Reading Exercises on Roman Gods & Gladiators
by Kathy Braden, Bow High School, NH
Proserpina
In this story, we shall learn more about the gods of the Romans. Jupiter (luppiter, lovis) was king of the gods. His sister Ceres (Ceres, Cereris) was the goddess of agriculture. (From the adjective cerealis, relating to Ceres, we get the English word cereal.) Proserpina was the daughter of Ceres. Pluto (Pluto, Plutonis), the brother of Jupiter and Ceres, was king of the underworld (Orcus, Orci) the region inhabited by the spirits of the dead. Venus (Venus, Veneris) was the goddess of love and beauty. Her son was Cupid (Cupido, Cupidinis) who with his arrows caused both gods and men to fall in love. Among the goddesses of lower rank were the nymphs, who inhabited the springs and the rivers.
Exercise 1
Write out the translation between the lines. Then circle all of the verbs in the story and be able to identify their tense, person, and number.
Ceres, soror dei lovis, erat dea frumenti (of grain). Ceres unam filiam, virginem (virgo, virginis, f. Maiden) pulchram, habebat. Nomen virginis erat Proserpina. Ceres, quamquam multas insulas (insula, -ae, f. Island) amabat, cum filia Proserpina in insula Sicilia habitabat. Quod Ceres erat amica agricolis (agricola, -ae, Farmer), incolae (incola, -ae, m. Inhabitant) Siciliae magnam copiam frumenti habebant. Olim (once upon a time) per agros Siciliae Proserpina cum compluribus (several) virginibus ambulabat. Prope ripam fluminis (flumen, flumenis, n. River) multa genera florum (flos, floris, m. Flower) pulchrorum virgines legebant (lego, -ere, pick, choose, gather, read) et capiti (for their heads) coronas (garlands) faciebant. Proserpina longe a puellis errabat.
In Orco habitabat magnus deus, frater lovis, Pluto nomine. Plutonem, quoderat rex Orci, omnes homines (homo, hominis, m. man) timebant. Illo die (On that day) deus per Siciliam equos nigros agebat (was doing or driving...you choose!). Interim dea Venus cum filio insulam spectabat.
Venus Plutonem et Proserpinam videt et filio “Mitte sagittam (sagitta, -ae, f. Arrow; I guess Sagittarius must mean”______ bearer”)”, inquit, “Cupido, in corpus (corpus, corporis, n. Body) Plutonis.” Cupido Veneri paret (pareo, -ere, obey). Sagittam mittit. Pluto Proserpinam videt et, propter (on account of) vulnus (vulnus, vulneris, n. Wound), statim virginem amat et eam uxorem habere cupit (cupio, -ere, Desires). Statim deus Proserpinam rapit (rapie, -ere, Seize and carry off). Virgo clamat, “Quis es? Cur me terres?” Neque deus virgini respondet; eam in curru (chariot) ponit. Proserpina clamabat, “Ubi, puellae, estis?” Sed puellae, quod neque prope Proserpinam erant neque audiebant, virginem non servant. Itaque Pluto puelIam miseram ad Orcum portat.
