Ops is an ancient Roman goddess whose name in Latin means "power, strength, wealth, abundance". She was the wife of Saturn and the mother of several major deities, including Jupiter and Juno. According to Roman mythology, Saturn devoured his children at birth, a practice Ops circumvented by presenting him with a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes in place of the infant Jupiter, whom she secretly raised in Crete. This act saved Jupiter to eventually overthrow Saturn and become king of the gods. Etymology and Attributes The Latin word ops (genitive opis) carries meanings of "riches, goods, abundance, gifts, munificence, plenty. It is related to opus*, meaning "work, labor," particularly the tilling of the soil – ploughing and sowing. This linguistic link underlines Ops' role as a goddess of agricultural fertility and the resulting prosperity. As Ops Consiva, she presided over the stored harvest, sharing this duty with Consus, the god of gathered grain. Her temples were placed in the Regia, the ancient king's house, and the Capitol, highlighting her importance to the Roman state. Festivals and Public Worship Ops was honored with two major festivals per year. The Opiconsivia on August 25 celebrated the consualia (associated with the preservation of grain), and the Opalia on December 19, which focused on her role as a maternal and earth goddess. On days dedicated to Ops, Roman magistrates presided in white robes (symbolizing joy) and offered public thanksgiving. Notably, farmers avoided using their stores of grain or invoking Ops' altar words on those days, indicating a deep-seated taboo linked to seasonal abundance. Cultural and Grammatical Distinctions In Latin literature, the name Ops attracted the word copia meaning "plenty," and was used in invocations such as Operatio tutanda percopia. She was also known as Rhea by the Greeks, suggesting syncretism with the Greek mother-goddess Rhea, wife of Cronus. However, Ops retained a more agrarian emphasis, resonating with Terra (Earth) and Dis Pater (god of wealth), the latter reflecting roots in underground abundance (cf. Sanskrit ápas "work," Latin opes "resources"). Statues rarely portrayed her; she was instead invoked via altars connected to Consus' flatform. Related Figures and Variant Forms The name Opis sometimes occurs as an alternative spelling. Her Greek counterpart Rhea similarly mediated contrasting natures – agriculture (Demeter) versus ore-bearing wealth (Pluto). In his Fasti, Ovid conflates the Opalia with Greek Ops as Athena, but textual evidence favours a distinctly Roman origin, possibly influenced by Sabine tribe's goddess Ops turned into syncretized matta-monial civic principle mirrored in Imperial iconography hold. Notable Impact Beyond Religion The phrase "Opis causa fit ferias", preserving her power for oaths, testifies to Ops's consius, while planetary astronomy named the eclipses for astronomical character the Ophiuchi; fully terming new rites revived in August even merging ceremonies behind festivals like Palladian supperseed we see lexical from magisterium epigram or invoked spells from pap in city not just farmland preserved thought extended lands reaching shadow or works spread quite remarkably onto coinage tokens symbolize cornucopia. Meaning: Power, strength, wealth, abundance Origin: Latin ops, related to opus (work) Type: Goddess Usage regions: Ancient Rome