Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...

, Fraus was the

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...

or personification of treachery and fraud. She was daughter of

Orcus Orcus ( la, Orcus) was a god of the underworld, punisher of broken oaths in Etruscan and Roman mythology. As with Hades, the name of the god was also used for the underworld itself. In the later tradition, he was conflated with Dis Pater. A ...

and Night ( Nyx). She was depicted with a woman's face, the body of a snake, and on her tail the sting of a scorpion.Johann Joachim Eschenburg,
Classical antiquities"> Classical antiquities
', E.C. & J. Biddle, 1860, p122 Fraus is an alternative name for

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

, the god of theft (among other things). She is alternatively described as Mercury's helper.. Her Greek equivalent was

Apate In Greek mythology, Apate (;Ancient Greek: Απάτη ''Apátē'') is the goddess and personification of deceit. Her mother is Nyx, the personification of the night. In Roman mythology her equivalent is Fraus (i.e. "fraud"), while her male counte ...

References

Roman goddesses Trickster goddesses Children of Nyx {{AncientRome-myth-stub