the country, and the Pelasgians, that extensive race which originally possessed Greece and a portion of Lesser Asia. This is perhaps the best principle on which the great similarity of the Latin and Greek languages can be accounted for; and it will also in a great measure, taken however in combination with the general one, explain the agreement of their religious systems, and the facility with which the religion and mythology of Greece were adopted at Rome. It cannot be determined which of the Roman gods are to be regarded as those of their Latin forefathers; but it is probable that Saturnus, Ops, Janus, Jana, Pales, Pomona, and those deities relating to agriculture (to which the Latins were greatly devoted), were derived by the Romans from their Latin ancestors. We shall not perhaps much err if we regard as Latin all those deities whose Sabine or Etruscan origin does not appear.1 The Sabellian Religion. Under the name of Sabellians may be comprised all the tribes of the Apennines east of Latium. It is therefore inclusive of the Sabines, Samnites, Marsians, and their kindred clans; and it is by no means improbable, that the Umbrians to the north and the Oscans to the south of them were of the same race with the Sabellians. The rigid virtues of a portion of the Sabellian race, particularly the Sabines, were always the theme of praise at Rome. Grazing and agriculture were the chief employments of these hardy tribes, and their religion was intimately connected with these arts; and consequently, we may suppose, bore much resemblance to that of the Latins. It has always been asserted that a great portion of the Roman religion was of Sabine origin. The Sabines adored Sancus and Sabus, or Sabinus, as the founders of their nation.2 Mamers or Mars was also one of their deities; an erect lance was the symbol before which he was worshipped. According to the ancient annals of Rome Tatius the Sabine king raised altars to Ops and Flora, Diovis and Saturnus, Sol and Luna, Volcanus and Summanus, and to Larunda, Terminus, Quirinus, Vortumnus, the Lares, Diana and Cloacina. The Marsian portion of this race were as celebrated for their skill in detecting the will of the gods by the flight and voice of The names of the Latin deities, which are mostly inexplicable, probably belong to the non-Pelasgic portion of the language. 2 Sil. Ital. viii. 422 seq. Verg. Æn. vii. 178. 3 Varro, De L. L. v. 74. the birds, as the Etruscans for discerning it in the electric phænomena of the sky. It is a very remarkable feature in the ancient religion of Italy, that though it admitted not of the births, marriages and generations of its deities, like that of Greece, it usually represented them in pairs, each consisting of a male and a female divinity.1 Thus we meet with Saturnus and Ops, Saturnus and Lua, Mars and Neriene, Quirinus and Hora. In some cases the name of the goddess is only the feminine form of that of the god, as Janus Jana, Tellumo Tellus, Lupercus, Luperca, Volumnus, Volumna, Vitellius Vitellia. This principle probably ran through the whole of the ancient language, for we find animus and anima used of the vital powers, and Rome and other Italian towns politically divided into a Populus and a Plebs. It may further be observed that the deities of the Italian creed have far less the air of personification than those of Hellas. They more resemble the presiding angels of the Jews and Mohammedans. Another peculiar feature of the old Italian religion, and which testifies to its purity, warmth and simplicity, is that of calling the gods Fathers (Patres), and the goddesses Mothers (Matres), -titles of veneration or affection given by the Greeks to none but Zeus and Démétér or Earth. As this is a circumstance that seems to have almost totally escaped the notice of modern inquirers, we will here give some proofs of such being the usage among the Romans. In the Council of the Gods of the old satirist Lucilius the following lines occurred: 3 3 Ut nemo sit nostrum quin pater optimus Divum,— on which Lactantius observes, that "every god who is worshipped by man must in solemn rites and prayers be called Father, not only for the sake of honour but from reason, both because he was before man, and because like a father he gives life, health 1 "Duplicis sexus numina esse dicuntur, ut cum in actu sunt mares sint, feminæ cum patiendi habent naturam."-Serv. Æn. iv. 638: comp. Sen. Nat. Quæst. iii. 14. "Each (Hindú) god has his lawful spouse or Sakti (power), endowed with the same attributes and powers as her husband, from whom she usually is sprung, and whose name she bears, as Indrani, Varuni," etc. Bohlen, Das Alt. Ind. i. 247. 2 See Niebuhr, Hist. of Rome, i. 417. For the union of pater with the name of Ap. Lactant. Div. Inst. iv. 3. the gods, see also Gell. v. 12. 1 and food." To this we may add the testimony of Servius, who says that "the ancients called all the gods fathers." We have not the same direct evidence of the goddesses being called mothers,2 but we will show by induction that such was the case. As Lactantius observes, it was chiefly in prayer that the terms Father and Mother were used; but they adhered to some of the gods, such as Jupiter. Liber does not often occur without a pater; neither does Dis; and we usually meet with Mater Matuta. The Romans were fond of using their political vocabulary, even when speaking of their gods. Thus we read of gods of the Greater Houses, the Ramnes and Tities, as it were, of heaven; and of the Select Gods,* like the Select Judges; and we also meet with a Plebs among the divinities.5 It cannot perhaps be asserted that these divisions were made seriously, or were used by the hierarchy; but Varro gives the names of twenty Select Gods; and there stood in the Forum twelve gilded statues of Consentian deities, which were probably those enumerated in the following lines of Ennius, and which, by the way, are exactly the same with the twelve gods of the Greeks, 6 Juno, Vesta, Minerva, Ceres, Diana, Venus, Mars, These twelve deities were thus paired in the lectisternium, A.U. 535,8 Jupiter Juno, Neptunus Minerva, Mars Venus, Apollo Diana, Volcanus Vesta, Mercurius Ceres. This classification is evidently Grecian; for it is only in the mythology of Greece that Neptunus and Minerva (Poseidón and Athéna) and Mercurius and Ceres (Hermés and Démétér) are connected. 