tvtropes' article on classical mythology puts it well - 'Roman mythology was probably (though records are sparse) influenced by that of the neighboring Etruscans, while Greek mythology was probably influenced by their Near Eastern neighbours in Anatolia and Mesopotamia. Take, for instance, the emphasis on complicated divination methods that were alien to the Greeks. Or the fact that some of their gods, such as Mars (his Greek counterpart Ares is a dumb brute, while Mars is a highly competent badass) or Saturn, are largely different from their Greek counterparts. The Roman religion (the actual practice of worshipping the gods in question) was also extremely different from the Greek one, dealing more with human representatives of the remote gods rather than stories of the gods themselves. Essentially, Roman mythology is a little bit like a Continuity Reboot of Greek mythology.'

Also consider that both mythology changed over time and place, especially with the Roman practice of adopting gods from wherever they conquered. See : Mithras.
posted by plep at 2:45 PM on July 22, 2018 [10 favorites]

This video from Crash Course explains it pretty entertainingly.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 3:00 PM on July 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: To simplify greatly, it's because Apollo was not an "original" Roman deity like Jupiter or Mars, but a later import (where 'later' is still pretty early, i.e., 5th c. BCE or so). Pre-existing gods like Jupiter got identified with their Greek 'equivalents' (i.e. Zeus), a process often called interpretatio Graeca, but other elements of Greek religion/mythology were brought in separately, often via the Etruscans; still other native Roman gods were never assigned Greek equivalents.

Also, mythology in the sense of 'telling stories' in Rome was heavily influenced by Greek mythology since the Roman deities were not anthropomorphized in the same ways, while religious practices themselves were less influenced so, usually; religious practice and mythological narratives, while they have connections, obviously, are not co-extensive. One could take as an example Saturn, who was interpreted as the Greek Kronos, father of Zeus, and when telling those stories in literature, the Romans did use the names Saturn and Jupiter, but in terms of cult practice, Saturn was an agricultural deity and one associated with the huge harvest celebration in December, and there is little to no influence of the mythological stories on those cultic practices.

Anyway, Apollo came in primarily as a healing god from the 5th c. on, and only assumed a truly important cultural role beyond that when Augustus chose to take him as a personal, tutelary divinity. But in Roman literature, he either reflects Greek mythology or that Augustan connection.
posted by lysimache at 3:30 PM on July 22, 2018 [10 favorites]