Vatican statue of Juno Sospita

Juno was the protector and special counselor of the Roman state. She is a daughter of Saturn and sister (but also the wife) of the chief god Jupiter and the mother of Juventas, Mars, and Vulcan. // Juno may refer to: Juno (mythology), a major Roman goddess June, the month named after Juno Juno (band), an American indie rock band Juno (musical), a Broadway musical with score by Marc Blitzstein based on Sean OCaseys play Juno and the Paycock Juno Reactor, a trance music project... For the planet see Jupiter. ... In Greek mythology, Hêbê was the goddess of youth (Roman equivalent: Juventas). ... Mars, painting by Diego Velazquez Mars was the Roman warrior god, the son of Juno and Jupiter, husband of Bellona, and the lover of Venus. ... The Forge of Vulcan by Diego Velasquez, (1630). ...

As the patron goddess of Rome and the Roman empire she was called Regina ("queen") and, together with Jupiter and Minerva, was worshipped as a triad on the Capitol (Juno Capitolina) in Rome. For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Regina may refer to a place: Regina, Saskatchewan, the provincial capital of Saskatchewan, Canada. ... This article is about the Roman goddess. ...

As the Juno moneta (she who warns) she guarded over the finances of the empire and had a temple on the Arx (one of two Capitoline hills), close to the Royal Mint. She was also worshipped in many other cities, where temples were built in her honor. In Roman mythology, Moneta was the personification of riches and wealth. ... Arx, arcis, f. ...

Every year, on the first of March, women held a festival in honor of Juno called the Matronalia . On this day, lambs and other cattle were sacrificed in her honor. Another festival called the Nonae Caprotinae ("The Nones of the Wild Fig") was held on July 7. Many people consider the month of June, which is named after the goddess who is the patroness of marriage, to be the most favorable time to marry. Lucina was an epithet for Juno as "she who brings children into light." Matronalia (or Matronales Feriae) was a festival celebrating the goddess of childbirth (Juno who brings children into the light). Prior to the reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar, this was the first day of the new year. ... In Roman mythology, Lucina was the goddess of childbirth. ...

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 favoured by Roman soldiers on campaign. This warlike aspect was assimilated from the Greek goddess Athena, whose goatskin was called the 'aegis.'

Etymology and origin

Sitting Juno, Roman silverware of imperial era, Petit Palais (ADUT00168)

There is a strong possible etymology for Juno in the Proto-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] The Façade of the Petit Palais The Petit Palais is a museum in Paris, France. ... The Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) is the hypothetical common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans. ... A Cucuteni culture statuette, 4th millennium BC. A mother goddess is a goddess, often portrayed as the Earth Mother, who serves as a general fertility deity, the bountiful embodiment of the earth. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Diana of Versailles In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt, in literature the equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis, though in cult she was Italic in origin. ... For other uses, see Birth (disambiguation). ... // Midwifery is the term traditionally used to describe the art of assisting a woman through childbirth. ... Greek mythology comprises the collected legends of Greek gods and goddesses and ancient heroes and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. ... For other uses, see Hera (disambiguation). ...

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 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. The Etruscans were a race of unknown origin from North Italy who were eventually integrated into Rome. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... The Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) is the hypothetical common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans. ... A portrait of Titus Livius made long after his death. ... Penguin Classics 1976 edition of Livys Ab Urbe condita, books XXXI-XLV Ab Urbe condita (literally, from the city, having been founded) is a monumental history of Rome, from its founding (ab Urbe condita, dated to 753 BC by Varro and most modern scholars). ... The Etruscans were a race of unknown origin from North Italy who were eventually integrated into Rome. ... Veii - or Veius - was in ancient times, an important Etrurian city 18 km NNW of Rome, Italy. ...

Worship

IVNO REGINA ("Queen Juno") on a coin celebrating Julia Soaemias.

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. Image File history File links Julia Soaemias Denarius. ... Image File history File links Julia Soaemias Denarius. ... Julia Soaemias Bassiana (180-March 11, 222) was the daughter of Julia Maesa, a powerful Roman woman of Syrian origin, and Julius Avitus. ... Matronalia (or Matronales Feriae) was a festival celebrating the goddess of childbirth (Juno who brings children into the light). Prior to the reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar, this was the first day of the new year. ... is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Kalends (Latin k/calendæ, -arum), (or calends) correspond to the first days of each month of the Roman calendar. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

She held a special place in pantheon of the gods as "Queen of the Heavens" and was associated with the moon. Juno, as the moon-goddess was associated with all aspects and the cycles of womanhood. 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. Evening cloak or manteau, from Costume Parisien, 1823 A cloak is a type of loose garment that is worn over indoor clothing and serves the same purpose as an overcoat—it protects the wearer from the cold, rain or wind for example, or it may form part of a fashionable... This is the Greek name of the capital of the Hellenic Republic (Greece). ... For other uses, see Aegis (disambiguation). ...

