You’ve probably heard of ancient Roman gods like Mercury and ancient Roman goddesses like Venus. However have you ever heard of a deity named Verminus? Verminus was the deity that protected the cattle from cattle worms. The ancient Romans had a whole bunch of minor gods and goddesses like Verminus that they worshipped.
Even though the ancient Romans were a medically advanced nation, there was always a risk that a mother may die in childbirth. To reduce this risk, the ancient Romans worshipped many goddesses of childbirth. For instance Partula was the goddess of childbirth. She was also responsible for determining the length of pregnancy. Postverta was another goddess of childbirth. She also had a sister named Porrima. The ancient Romans believed that if the child was born head first, the goddess Porrima was presiding over the birth. If the child was born feet first Postverta was presiding over the birth.
Once the child was born, the anxiety of whether the child would grow to adulthood would begin. There were many deities that were set as guardians of children. One of these deities was Pilumnus . After a child was born, the ancient Romans would place an empty bed near the child so as to invite Pilumnus to guard the child from premature death. There was also the goddess called Intercidona, who is often depicted with a cleaver. She was believed to protect children from evil spirits.
The ancient Romans also regarded the agricultural deities as important because their crops depended upon it. Take for instance Robigus, who was a deity that personified agricultural disease. A newborn puppy was sacrificed to Robigus so as to prevent crop failures that occurred from crop diseases. There was also the goddess Volutina, who was the overseer of crop follicles. The ancient Romans would often beseech the Goddess to help in the maturation of their crops for a successful harvest.
There were also patron gods and goddesses. These patron deities would often be the guardians of certain professions. For instance Laverna was the goddess of thieves and swindlers. Since being a thief was a dangerous job and getting caught even more perilous, thieves would often request protection from this Goddess. There was also Mater Matuta who was the patron goddess of sailors. Sailors would often beseech this goddess for a safe return from a dangerous journey across the seas.
