The Primary Sources Certamen Writers Use
Roman mythology in Certamen is not drawn from a single canonical text but from several major works of classical literature that have defined the tradition. The most important is Ovid's Metamorphoses, a 15-book epic poem in dactylic hexameter that retells over 250 transformation myths from the creation of the world through the deification of Julius Caesar. Nearly every myth involving a mortal changed into an animal, plant, or celestial body comes from or is given its canonical Roman form in Ovid. Questions about Daphne's transformation into a laurel tree, Arachne's contest with Minerva, or the story of Pyramus and Thisbe all trace back to the Metamorphoses.
The second pillar is Vergil's Aeneid, the national epic of Rome that follows the Trojan hero Aeneas from the fall of Troy to his victory in Latium, where his descendants would eventually found Rome. Books 1–6 are especially rich with mythological content: the intervention of Juno, the love affair with Dido, the descent to the underworld in Book 6, and the encounters with divine figures throughout. Advanced Certamen questions on the Aeneid are among the most difficult in the competition, requiring knowledge of specific episodes, character names, and Vergil's literary technique.
The Twelve Olympians: Roman and Greek Names
Every Certamen competitor must have complete command of the twelve major Olympian deities, their Roman names, their Greek counterparts, their domains, and their key attributes. This mapping is tested explicitly and implicitly across hundreds of questions:
- Jupiter (Zeus) — king of the gods, sky, thunder, the eagle and thunderbolt
- Juno (Hera) — queen of the gods, marriage, the peacock; perpetual antagonist of Aeneas in the Aeneid
- Neptune (Poseidon) — sea, earthquakes, horses; the trident is his symbol
- Pluto (Hades) — ruler of the underworld; also known as Dis in Latin poetry
- Ceres (Demeter) — grain, agriculture, harvest; mother of Proserpina
- Vesta (Hestia) — the hearth and home; worshipped by the Vestal Virgins in Rome
- Mars (Ares) — war; uniquely important in Roman religion as the father of Romulus
- Venus (Aphrodite) — love and beauty; mother of Aeneas in Roman tradition
- Mercury (Hermes) — messenger of the gods, commerce, travelers; the caduceus and winged sandals
- Minerva (Athena) — wisdom, crafts, strategic warfare; born fully armed from Jupiter's head
- Apollo (Apollo) — the one Olympian who retains the same name in both traditions; sun, music, prophecy, archery, medicine
- Diana (Artemis) — the moon, hunting, chastity; twin sister of Apollo
The Myths of Rome's Founding
The founding mythology of Rome is a distinctly Roman contribution to the mythological tradition, and it is heavily tested in Certamen. The story begins with Aeneas, the Trojan hero and son of Venus, who flees Troy after its sack and eventually lands in Latium after years of wandering. His descendants include Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of Mars and the Vestal Virgin Rhea Silvia. Exposed as infants on the banks of the Tiber, the twins were suckled by a she-wolf (lupa) and raised by a shepherd named Faustulus. Romulus eventually killed Remus during a dispute over the new city's walls and founded Rome in 753 BCE — a date that is itself a standard Certamen answer. After his death, Romulus was deified as Quirinus, a god associated with the Roman state.
Heroes and the Twelve Labors of Hercules
The hero Hercules (Greek: Heracles), son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena, is one of the most frequently tested figures in Certamen mythology. His Twelve Labors — imposed as penance after he killed his family in a fit of madness sent by Juno — are a standard reference list every competitor should know:
- Slaying the Nemean Lion
- Slaying the Lernaean Hydra
- Capturing the Cerynitian Hind
- Capturing the Erymanthian Boar
- Cleaning the Augean Stables
- Slaying the Stymphalian Birds
- Capturing the Cretan Bull
- Stealing the Mares of Diomedes
- Obtaining the Girdle of Hippolyta
- Stealing the Cattle of Geryon
- Fetching the Golden Apples of the Hesperides
- Capturing Cerberus from the Underworld
Beyond Hercules, questions also target Jason and the Argonauts (the quest for the Golden Fleece, Medea's role, the Symplegades), Perseus (the slaying of Medusa, the rescue of Andromeda), Theseus (the Minotaur, Ariadne's thread, the labyrinth), and Orpheus and Eurydice (the descent to the underworld, the condition not to look back). Each of these heroes has a set of canonical companions, monsters, and outcomes that Certamen writers return to repeatedly.
Ovidian Transformations and Epithets
A final high-yield area for mythology Certamen is the recognition of divine epithets and attributes. Gods are identified not just by name but by their sacred animals, plants, and functions: Jupiter's eagle and oak, Apollo's laurel and lyre, Neptune's trident, Minerva's owl and aegis, Venus's dove and myrtle. Additionally, many deities bear multiple epithets drawn from their functions or places of worship — Apollo is also called Phoebus (bright) and Cynthius (from Mount Cynthus on Delos); Diana is Cynthia and Phoebe; Juno is Lucina in her role as goddess of childbirth. Knowing these alternate names is essential for both toss-up recognition and bonus accuracy at higher levels of competition.