Juno


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Juno, the daughter of Saturn, and at once the sister and the spouse of Jove, the goddess of kingdoms and of riches, was believed to preside over marriages, and thence received her appellation of Pronuba; and from her supposed obstetrical tutelage over women, was likewise called Lucina.

The Romans as well as the Greeks, assigned to her the highest rank amongst the goddesses, and the poets relate many fables respecting her jealous and imperious disposition, which she carried sometimes to the legnth of attempting to put even Jupiter himself (who gave but too much cause of offence) under her feet. The figures of |Juno| differ from each other inasmuch we find this deity on the most ancient coins of the Romans, as |Juno| Lanuvia, or Sispita (Sospita), and |Juno| Pronuba, the goddess patronises a solemnization of nupitals, she is covered with a veil that concels half the body. Whilst on the other hand, as Juno Sospita, her head is adorned with the skin and two horns of a goat. The distinctive symbol and protege of this goddess is the peacock, into which bird she had changed her faithful Argus, after he had, as the gaurd of Io, fallen a victim to the pandering artfulness of Mercury, and the intriguing revenge of Jupiter.

On the imperial coins |Juno| appears under various aspects, viz., sometimes standing, sometimes seated, as in Faustina Junior, at others in a walking attitude, with a serpent at her feet, holding a flower, a sceptre, a patera, the hasta, or a child, as |Juno| |Augusta|, Juno Regina, Juno Conservatrix, etc.

On a first brass of |Faustina| the Younger, the reverse, without legend, is charged with a female figure clothed in the stola, standing between a peacock and a lion.

View whole page from the |Dictionary Of Roman Coins|