Caelus

Caelus is the Latin term for the heavens and, in Roman mythology, the personification of the sky. The name is often treated as the Roman counterpart of the Greek Ouranos (Uranus). In many early Roman texts, Caelus is described as a primordial deity and is frequently paired with Terra (Earth) as a cosmic couple from whom the major divine generations arise. Because Roman and Greek mythologies were transmitted through different authors, the exact genealogies vary: some sources describe Caelus and Terra as the parents of the next generation of gods, while others place different lineages or interpret Caelus as an ancestral figure rather than an active ruler.

In some accounts Caelus is depicted as the father of the Titans (or their Roman equivalents) or as an ancestor of other major deities through unions with Terra. The details differ among authors such as Ovid, Hyginus, and earlier poets, reflecting the varied nature of near-contemporary mythmaking and adaptation of Greek forms into Latin tradition.

In the later development of Roman religion, Caelus’ prominence declines as Jupiter becomes the chief sky deity and chief god of the Roman pantheon. Consequently, Caelus does not have a major cult center or widespread worship in the classical period, existing mainly as a literary and mythological figure rather than as a central cult object.

Today, the name Caelus survives in scholarly references to Roman myth and in discussions of Latin language for the heavens, as well as in modern literature and media that draw on classical imagery of the sky god.

See also: Ouranos, Uranus (mythology), Saturn (Cronus), Roman religion.