Jupiter (mythology) practice of swearing by Jove to witness an oath in law courts is the origin of the expression "by Jove!"—archaic, but still in use. The name of the god was also adopted as the name of the planet Jupiter; the adjective "jovial" originally described those born under the planet of Jupiter (reputed to be jolly, optimistic, and buoyant in temperament). Jove was the original namesake of Latin forms of the weekday now known in English as Thursday (originally called "Iovis Dies" in Latin). These became "jeudi" in French, "jueves" in Spanish, "joi" in Romanian, "giovedì" in Italian, "dijous" in Catalan,
Homosexuality in ancient Rome discreet or more open: male concubines sometimes attended dinner parties with the man whose companion they were. Martial even suggests that a prized "concubinus" might pass from father to son as an especially coveted inheritance. A military officer on campaign might be accompanied by a "concubinus". Like the catamite or "puer delicatus", the role of the concubine was regularly compared to that of Ganymede, the Trojan prince abducted by Jove (Greek Zeus) to serve as his cupbearer. The "concubina", a female concubine who might be free, held a protected legal status under Roman law, but the "concubinus" did not, since