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Questions about Juno (mythology)

Short answers, pulled from the story.

Who is Juno in Roman mythology?

Juno is a goddess in ancient Roman religion and the special counsellor and protector of the Roman state. She is a daughter of Saturn and Ops, the sister and wife of Jupiter, and the mother of Mars, Vulcan, Bellona, Lucina, and Juventas. As patron goddess of Rome she was called Regina, meaning Queen, and was a member of the Capitoline Triad alongside Jupiter and Minerva.

What does the name Juno mean and where does it come from?

The most widely accepted etymology, endorsed by Georg Wissowa, derives Juno's name from the Latin root iuven-, found in iuvenis meaning youth and iūnior meaning younger. That root connects through an Indo-European ancestor to a concept of vital energy or fertile time. Ancient writers also associated her name with iuvare, to aid or benefit, and iuvenescere, to rejuvenate.

What were the major festivals of Juno in ancient Rome?

Juno had several major festivals across the Roman calendar. The Matronalia on March 1 honoured Juno Lucina at her temple on the Cispius. Juno Moneta was celebrated on June 1. The Nonae Caprotinae fell on July 7, followed by the festival of Juno Regina on September 1 and that of Juno Regina Capitolina on September 13. October 1 was the Tigillum Sororium, and February 1 was the festival of Juno Sospita.

What is the connection between Juno Moneta and the word money?

Juno Moneta's temple on the Capitoline Hill, formally dedicated in 348 BC by the dictator L. Furius Camillus, later became the site where Roman coins were produced. Her epithet moneta became the Latin term for both the place where coins were made and for currency itself. That Latin word is the origin of both the English words mint and money.

How does Juno relate to the Etruscan goddess Uni and the Phoenician goddess Astarte?

The Pyrgi Tablets, discovered in 1964 at the port sanctuary of Caere, confirmed that the Etruscan goddess Uni was identified with the Phoenician goddess Astarte, and by extension with Juno. Augustine of Hippo had already written that Juno was called Astarte in the Punic language. The Carthaginian goddess Tanit was similarly identified with Juno by the Romans under the title Juno Caelestis, and a surviving temple to her was built between 222 and 235 AD in the town of Dougga.

Why is June named after the goddess Juno?

June takes its name from Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and protectress of women. Juno was widely regarded as the patroness of marriage, and the belief that June was the most favorable month in which to marry gave the month its enduring association with weddings. Her dies natalis as Juno Moneta also fell on the Kalends of June.