Pomona

The Goddess of Orchards and Fruit

Domain: Orchards, Fruit & Gardening
Alignment: Neutral Good
Element: Earth
Relics of Power: Curved Pruning Knife

Speak with Pomona

The People

People

Romans

Region

Rome & the Roman Empire

Period

8th c. BC – 4th c. AD

The Romans worshipped their gods as guardians of the state, the home, and war, identifying many of them with Greek deities. The official cult was led by colleges of priests and by the emperor himself, with temples in the heart of Rome. Their religion followed the Empire's expansion across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

The December Saturnalia reversed social roles in days of feasting and gifts, and the Lupercalia purified the city in February. The Vestal Virgins guarded Vesta's sacred fire, and victorious generals paraded in triumph to the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus.

The Sacred Scrolls

A genuinely Roman goddess of orchards, fruit trees, and gardening, Pomona has no direct equivalent in the Greek pantheon. Her name derives from 'pomum', the Latin word for fruit, and she watches over the ripening of apples, pears, and other fruits. Indifferent to love, she devoted herself entirely to the care of her walled garden. As The Goddess of Orchards and Fruit, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the romanos pantheon. Their domains over Orchards, Fruit & Gardening reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

The pruning knife, the ripe apples, the walled orchard and the cornucopia of fruit

Divine Lineage

Italic goddess of fruit; courted and wed by the god Vertumnus.

The Legendary Myth

Pomona lived secluded in her walled orchard, refusing all suitors to devote herself only to the trees. The god of the seasons, Vertumnus, in love with her, approached disguised as an old woman to win her with words.

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the romanos recounts the journey when Pomona intervened directly in the lives of mortals.