Lady Victoria Eclectic Pagan's blog: "The Roaming Roman"

1. For what element of childbirth did the Romans not have a goddess?

Caesarian section

It would be some time before Julius Caesar, after whom the procedure is named, would be born by Caesarian section. Partula was goddess of childbirth, Prorsa the goddess of births occurring head-first and Postverba the goddess of the breech birth. They also had Rumina, goddess of breast-feeding, and Vagitanus, who oversaw a baby's first cry.

2. Contrary to what one may think (given the sound of the name), Puta was not the deity of prostitutes. Over what did Puta have dominion?

Pruning

Obarator oversaw ploughing, while the busy Sarritor was patron of both hoeing and weeding.

3. Janus, the god of Beginnings, had what distinguishing physical characteristic?

He had two faces

Vulcan, god of blacksmiths (Hephaestus in Greek myth) was lame. A little-known branch of English known as 'Janus words' deals with the very few individual words in the language which can mean opposite things, such as 'sanction' ('restrict' and 'permit') and 'cleave' ('adhere' and 'separate').

4. Which goddess dealt with flowers?

Flora

Indeed she did, hence fauna and...

5. What area was Convector's primary responsibility?

Binding sheaves

Binding sheaves means to make bundles of grain stalks following the harvest.

6. Nuo and Numina were two of the most important deities. Both of their names derive from Latin words or phrases - 'Numina' means 'divine power'; what does 'Nuo' mean, literally?

I nod

The god Nuo existed to grant assent or dissent to human actions.

7. What was/were the dominion(s) of Robigus?

Blight and mildew

Robigus was also sometimes known as Robigo.

8. The Romans doted on several gods who effectively 'babysat' their children. Whcih of the following is not one of them?

Hestia - watched over a child seated before the fire

Hestia, which is in fact the Greek name of the Romans' Vesta, goddess of the hearth, was far too busy being worshipped by virgins to do anything as mundane as child-rearing. Vesta is a later goddess stolen from the Greek tradition and is terribly grand.

9. What name was given collectively to the minor gods of the store cupboard?

Penates

The Penates were rather like house elves.
   
10. What was the name of the goddess of shepherds and their flocks?

Pales

Not all early Roman gods' names are obvious. 'Marino' is a breed of sheep whose wool, particularly that of the ram, is highly prized. Sheep belong to the 'ovine' family, which word is Latinate in origin. Pasturus, of course, I made up from 'pasture'. Pales' festival falls on April 21.