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. Look up epithet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

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] The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (Jupiter, greatest and best; also known as the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus), was the great temple on the Capitoline Hill in Ancient Rome. ... The Capitoline Triad was comprised of three deities of Roman mythology who were worshipped most famously in an elaborate temple on Romes Capitoline Hill. ... The Aventine Hill is one of the seven hills on which ancient Rome was built. ... The Circus Flaminius was a race-track in Ancient Rome. ... The Porticus Octaviae was built ostensibly by Octavia, the sister of Augustus, but really by Augustus and dedicated in the name of Octavia at some time after 27 B.C. , in place of the Porticus Metelli around the temples of Jupiter Stator and Juno. ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Juno protected the finances of the Roman Empire as Juno Moneta ("Juno who Warns" or "Juno the alone"). For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ...

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. In Roman mythology, Lucina was the goddess of childbirth. ...

In Virgil's Aeneid, book I, verse 23, she is referred to as Saturnia, daughter of Saturnus. Aeneas flees burning Troy, Federico Barocci, 1598 Galleria Borghese, Rome The Aeneid (IPA English pronunciation: ; in Latin Aeneis, pronounced — the title is Greek in form: genitive case Aeneidos) is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BC (between 29 and 19 BC) that tells the legendary story...

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 was built in the 4th century A.D. Motto: Je Maintiendrai (Dutch: Ik zal handhaven, English: I Shall Uphold) Anthem: Wilhelmus van Nassouwe Capital Amsterdam1 Largest city Amsterdam Official language(s) Dutch2 Government Parliamentary democracy Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Beatrix  - Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende Independence Eighty Years War   - Declared July 26, 1581   - Recognised January 30, 1648 (by Spain... Coordinates: , Country Province Area (2006)  - Municipality 60. ...

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] Saturnus, Caravaggio, 16th c. ... For other uses, see OPS. Ops, more properly Opis, (Latin: Plenty) was a fertility deity and earth-goddess in Roman mythology of Sabine origin. ... Samos (Greek: Σάμος) is a Greek island in the Eastern Aegean sea, located between the island of Chios to the North and the archipelagic complex of the Dodecanese to the South and in particular the island of Patmos and off the coast of Turkey, on what was formerly known as Ionia. ... Puberty refers to the process of physical changes by which a childs body becomes an adult body capable of reproduction. ... Parian marble is a fine-grained semitranslucent pure-white marble quarried during the classical era on the Greek island of Paros. ... In Roman mythology, Jupiter (sometimes shortened to Jove) held the same role as Zeus in the Greek pantheon. ... The Capitoline Hill (Capitolinus Mons), between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the most famous and smallest of the seven hills of Rome. ...

In literature

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• 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.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Latin literature, the body of written works in the Latin language, remains an enduring legacy of the culture of ancient Rome. ... For other uses, see Virgil (disambiguation). ... Aeneas flees burning Troy, Federico Barocci, 1598 Galleria Borghese, Rome The Aeneid (IPA English pronunciation: ; in Latin Aeneis, pronounced — the title is Greek in form: genitive case Aeneidos) is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BC (between 29 and 19 BC) that tells the legendary story... In Vergils Aeneid , Turnus was the King of the Rutuli, and the chief antagonist of the hero Aeneas. ... The Rutuli were members of a legendary Italian tribe. ... Aeneas flees burning Troy, Federico Barocci, 1598. ... For other uses of Troy or Ilion, see Troy (disambiguation) and Ilion (disambiguation). ... Maurus (or Marius) Servius Honoratius, Roman grammarian and commentator on Virgil, flourished at the end of the 4th century AD. He is one of the interlocutors in the Saturnalia of Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius, and allusions in that work and a letter from Quintus Aurelius Symmachus to Servius show that he... For other uses, see Hera (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Carthage (disambiguation). ... Basic Tanit symbol Tanit was a Carthaginian lunar goddess. ...

Pop Culture

Juno is the name of the sixteen-year-old title character who faces an unplanned pregnancy in a 2007 film of the same name. In the words of the movie's young protagonist, "My dad went through this huge obsession with Roman and Greek mythology, so he decided to name me after Zeus' wife. And Zeus, like, he had tons of ladys, but I'm pretty sure Juno was his only wife. And she was supposed to be, like, really beautiful, but really mean. Like Diana Ross." Juno is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. ...

Notes

Ancient source references

• Servius, In Aeneida ii.225
• Lactantius, Divinae institutions i.17.8