fbpx

KidsKonnect

Venus (Roman Goddess) Facts & Worksheets

Venus is the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Social Studies /Venus (Roman Goddess) Facts & Worksheets
Premium
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

Venus is the Roman goddess of beauty and love. Before earning this title, she was associated with cultivated fields and gardens.

See the fact file below for more information on Venus, or you can download our 22-page Venus worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BIRTH OF VENUS

  • The goddess Venus was created or born under unusual circumstances. Her father, Uranus, was the first ruler of the cosmos and created the universe along with the earth. 
  • So, when Saturn, Uranus’s son, took power and overthrew his father, the tyrant severed his father’s genitals and threw them into the sea. Then, the severed body parts of Uranus were mixed with the sea foam and gave birth to the goddess Venus.
  • As a native deity in Roman mythology, she had no myths of her own. As a result, she adopted Aphrodite‘s attributes and, through her, became recognized by a number of foreign goddesses. 
  • Venus is the goddess of love, attention, and maternal care, as well as the production of offspring through sexual intercourse and passion between men and women. 
  • It is said that she was the most beautiful among all the Roman mythological goddesses and was desired by both mortals and gods. 
  • On the other hand, goddess Venus was known for her open sexuality, which allowed her to have both male and female lovers, as well as being the protector of lovers.

ROLE OF GODDESS VENUS

  • The word Venus is derived directly from the classical Latin noun venus, which means “love.” 
  • This noun is frequently used to express love or desire, especially sexual love or desire; it is also strongly related to the verb form venerari, which means “to love or revere” and is the root of the English word “venerate.”
  • The Romans are said to have adopted Venus in the third century CE. 
  • Already nearing the end of the Punic Wars, the Romans decided to consult the oracle, who proposed that they ask the goddess Venus for assistance in order to ensure victory over the Carthaginians (she was considered the protector of the city of Carthage).
  • Roman worship of her peaked after she brought them victory, and managed to remain so until the rise of Christianity.
  • According to Roman mythology, Venus brings prosperity as well as good fortune to those who worship her. 
  • Furthermore, because of her connection to the land and gardens, she has the ability to bring life from below ground to the surface simply by passing over it, resulting in both plants and flowers emerging in her trail.
  • Venus, like other major Roman deities, was given a number of epithets that referred to her various cult aspects, roles, and functional similarities to other deities, including Venus Caelestisor “Venus of the heavens,” Venus Erycina or “Venus of Eryx,” which relate to her representation of Carthage, and Venus Felix, or “lucky Venus,” for her role in changing the outcome of the battle, as she did during the Second Punic War.

RELATION TO OTHER GODS

  • Being the goddess of love and beauty, Venus was surrounded by many suitors. However, despite the number of suitors, she was also married unwillingly to the son of Jupiter, Vulcan, through an arranged marriage.
  • Vulcan was regarded as heinous and cruel to Venus. As a result of Venus’ dissatisfaction and infidelity, this couple did not have a love-filled marriage, and as a result, had no offspring.
  • Despite not having a child with Vulcan, Venus was not barren, and had children with other gods and humans.
  • Venus’ notable children include Timor, the living embodiment of fear who facilitated his father into battle, his twin Metus, the embodiment of terror, and Concordia, the goddess of harmony and concord. 
  • Her children with Mars, the Cupids, a collection of winged love deities who represented the various aspects of love, were all born from her union with Mars, the Roman god of war.
  • Venus also had mortal lovers, the most famous of whom were Anchises and Adonis, but she was also the mistress of Butes, the Sicilian king, with whom she had a son named Erice.
  •  She was also in a relationship with Phaethon, with whom she had Sandocus, the father of Cinyras of Cyprus.
  • According to the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, Venus seduced Anchises, Prince of Dardania and ally of Troy. 
  • She disguised herself as the Phrygian princess and enthralled him, where she revealed her celestial identity nine months later by having to introduce Anchises to his son Aeneas. 
  • Venus warned Anchises not to brag about his adventure in order to avoid being struck by Jupiter’s lightning; unfortunately, Anchises did not listen and was paralyzed by Jupiter’s lightning.

SYMBOLISM AND POPULAR CULTURE

  • According to the mythological narrative, the main instruments of  Venus’ power were merely charm and erotic attraction, to which many succumbed. 
  • Seashells were another significant symbol associated with this goddess, as they refered to Venus’s birth from the sea as well as another of Venus’s many erotic emblems.
  • Dolphins and conch shells are also her symbols and are a reminder of her connection to the sea, while doves, geese, swans, and other symbols are associated with beauty and marriage. 
  • The planet Venus, known both as the Morning Star and the Evening Star, is another important symbol of Venus because it links to her origin story. 
  • This bright light in the sky was also thought to be Venus’ celestial form, and many myths depict the goddess directing travelers on their journeys.
  • Due to her association with love and feminine beauty, the goddess Venus has been a favorite subject in art since ancient times; her notable characterizations include the Venus de Milo statue (c. 150 BCE) as well as Sandro Botticelli’s painting entitled, The Birth of Venus (c. 1485).
  • Those who lived in ancient Rome definitely looked forward to the annual Veneralia festival held on April 1. During this festival, Venus was honored as the heart-changer. 
  • On this day, women would wear myrtle wreaths and go to the men’s baths to use the swimming pools that were not available in their own baths.
  • Furthermore, Venus’s month was April, which signifies the beginning of spring and fertility, and most of her festivals were held during this month.
  • So, on the 23rd of April, Vinalia Urbana was commemorated, which was a wine festival honoring both Venus (goddess of profane wine) and Jupiter.
  • In modern pop culture, Venus has remained a symbol of love and sensuality. 
  • Venus has been appropriated by several notable cosmetics brands, along with companies such as Gillette, which developed a line of shaving products for women named after the goddess, as well as Venus Skin Care, which also used the goddess’s name as a marketing ploy.

Venus (Roman Goddess) Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Venus across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Venus, who was the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Venus Facts
  2. Venusian Beauty
  3. Beauty of Pompeii
  4. Modern Beauty
  5. Mythical Beauties
  6. The Goddess of Love
  7. Message of Love
  8. Planet Venus
  9. Venus and Aphrodite
  10. The Goddess

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is goddess Venus’ spouse?

The Roman goddess of love and beauty was Venus. She was usually depicted as a beautiful lady, similar to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Her spouse was Vulcan, the God of blacksmiths, but she also had an affair with Mars, the God of War.

Why is the goddess Venus so important?

Venus was born from the sea and came out of an oyster, according to Roman mythology. She is associated with ideals like femininity, prosperity, fertility, and victory. The Romans thought she was so important to their culture and history that they considered her to be a kind of ancestress or “Mother of Rome.”

Which Roman deity is Venus named after?

The Romans knew about seven bright objects in the sky: the Sun, Moon, and five brightest planets. They named them after their most important gods. Venus, the brightly shining planet that can be seen at night, was named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Venus (Roman Goddess) Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 3, 2022

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources