Who was the Roman goddess of good faith and honesty?

Fides was the Roman goddess of good faith, trust, and honesty.

Her name means “faith” or “trust” in Latin, and she personified the reliability expected in promises, contracts, marriages, political relationships, and military service. The related phrase Bona Fides (“good faith”) became especially important in Roman law, where it implied honest and fair dealing without fraud.

Fides had a temple on Rome’s Capitoline Hill, traditionally dedicated in 254 or 250 BC. Roman tradition credited King Numa with establishing an annual ceremony for Fides Publica on October 1. During the rite, senior priests approached her temple in a covered chariot with their right hands wrapped, symbolizing trust and good faith.

Fides is often confused with Veritas, the personification of truth, or Fortuna, the goddess of luck. Fides is more specifically about dependable conduct and the trust one person or institution places in another. Roman images show her with grain, fruit, a cornucopia, or a military standard.