Pax, Goddess of Peace

June 6, 2014 — 4 Comments

The Roman goddess Pax is in charge of peace.  When I think of Romans the first words that come to my mind are army, Latin, and empire.  We did not translate Latin peace poems in school. We studied the Gallic Wars.  We think of Roman soldiers at the crucifixion of Jesus, and building aqueducts and roads to Rome.  They were strategists and conquerers the likes of which the world had never seen, and some might argue we have not seen since.  They were organized.  They believed in slavery and blood sports.  They are famous for gluttony and excess.  The United States is often compared to the Roman empire for some pretty obvious reasons.

Celebrations were a big part of Roman culture, and Pax has three holidays a year dedicated to her.  The olive branch, a symbol of protection, safety, and peace was used to crown citizens’ heads for this holiday. She is the daughter of Justice and Jupiter.  She is often depicted with a cornucopia, a symbol of abundance.  The Romans believed that prosperity and peace reside together and depend on each other.  The days dedicated to honoring Pax included processions, music, poetry, and olive branches for everyone.  Today when we march for peace we are actually expressing anti-war ideals.  We stop short of truly giving honor to the power of peace.  The Romans managed to conquer the known world and hold processions for peace at the same time.  If we look deeply into our current ideas about peace we might notice that we mean peace on our own terms, or peace by conquest of our enemies.  This is a core issue that could shatter our empire.