1 En. i. 155: comp. Propert. iv. 11, 18. Stat. Theb. iii. 146. Val. Flac. i. 193. 2 Varro however says (Fr. p. 222 Bip.), "Diis quibusdam patribus et deabus matribus, sicut hominibus, ignobilitatem accidisse." 3 Cic. Tusc. i. 13. 5 Ov. Met. i. 173. Ibis 81. 4 Varro, Fr. p. 223 (Bip.) 6 Ut supra. 7 Id. De R. R. i. 1. He in this place names the following twelve, which he calls Consentian gods of the country: Jovis and Tellus, Sol and Luna, Ceres and Libera, Robigus and Flora, Minerva and Venus, Bonus Eventus and Lympha. 8 Liv. xxii. 10. CHAPTER II. THE SELECT GODS. VARRO1 enumerates twenty deities, whom he terms select, namely Janus, Jovis, Saturnus, Genius, Mercurius, Apollo, Mars, Volcanus, Neptunus, Sol, Orcus, Liber Pater, Tellus, Ceres, Juno, Luna, Diana, Minerva, Venus and Vesta. We shall here treat of them, but in a different order. Jovis, Juppiter, Jupiter. Like the Greek Zeus, the Latin Jovis, which is evidently a kindred term,2 signified originally God. Hence we find it used in the plural, Joves. Divus, Dius, or Deus Jovis, was contracted to Dijovis and Diovis,3 and Jovis Pater or Diespiter became Jupiter, answering to the Zevs Tarηp of the Greeks. In the more ancient monuments of the Roman religion Jovis or Jupiter does not occur unaccompanied by an epithet. The principal Jupiter was the Capitoline, or the Jupiter Optimus Maximus, whose temple containing the images of Juno and Minerva adorned the Capitol in Rome, and who was regarded as the great guardian of the fortunes of the city. Jupiter Elicius was so named, as we are told, from the following circumstance. In the time of Numa there occurred great thunder-storms and rain. The people and their king were terrified, and the latter had recourse to the counsel of the nymph Egeria. She informed him that Faunus and Picus could instruct him in the mode of appeasing Jupiter, but that he must employ both art and violence to extract the knowledge from them. Accordingly by her advice he placed bowls of wine at a fountain on Mount Aventine, whither they were wont to come to drink, and concealed himself in a neighbouring cavern. The rural gods came to the fount, and finding the wine drank copiously of it: they immediately afterwards fell asleep, and Numa quitting his retreat came and bound them. On awaking, they struggled, but in vain, to get free; and the pious prince, apologising for what necessity had obliged him to do, entreated that they would inform him how Jupiter was to be appeased. They yielded to his prayer, and on his loosing them drew down (“eliciunt ") Jupiter by their charms. He descended on the Aventine hill, which trembled beneath the weight of the deity. Numa was terrified, 1 Fr. p. 223 (Bip.). 2 Like Suydu and jugum. 3 Varro, L. L. v. 66. Gellius, v. 12. Plut. Numa, 15. but recovering he implored the god to give a remedy against the lightning. The ruler of the thunder assented, and in ambiguous terms conveyed the relief: "Cut a head"-" of an onion from my garden" subjoined the king,- "of a man "-"the topmost hairs " quickly replied Numa;-" I demand a life"-" of a fish." The deity smiled, and said that his weapons might thus be averted, and promised a sign at sun-rise the following morning. At dawn the people assembled before the doors of the king: Numa came forth, and seated on his maple throne looked for the rising of the sun. The orb of day was just wholly emerged above the horizon, when a loud crash was heard in the sky: thrice the god thundered without a cloud; thrice he sent forth his lightnings. The heavens opened, and a light buckler came gently wafted on the air and fell to the ground. Numa having first slain a heifer, took it up and named it Ancile. He regarded it as the pledge of empire; and having had eleven others made exactly like it by the artist Mamurius, to deceive those who might attempt to steal it, committed them to the care of the priests named Salii. As Latiaris, that is, Of-the-Latins, Jupiter was annually worshipped by the Latins on the Alban Mount. The festival was named the Latin Holidays (Feriæ Latina); its institution was ascribed to Tarquinius Superbus. Jupiter Anxur was the chief deity of Anxur or Tarracina. Jupiter Indiges was worshipped on the banks of the Numicius, and was said to be the deified Æneas. Jupiter was named Feretrius or Bearer, as the spoils of the enemy's general if slain by a Roman commander were borne to him. He was also called Victor and Stator, as the giver of victory and stayer of flight We also meet with Jupiter Pistor, whose altar was on the Capitol.1 In the usual Roman manner an historical origin was given to all these names. Jupiter was called Lucetius" as the author of light (lucis); for a similar reason he was named Diespiter, i.e. Dies Pater or Father of Day or of Light. When the Greek philosophy was introduced into Rome Jupiter was regarded as the material heaven, as in the well-known line of the Thyestes of Ennius, Aspice hoc sublime candens quem invocant omnes Jovem. 1 Ov. Fast. vi. 349 seq. 2 Nævius ap. Gell. v. 12. Festus, s. v. Servius (Æn. ix. 570) says this was his name in Oscan. It had gone so completely out of use that Vergil (ut supra) makes it the name of an Italian warrior. 3 Plaut. Capt. iv. 4, 1. Pænul. iv. 2, 48. Hor. Carm. i. 34, 5; iii. 2, 29. Diespiter is not Pater diei, for that is contrary to analogy: see Varro, De L. L. v. 66. |