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| Ops | |
|---|---|
 Livia attired as the goddess Ops | |
| Other names | Opes, Opis |
| Abode | Chthonic |
| Symbol | Lions, tambourine, crown, grains, cornucopia |
| Gender | female |
| Festivals | Opiconsivia |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Caelus,Terra |
| Siblings | Saturn,Janus |
| Consort | Saturn |
| Children | Jupiter,Neptune,Pluto,Juno,Ceres andVesta |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek | Rhea |
Inancient Roman religion,Ops,Opes orOpis (Latin: "Plenty") was afertility deity andearth goddess ofSabine origin. Her equivalent inGreek mythology wasRhea.
In Ops's statues and coins, she is figured sitting down, asChthonian deities normally are, and generally holds ascepter, or acorn spray andcornucopia. In Roman mythology the husband of Ops wasSaturn.[1] Ops is identified asRhea in Greek mythology, whose husband wasCronus, the bountiful monarch of thegolden age; Cronus was Rhea's brother.
In Latin writings of the time, the singularnominative (Ops) is not attested; only the formOpis is used by classical authors. According toFestus (203:19), "Ops is said to be the consort of Saturn by whom they wanted to signify theearth, because the earth distributes all wealth to the human genus." (Opis dicta est coniux Saturni per quam uolerunt terram significare, quia omnes opes humano generi terra tribuit).
The Latin wordops means "riches, goods, abundance, gifts, munificence, plenty".[2] The word is also related toopus, which means "work", particularly in the sense of "working the earth, ploughing, sowing". This activity was deemed sacred, and was often attended by religious rites intended to obtain the good will ofchthonic deities such as Ops andConsus.Ops is also related to theSanskrit wordápnas ("goods, property").
According to Roman tradition, the cult of Opis was instituted byTitus Tatius, one of the Sabinekings of Rome. Opis soon became the matron of riches, abundance, and prosperity. Opis had a famous temple in theCapitolium. Originally, a festival took place in Opis's honor on August 10. Additionally, on December 19[1] (some say December 9), theOpalia was celebrated. On August 25, theOpiconsivia was held. Opiconsivia was another name used for Opis, indicating when the earth was sown. These festivals also included activities that were calledConsualia, in honor of Consus, herconsort.
She is remembered inDe Mulieribus Claris, a collection of biographies of historical and mythological women by theFlorentine authorGiovanni Boccaccio, composed in 1361–1362. It is notable as the first collection devoted exclusively to biographies of women in Western literature.[3]
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