Which Roman goddess was the patroness of thieves and fraud?

Laverna was the Roman goddess associated with thieves and fraudulent schemes. Ancient sources also connect her with profit, the underworld, and people operating outside respectable society.

Laverna appears to have originated as an Etruscan deity or underworld spirit before being incorporated into Roman religious tradition. Roman writers, including Horace and Plautus, described her as a goddess of thieves. Her protection was invoked by people who wanted criminal plans to succeed while preserving an outward appearance of honesty and piety.

Her Roman altar stood near the Porta Lavernalis on the Aventine Hill, a gate that bore her name. She also had a sacred grove along the Via Salaria, the road running from Rome toward the Adriatic. One unusual ritual detail is that libations to her were poured with the left hand.

Laverna is sometimes confused with Discordia, Bellona, or Proserpina because all can appear in stories involving danger, conflict, or the underworld. Their functions differ, however: Laverna’s defining association is concealment, illicit gain, and thieves’ plans, making her the clearest answer to this question.