Did the Romans believe their myths?

Blogger N.S.Gill is apparently asked some version of this interesting question often enough that she has compiled an FAQ on it.  She writes:

Almost every week I simplify a welter of contradictory stories for the Myth Monday.  … Some readers ask how the ancients reconciled seemingly unrelated versions of the same event.

Historian Charles King (The Organization of Roman Religious Beliefs, by Charles King; Classical Antiquity, (Oct. 2003), pp. 275-312.) provides insights into how the ancient Roman polytheistic, pagan religion worked that make sense to me, so I’ve extracted ideas from his 39-page article into an FAQ – Did the Romans Believe Their Myths?

I imagine the question arises from people used to the Christian approach to life, where beliefs determine behaviour and worship. 

But I have read that the reverse was the case in paganism.  It didn’t matter what you thought personally — who cared? So long as the right rituals were carried out, the sun would come up in the morning.  Temples didn’t gather congregations; they were more about doing things like sacrifices.

In a sense an ancient temple was more like a nuclear power plant than a church.  It doesn’t matter whether you believe in physics in the former; only what you do.

I wonder if any ancient source actually says this?

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One thought on “Did the Romans believe their myths?

  1. Let’s hear Julius Caesar, the greatest pontifex maximus of Rome, on the subject—Caes. BG 3.18: Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt (“In general men willingly believe what they want”).

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