Information on the Penates

1. Who were the Penates?
2. What is the significance of the Penates in the Aeneid?
3. What were the Penates spirits of?
4. Who brought the Penates to Rome?

Who were the Penates?

Penates, formally Di Penates, household gods of the Romans and other Latin peoples. In the narrow sense, they were gods of the penus (“household provision”), but by extension their protection reached the entire household.

What is the significance of the Penates in the Aeneid?

The Household Gods, called Penates in Latin, are the guardian gods of Trojan domestic and family life that Aeneas carries all the way to Latium. They embody the Trojans' ancestors and past, and, as Aeneas establishes them in Italy, they align Aeneas's new home with Troy and tradition.

What were the Penates spirits of?

penates Ancient Roman gods of the household, worshipped at home in association with the lares (spirits of ancestors). Originally the penates were the spirits of the store room.

Who brought the Penates to Rome?

One tradition identified the public Penates as the sacred objects rescued by Aeneas from Troy and carried by him to Italy.