Saturn
Ancient Roman god of agriculture and time, identified with the Greek Kronos, ruler of a lost golden age
The Myth of Saturn
Saturn was one of the oldest gods in the Roman pantheon, and his mythology carried a powerful nostalgic charge. Romans believed that Saturn had once ruled Italy during a Golden Age when there was no war, slavery, or private property — everyone lived in peaceful abundance. His great festival, the Saturnalia, held in December, recreated this golden age: slaves dined with masters, gifts were exchanged, gambling was permitted, and normal social rules were suspended. The Saturnalia was the most popular Roman holiday and is a direct ancestor of many Christmas traditions. Saturn's temple in the Forum housed the state treasury (aerarium), linking him to material wealth. He was depicted as an old man with a sickle.
Parents
Caelus and Terra
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Saturnalia, when slaves and masters swapped roles, is the direct ancestor of many modern Christmas customs
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
Ops
⚡ godAbundance, harvest, earth
Roman goddess of abundance and the harvest, wife of Saturn, equivalent to the Greek Rhea
Ceres
⚡ godAgriculture, grain, harvest, fertility
Roman goddess of agriculture and grain, identified with the Greek Demeter
Mars
⚡ godWar, agriculture, guardianship
Roman god of war and agriculture, second in importance only to Jupiter, far more honoured than his Greek counterpart Ares
Liber
⚡ godWine, freedom, fertility, male vitality
Ancient Italian god of wine and freedom, later merged with Bacchus and the Greek Dionysus
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.
Faunus
⚡ godForests, fields, flocks, prophecy
Roman god of the wild, forests, and flocks, equivalent to the Greek Pan
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.
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.
Carpo
⚡ godHarvest, autumn
Goddess of the autumn harvest and one of the original Attic Horae who presided over the fruiting of crops
Plutus
🏔 titanagricultural wealth, abundance
The god of agricultural wealth and abundance, son of Demeter and Iasion, made blind by Zeus.
Pluto
⚡ godUnderworld, death, riches
Roman god of the underworld and mineral wealth, derived from the Greek Plouton, a euphemistic title of Hades
Silvanus
⚡ godForests, boundaries, woodland
Roman god of forests and uncultivated land, protector of boundaries between wild and civilised spaces