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SATURN


DEFINITION

by Donald L. Wasson
published on 16 October 2015
2Save
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Available in other languages: Turkish
Kronos/Saturn
Luis Fernández García (Public Domain)

Saturn (Saturnus) was a Roman god with a similar history to Cronus from Greek
mythology. Often depicted in art wielding a scythe he was considered an
agricultural god, especially associated with seed-corn. The Saturnalia festival,
named after him, was one of the most important and lively events in the Roman
calendar and the god also had a major temple dedicated to him in the Roman Forum
of Rome.


GREEK ORIGINS

Greek and Roman mythology are interwoven, and to many, they appear to be one and
the same. While the names of the gods and goddesses may be different - Zeus
morphed into Jupiter while Hades became Pluto - their diverse roles and
positions in society are fairly consistent. From the time the Romans first made
contact with the Greeks, their society would never be the same, becoming
Hellenized, albeit reluctantly. The Romans admired all that was Greek. The
wealthiest and most powerful families of Rome would even hire Greek tutors for
their male children. The Republic's (and later Roman Empire's) literature, art,
philosophy and foremost, religion would be changed forever. One of the best and
earliest examples of this religious transformation would revolve around an
outcast - a god driven out of Greece but finding a home on the hills of Rome.
His name was Saturn.

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Some authors believe Saturn existed in Roman mythology long before the
“invasion” of Greek religion and associate him with the Etruscan god Satre;
however, whether this is true or not is entirely speculative. As the Greek
religion became more Romanized, Saturn or Saturnus, often pictured holding a
scythe, became more closely associated with the Greek god Cronus, the lord of
the universe and the god who devoured his own children. He was son of Uranus
(sky) and Gaea (earth). After Zeus and his brothers (Poseidon and Hades) became
victorious over the Titans, Saturn was expelled from the home of the Greek gods,
Mt. Olympus.


According to ancient myth, Saturn ruled Latium wisely during its golden age.


SATURN & LATIUM

According to legend, Saturn settled in Latium on the future site of Rome. His
arrival was welcomed by the Roman god Janus, the two-faced deity, the god of the
beginnings and ends. Saturn quickly established himself there, even founding the
nearby city of Saturnia. According to ancient myth, Saturn ruled Latium wisely
during its golden age, a time of great prosperity and peace. It was during this
time that he became more closely associated with agriculture (as a god of
seed-corn) - hence the reason for his typical depiction in art holding a scythe.
He instructed the people on the basic principles of farming and viticulture (the
production of grapes). He also helped the locals to rid themselves of their
“barbaric” customs and instead adopted a more civic and moral lifestyle.

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THE SATURNALIA

While historians argue over the origins of Saturn and his role in Roman
mythology, his place in Roman history is remembered for two items: his temple
and his festival - the latter being one of the most anticipated festivals of the
many on the Roman calendar. His temple, built around 498 BCE, was located at the
foot of Capitoline Hill and housed the Roman treasury as well as the records and
decrees of the Roman Senate. Falling into disrepair, it would be rebuilt during
the reign of Emperor Augustus. His festival, the Saturnalia, was celebrated in
December from the 17th to the 23rd and was connected to the winter grain sowing.
(There are some who place the festival in August). Although Emperor Augustus
reduced the length of the festival to three days - Caligula and Claudius later
raised it to five - most people ignored the decrees and still celebrated it for
the full seven days. As part of the calendar of Numa, the second king of Rome,
the festival immediately preceded the festival of Ops, Saturn's partner or
consort and the goddess of the harvest - she became associated with the Greek
goddess Rhea. Saturn was also linked to another ancient Italian deity, Lua.



Temple of Saturn, Roman Forum
Leo-seta (CC BY)



The festival was like many others where time was spent eating, drinking, and
gaming - there were plenty of games and banquets (Christian historians question
whether or not there were gladiators and human sacrifice). Presiding over the
festival was a mock king, the King of Misrule, or Saturnalicius princeps. Gifts
were exchanged, usually candles or pottery figurines. However, during the week
of celebration, slaves were awarded a unique opportunity. They were given a
limited amount of freedom. For one, they did not have to wear the traditional
felt hat or pilleus. Leisure attire was also permitted and, uniquely, the master
and slaves reversed roles. Slaves gave orders to the masters, and masters waited
on slaves. The festival would endure into the Christian era when it would assume
a new identity and name - Brumalia.

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Today the festivals and celebration are long gone and, like many of the other
Greek and Roman deities, their names belong only on the pages of a dusty, old
book. However, a few, like Saturn have achieved some sense of immortality. We
remember Saturn in two ways, for one he ends our busy work week - Saturday. And,
as we look to the sky, on occasion, we can see the sixth planet from the sun -
Saturn.

Did you like this definition?


Related Content Books Cite This Work License

Editorial Review This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and
adherence to academic standards prior to publication.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

 * Grimal, P. The Penguin Dictionary of Classical Mythology. Penguin Books,
   1992.
 * Hornblower, S. The Oxford Classical Dictionary. Oxford University Press,
   2012.
 * Impelluso, L. Myths. Abrams, 2008.
 * Morford, M.P.O. Classical Mythology. Oxford University Press, 2003.
 * Price, S. Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion. Oxford University
   Press, 2003
 * Rodgers, N. Roman Empire. Metro Books, 2008.
 * Stapleton, M. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Mythology. Bell Publishing, 1978
 * Woolf, G. (ed). The Cambridge Illustrated History of the Roman World
   (Cambridge Illustrated Hist. Cambridge University Press, 2015.


TRANSLATIONS

We want people all over the world to learn about history. Help us and translate
this definition into another language! So far, we have translated it to: Turkish


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donald L. Wasson
Donald has taught Ancient, Medieval and U.S. History at Lincoln College (Normal,
Illinois)and has always been and will always be a student of history, ever since
learning about Alexander the Great. He is eager to pass knowledge on to his
students.



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RECOMMENDED BOOKS

 * SATURN Shorts: Collection #1
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SATURN Shorts: Collection #1
Written by Joiner, Jessica C, published by Jessica C. Joiner (2022)
$8.99


CITE THIS WORK

APA STYLE

Wasson, D. L. (2015, October 16). Saturn. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved
from https://www.worldhistory.org/Saturn/

CHICAGO STYLE

Wasson, Donald L.. "Saturn." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified October
16, 2015. https://www.worldhistory.org/Saturn/.

MLA STYLE

Wasson, Donald L.. "Saturn." World History Encyclopedia. World History
Encyclopedia, 16 Oct 2015. Web. 20 Oct 2022.


LICENSE & COPYRIGHT

Submitted by Donald L. Wasson, published on 16 October 2015. The copyright
holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and
build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and
license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the
web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please
note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.

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TIMELINE

Visual Timeline
 * c. 500 BCE
   Beginning of the Roman Saturnalia festival according to Livy (although there
   is evidence it was a much older tradition).
 * c. 497 BCE
   The first temple dedicated to Saturn is constructed in the Forum Romanum of
   Rome.
 * c. 360 CE - c. 380 CE
   The Temple of Saturn is rebuilt in the Forum Romanum of Rome.

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