In
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...
, Voluptas or Volupta is the daughter born from the union of
Cupid and Psyche
Cupid and Psyche is a story originally from ''Metamorphoses'' (also called ''The Golden Ass''), written in the 2nd century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (or Platonicus). The tale concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between Psy ...
, according to
Apuleius
Apuleius ( ), also called Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (c. 124 – after 170), was a Numidians, Numidian Latin-language prose writer, Platonist philosopher and rhetorician. He was born in the Roman Empire, Roman Numidia (Roman province), province ...
. The Latin word ''voluptas'' means 'pleasure' or 'delight'; Voluptas is known as the goddess of "sensual pleasures". She is often found in the company of the
Gratiae, or Three Graces.
Some Roman authors mention a goddess named Volupia, a name which appears to signify "willingness".
[Robert E. A. Palmer, ''The Archaic Community of the Romans,'' Cambridge University Press 1970 pp.171ff.] She had a temple, the Sacellum Volupiae, on the Via Nova, by the Porta Romana. Sacrifices were offered to the
Diva Angerona there.
The corresponding goddess in
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
is
Hedone
Hedone () is the Greek word meaning "pleasure". It was an important concept in Ancient Greek philosophy, especially in the Epicurean school. It is also the root of the English word "hedonism".
In Greek mythology, Hedone is personified as a godd ...
.
See also
*
Hercules at the crossroads
Hercules at the crossroads, also known as the Choice of Hercules and the Judgement of Hercules, is an ancient Greek parable attributed to Prodicus and known from Xenophon. It concerns the young Heracles (also known to the Romans as Hercules) who i ...
References
External links
Theoi Project - Hedone/Voluptas
Roman goddesses
Love and lust goddesses
{{Greek-myth-stub
pt:Volúptas