Juventas

Juventas was the ancient Roman goddess whose sphere of tutelage was youth and rejuvenation. She was especially the goddess of young men "new to wearing the toga" (dea novorum togatorum)—that is, those who had just come of age.

Several voluntary associations (collegia) were formed for Juventas in the Italian municipalities, as attested by inscriptions.

Temple and early cult

Juventas had a shrine within the cella of Minerva on the Capitoline that probably dates no earlier than 218 BC, at which time she was identified with the Greek Hebe. According to Dionysius and Livy, both she and the god Terminus are supposed to have "refused" the ceremony of reversal (exauguratio) performed when Tarquin wished to rebuild the temple district on the Capitoline. Although other deities were relocated, these two were incorporated into the new structure. Dionysius also records that the semi-legendary king Servius Tullius established a temple fund for Juventas, to which each family had to contribute. The view that she was a part of archaic Roman religion depends mainly on these two aetiological legends, as she has no presence in the early history of Roman festivals.