PALLADIUM
Roman Protection Goddess
Much fought-over protective icon
This was a statue of a female figure which fell unexpectedly out of the sky one day. How could one fail to believe in it?
Was it Athena or could it be Pallas? Accounts vary as to what it looked like or how big it was. It may have been a bit damaged in its free fall flight. Was it a spear or a distaff she was holding?
Ilus, the founder of Troy and finder of the statue, put it in a shrine to protect Troy from capture. But Odysseus and Diomodes sneaked in and snaffled it.
Troy fell, but the statue seemed to pop up all over the place, and there seemed to be a market for replicas. Some seemed to be misshapen lumps and there is a theory that the original could have been a meteorite.
The Romans who wished their capital to be known as the New Troy took to her instantly and after a makeover was seated on a throne in the temple of Vesta.
She was worshiped for centuries and with the advent of Christianity may have been converted into the Virgin St. Mary.
Palladium Facts and Figures
Name: Palladium
Pronunciation: Coming soon
Alternative names:
Gender: Female
Type: Goddess
Celebration or Feast Day: Unknown at present
Role:
In charge of: Protection
Area of expertise: Protection
Good/Evil Rating: NEUTRAL, may not care
Popularity index: 2970
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Article last revised on April 06, 2019 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders
References: Coming soon.