Pomona
Roman goddess of fruit trees and orchards, with no direct Greek equivalent
The Myth of Pomona
Pomona was a distinctively Roman deity with no Greek counterpart, reflecting Italy's deep agricultural identity. She was the only deity to have her own flamen, the Flamen Pomonalis, though he ranked lowest among the fifteen flamines. Her sacred grove, the Pomonal, lay on the road to Ostia. Ovid tells the charming story of Pomona and Vertumnus: the shape-shifting god disguised himself as various figures — an old woman, a farmer, a soldier — to woo the orchard goddess, who was devoted only to her trees and refused all suitors. Only when Vertumnus revealed his true form did she relent. Pomona was depicted with a pruning knife and a basket of fruit, the image of cultivated abundance.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
Pomona is one of the few Roman deities with absolutely no Greek equivalent — she is purely Italian in origin
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Demeter
⚡ godGoddess of harvest and the Eleusinian Mysteries
Demeter was the goddess of grain, harvest, and fertility whose grief over Persephone's abduction explained the seasons and whose Mysteries promised hope beyond death.
Vertumnus
⚡ godSeasons, change, gardens, plant growth
Roman god of seasonal change and gardens, a shape-shifter with no direct Greek equivalent
Ceres
⚡ godAgriculture, grain, harvest, fertility
Roman goddess of agriculture and grain, identified with the Greek Demeter
Carpo
⚡ godHarvest, autumn
Goddess of the autumn harvest and one of the original Attic Horae who presided over the fruiting of crops
Silvanus
⚡ godForests, boundaries, woodland
Roman god of forests and uncultivated land, protector of boundaries between wild and civilised spaces
Demeter
⚡ godGoddess of the harvest, agriculture, fertility, sacred law
Goddess of grain, harvest, and the fertility of the earth. When her daughter Persephone was abducted, Demeter's grief brought winter to the world.
Faunus
⚡ godForests, fields, flocks, prophecy
Roman god of the wild, forests, and flocks, equivalent to the Greek Pan
Demeter
⚡ godGoddess of the harvest and sacred law
The goddess of grain and agriculture whose grief at losing her daughter created winter and whose mysteries at Eleusis promised life after death.
Thallo
⚡ godSpring, growth
Goddess of spring blossoms and one of the original Attic Horae who presided over the budding of plants
Flora
⚡ godFlowers, spring, blossoming plants
Roman goddess of flowers and spring, equivalent to the Greek Chloris
Demeter Thesmophoros
⚡ godlaw, agriculture
An epithet of Demeter as bringer of divine law and civilised customs, honoured at the Thesmophoria, the most widespread festival in the Greek world.
Ops
⚡ godAbundance, harvest, earth
Roman goddess of abundance and the harvest, wife of Saturn, equivalent to the Greek Rhea