Juno is considered the Queen of the Roman Gods (similar to Hera from the Greek pantheon), who was associated with love and marriage. She was often depicted wearing armour, and so she could also be associated with warfare and protection. She is the daughter of Saturn and Ops, and the sister and wife of Jupiter. She has several children; Mars, Vulcan, Bellona, Lucina, and Juventas.
There have been several interpretations of her name. 'Love' was a popular one, although more recently it is thought her name means 'youth'. Other suggestions include 'to aid' or 'to benefit', and 'rejuvenate' from a word which is often connected to the cycles of the moon, perhaps hinting at a role of a moon Goddess.
Juno is one of the most prominent Roman deities, and held a large number of epithets which show a Goddess with many different forms and associations. There are far too many to list, but through a number of these epithets it is inferred that she is also associated with divine protection, sovereignty, war, purification, fertility, wealth, cycles (such as birth and death), the moon (although this association is one that the majority of scholars no longer support), youthfulness, strength, vitality, politics, and power.
Juno was also one aspect of the Capitoline triad, along with Jupiter and Minerva.
There have been several interpretations of her name. 'Love' was a popular one, although more recently it is thought her name means 'youth'. Other suggestions include 'to aid' or 'to benefit', and 'rejuvenate' from a word which is often connected to the cycles of the moon, perhaps hinting at a role of a moon Goddess.
Juno is one of the most prominent Roman deities, and held a large number of epithets which show a Goddess with many different forms and associations. There are far too many to list, but through a number of these epithets it is inferred that she is also associated with divine protection, sovereignty, war, purification, fertility, wealth, cycles (such as birth and death), the moon (although this association is one that the majority of scholars no longer support), youthfulness, strength, vitality, politics, and power.
Juno was also one aspect of the Capitoline triad, along with Jupiter and Minerva.
There were several festivals at which Juno was honoured. On the 1st of March the festival Matronalia was held, where lambs and cattle were sacrificed in her honour. Other festivals to Juno and her various epithets were held on the 1st of June, the 7th of July, the 1st of September, the 1st of October, and the 1st of February.
In some of the tales associated with Juno, she is depicted somewhat unflatteringly. She tried to have the infant Hercules killed, first by preventing his birth, and then by sending two serpents to kill him (which he strangled to death in his crib). In Virgil's work Aeneid (which is considered a work of literature), she is depicted as cruel and savage. Ovid writes that Juno was jealous when Jupiter managed to give birth to Minerva from his own head.
With her many different associations come many different ways to honour and work with this Goddess, and how you do so will very much depend on which aspects of hers you wish to work with. Whilst I could not find too much on symbols and such which are associated with Juno, it appears that the peacock is one symbol which is generally associated with her. Geese were also sacred to Juno, and in one tale soldiers from Gaul tried to sneak into Rome under the cover of darkness, but disturbed a flock of geese that were living in a temple to Juno. The geese began to honk, which woke the Roman guards, who then fought the Gallic invaders off. In Latium, where she was known as Seispes Mater Regina, there was an annual tradition of feeding a sacred snake with barley cakes made by virgin maidens, and so snakes and barley cakes could also be associated with Juno.
As well as her armour, she was often depicted wearing a diadem, and a goat-skin cloak.
In some of the tales associated with Juno, she is depicted somewhat unflatteringly. She tried to have the infant Hercules killed, first by preventing his birth, and then by sending two serpents to kill him (which he strangled to death in his crib). In Virgil's work Aeneid (which is considered a work of literature), she is depicted as cruel and savage. Ovid writes that Juno was jealous when Jupiter managed to give birth to Minerva from his own head.
With her many different associations come many different ways to honour and work with this Goddess, and how you do so will very much depend on which aspects of hers you wish to work with. Whilst I could not find too much on symbols and such which are associated with Juno, it appears that the peacock is one symbol which is generally associated with her. Geese were also sacred to Juno, and in one tale soldiers from Gaul tried to sneak into Rome under the cover of darkness, but disturbed a flock of geese that were living in a temple to Juno. The geese began to honk, which woke the Roman guards, who then fought the Gallic invaders off. In Latium, where she was known as Seispes Mater Regina, there was an annual tradition of feeding a sacred snake with barley cakes made by virgin maidens, and so snakes and barley cakes could also be associated with Juno.
As well as her armour, she was often depicted wearing a diadem, and a goat-skin cloak.
