Mean Gods part 3: Teach Your Children Well

By Liisa Eyerly

Last month I introduced how Greek and Roman life was governed by deities, from major gods like Jupiter and Mars to minor spirits who protected crossroads, doors, grain stores, and even drains. They believed that the gods’ favor could be won—through sacrifices, prayers, temples, and elaborate festivals. Wealth, health, and success weren’t just about luck; it was about securing the good graces of those who controlled the cosmos. The best approach? Flatter them, honor them, and never assume their generosity comes without strings attached. 

So how did an ordinary Roman navigate this never-ending devotion and avoid catastrophe? The process of adulation began at home.

Every home had a small household shrine known as the lararium dedicated to their household Lares. If you were wealthy, you may have more than one.

Even the poor and enslaved had some form of shrine, often only a crudely carved statue sitting in a wall niche.

The Lares: Household Guardians

The Lares were minor deities believed to protect the home and family. Their presence was honored daily at the lararium, which stood in a prominent area of the house. With outstretched arms, the paterfamilias (head of the household) led the family in morning prayers and offerings, ensuring a favorable relationship between his 

household and the gods.

A typical prayer might sound like this:

“Greetings, household Lar!
Greetings, Divine Penates!
I humbly ask that you may bestow your blessing upon me, my children, my home, and my household.
Be thou increased by this which I give to you.
So be it!” (Religio Romano: Simple Daily Home Rites and Prayers | ADF: Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship)

Daily offerings included wheat, honey cakes, fruit, wine, flowers, and incense. During meals and celebrations, statues of the Lares were placed on the table as divine witnesses. They were invoked at significant family events—births, marriages, adoptions—and their shrines served as the religious center of family life.

Here are a few minor household gods in charge of daily needs and activities.

· Penates – Gods of the pantry and food storage, ensuring the family had enough to eat, and their provisions were safe. Prayers were said before a meal, thanking the gods for the meal.
· Vesta – Goddess of the hearth, home, and family, worshiped to keep the household fire burning.
· Forculus – Protector of doorways.
· Cardea – Goddess of door hinges and thresholds, guarding against evil spirits entering the home.
· Limentinus – God of the threshold itself, ensuring safe passage in and out.
· Janus – God of beginnings, transitions, and doorways; while more significant, he was also invoked in household rituals.
· Cuba – Goddess who helped children sleep peacefully.

· Cunina – Protector of infants in the cradle.
· Educa & Potina – Goddesses of nourishment, helping children eat and drink properly.
· Sterquilinius – God of manure and fertilization, ensuring productive land for farming families.
· Pilumnus & Picumnus – Gods of infants and fertility, helping protect newborns and mothers.

These gods played an intimate role in Roman family life, showing how religion was deeply woven into even the smallest aspects of daily existence. Neglecting the Lares was a serious risk. A household that failed to honor its guardian spirits could expect neither good fortune nor divine protection. In a world where supernatural intervention was a constant threat, ignoring the gods—no matter how minor—was an invitation for disaster.

“Lares, and you gods also, who earlier made our household fruitful and fortunate, may you guard and bless the little that remains today on our farm. Lares, accept what your kindred presents to you today.” (Prayers to Lares, Penates and Manes - NovaRoma)

Mystery, murder, and mayhem aren’t your typical Christian themes—but why should secular authors have all the fun solving crimes in ancient Rome? My love of history, scripture, and whodunits led me to blend faith with intrigue, bringing the world of the early Christians to life. Writing from my home in the woods of northern Wisconsin, I also draw inspiration from my travels to Turkey, Greece, and Italy, where I’ve walked the same streets my characters once did. Through historical mysteries, I explore a time when faith was a matter of life and death—literally.

Fortunes of Death

Step into the shadowy streets of 96 AD Ephesus, where danger lurks around every corner, and the line between friend and foe is razor-thin. Fortunes of Death, plunges you into a world where faith is tested, alliances are shattered, and one woman's courage could be the difference between life and death.

Sabina, a fierce young Christian widow, is thrust into a deadly game when a wealthy citizen is murdered. With her friend’s life hanging in the balance, Sabina must unravel a web of lies, deceit, and hidden motives. Every clue she uncovers brings her closer to the truth—and closer to becoming the next victim.

This isn't just a murder mystery. It's a gripping tale of faith, resilience, and the power of one woman standing against the darkness.

Visit me at my website, on my Author Facebook page,

or purchase my books at:
Fortunes of Death
Obedient Unto Death
My Amazon book page

If You Eat With Your Fingers, You Might Be a Roman

By Liisa Eyerly

In my first-century murder mystery “Obedient unto Death,” there is a scene at a formal Roman dinner party. I have watched movies portraying Roman dinners, but watching and writing about them are two entirely different skills. What did the ancient Romans living around the Mediterranean eat and drink at dinner parties? Did they drink from goblets, mugs, or glasses? What were serving dishes made from? Wood? Ceramic? Jewel-encrusted gold and silver? Glass? (The answer is—all of the above.)

                                                The British Museum London: Roman glass from the eastern provinces.

Did they actually recline while eating? Or was that just in the movies? If so, how does a person eat while reclining? And, for that matter, who reclined on the pillows and cushioned couches while eating? Not the slaves serving the dinner and removing the guests’ shoes, that’s for sure. Not the working poor who barely made it home before dark to sit on the floor or on a wooden stool to eat a dinner of cold porridge.

By Unknown artist - Theodore H. Feder (1978) Great Treasures of Pompeii and Herculaneum, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16084918

At most social gatherings, dinner parties, and private banquets, the wealthy, the aristocracy, and the powerful did indeed dine while lying propped on their left arm and using their right hand to select food placed on low tables in front of them.

Three couches were set up in a C formation in a triclinium (dining room). The optimal number of dinner guests was nine, with three on each couch. This intimate setup was designed to promote enlightening and witty conversation.

                                         Fig74 wall painting from Pompeii Roman banquet knecht.png WikiMedia.org

The most prestigious guests or family members were seated on the center couch, while the least esteemed were placed on the right side, a clear indication of their lower status. (Does this bring back nightmares of middle school lunchrooms?)

Reproduction of a triclinium By User:Mattes - https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6422364

Meanwhile, the slaves or household servants could access all the guests from the center of the C formation, delivering new courses, constantly refilling wine glasses, and clearing plates and extremely soiled napkins. Knives for cutting and spoons for soup were used sparingly, which meant fingers were the standard utensils. Forks as common eating instruments were several hundred years in the future. Do you think licking greasy fingers was socially acceptable?

Available at https://crossrivermedia.com/product/obedient-unto-death/  and https://amzn.com/dp/1936501627/

Liisa Eyerly’s Secrets of Ephesus series adds a Christian twist to first-century Roman Empire mysteries. Her debut novel, Obedient Unto Death (2022), won the Eric Hoffer First Horizon Award and first place in Spiritual Fiction. The second book, Fortunes of Death, releases on October 15th, 2024. A lifelong mystery lover, Liisa was inspired by the Apostle Paul’s depiction of early Christians. After careers in teaching and librarianship, she began writing full-time at fifty. Liisa lives in northern Wisconsin with her husband and enjoys pickleball, kayaking, Bible study, and visiting Ancient Roman sites. 

Facebook page:  https://bit.ly/3X4tT6f 

Website: liisaeyerly.com