Saturn (mythology)

Saturn with head protected by winter cloak, holding a scythe in his right hand, fresco from the House of the Dioscuri at Pompeii, Naples Archaeological Museum (23497733210)

Saturn (Latin: Sāturnus) was a Roman god of agriculture and harvest. He was the father of Ceres, Jupiter, Veritas and others. He was associated with wealth, liberation, and time. He was identified with the Greek titan Kronos, whose reign (often referred to as the Golden Age) was regarded as a time of abundance and peace.

The Temple of Saturn situated within the Roman Forum housed the state treasury. In December, the festival of Saturnalia, perhaps the most famous of all the Roman festivals, was held in his honor — it largely consisted of a public banquet, role reversals, private gift-giving and revelry. The planet Saturn is named after him and the modern English weekday Saturday (Latin diēs Sāturni - "Day of Saturn") bears his name.