In
ancient Roman religion and
myth,
Tellus Mater or
Terra Mater ("Mother Earth") is a
goddess of the earth. Although Tellus and Terra are hardly distinguishable during the
Imperial era,
Tellus was the name of the original earth goddess in the religious practices of the
Republic or earlier. The scholar
Varro (1st century BC) lists Tellus as one of the
di selecti, the twenty principal gods of Rome, and one of the twelve agricultural deities. She is regularly associated with
Ceres in rituals pertaining to the earth and agricultural fertility.