Ten Great Religions Part 29

This is the tender side of the stern Roman character. Very little of pathos or sentiment appears in Roman poetry, but the lines by Catullus to his home are as tender as anything in modern literature. The little peninsula of Sirmio on the Lago di Garda has been glorified by these few words.

3. The GENIUS. The worship of the genius of a person or place was also peculiarly Italian. Each man had his genius, from whom his living power and vital force came. Tertullian speaks of the genius of places. On coins are found the Genius of Rome. Almost everything had its genius,--nations, colonies, princes, the senate, sleep, the theatre. The marriage-bed is called genial, because guarded by a genius. All this reminds us of the Fravashi of the Avesta and of the Persian monuments. Yet the Genius also takes his place among the highest G.o.ds.

III. Deities of the human soul:--

1. MENS, Mind, Intellect.

2. PUDICITIA, Chast.i.ty.

3. PIETAS, Piety, Reverence for Parents.

4 FIDES, Fidelity.

5. CONCORDIA, Concord.

6. VIRTUS, Courage.

7. SPES, Hope.

8. PALLOR or PAVOR, Fear.

9. VOLUPTAS, Pleasure.

IV. Deities of rural and other occupations:--

1. TELLUS, the Earth.

2. SATURNUS, Saturn. The root of this name is SAO = SERO, _to sow_. Saturn is the G.o.d of planting and sowing.

3. OPS, G.o.ddess of the harvest.

4. MARS. Originally an agricultural G.o.d, dangerous to crops; afterwards G.o.d of war.

5. SILVa.n.u.s, the wood G.o.d.

6. FAUNUS, an old Italian deity, the patron of agriculture.

7. TERMINUS, an old Italian deity, the guardian of limits and boundaries.

8. CERES, G.o.ddess of the cereal gra.s.ses.

9. LIBER, G.o.d of the vine, and of wine.

10. BONA DEA, the good G.o.ddess. The worship of the good G.o.ddess was imported from Greece in later times; and perhaps its basis was the worship of Demeter. The temple of the good G.o.ddess was on Mount Aventine. At her feast on the 1st of May all suggestions of the male s.e.x were banished from the house; no wine must be drunk; the myrtle, as a symbol of love, was removed. The idea of the feast was of a chaste marriage, as helping to preserve the human race.

11. MAGNA MATER, or Cybele. This was a foreign worship, but early introduced at Rome.

12. FLORA. She was an original G.o.ddess of Italy, presiding over flowers and blossoms. Great license was practised at her worship.

13. VERTUMNUS, the G.o.d of gardens, was an old Italian deity, existing before the foundation of Rome.

14. POMONA, G.o.ddess of the harvest.

18. PALES. A rural G.o.d, protecting cattle. At his feast men and cattle were purified.

The Romans had many other deities, whose worship was more or less popular. But those now mentioned were the princ.i.p.al ones. This list shows that the powers of earth were more objects of reverence than the heavenly bodies. The sun and stars attracted this agricultural people less than the spring and summer, seedtime and harvest. Among the Italians the country was before the city, and Rome was founded by country people.

-- 3. Worship and Ritual.

The Roman ceremonial worship was very elaborate and minute, applying to every part of daily life. It consisted in sacrifices, prayers, festivals, and the investigation by augurs and haruspices of the will of the G.o.ds and the course of future events. The Romans accounted themselves an exceedingly religious people, because their religion was so intimately connected with the affairs of home and state.

The Romans distinguished carefully between things sacred and profane. This word "profane" comes from the root "fari," _to speak_; because the G.o.ds were supposed to speak to men by symbolic events. A _fane_ is a place thus consecrated by some divine event; a _profane_ place, one not consecrated.[286] But that which man dedicates to the G.o.ds (_dedicat_ or _dicat_) is sacred, or consecrated.[287] Every place which was to be dedicated was first "liberated" by the augur from common uses; then "consecrated" to divine uses by the pontiff. A "temple" is a place thus separated, or cut off from other places; for the root of this word, like that of "tempus" (time) is the same as the Greek t???, _to cut_.

The Roman year was full of festivals (_feriae_) set apart for religious uses. It was declared by the pontiffs a sin to do any common work on these days, but works of necessity were allowed. These festivals were for particular G.o.ds, in honor of great events in the history of Rome, or of rural occurrences, days of purification and atonement, family feasts, or feasts in honor of the dead. The old Roman calendar[288] was as carefully arranged as that of modern Rome. The day began at midnight. The following is a view of the Roman year in its relation to festivals:--

_January_.

1. Feast of _Ja.n.u.s_, the G.o.d of beginnings.

9. _Agonalia_.

11. _Carmentalia_. In honor of the nymph Carmenta, a woman's festival.

16. Dedication of the _Temple of Concord_.

31. Feast of the _Penates_.

_February_.

1. Feast of _Juno Sospita_, the Savior: an old G.o.ddess.

13. _Faunalia_, dedicated to Faunus and the rural G.o.ds.

15. _Lupercalia_. Feast of fruitfulness.

17. _Fornacalia_. Feast of the oven G.o.ddess Fornax.

18 to 28. The _Februatio_, or feast of purification and atonement, and the _Feralia_, or feast of the dead. Februus was an old Etrurian G.o.d of the under-world. Also, the _Charistia_, a family festival for putting an end to quarrels among relations.

23. Feast of _Terminus_, G.o.d of boundaries. Boundary-stones anointed and crowned.

_March_.

1. Feast of _Mars_. Also, the _Matronalia_. The Salii, priests of Mars, go their rounds, singing old hymns.

6. Feast of _Vesta_.

7. Feast of _Vejovis_ or _Vedius_, i.e. the boy Jupiter.

14. _Equiria_, or horse-races in honor of Mars.

15. Feast of _Anna-Perenna_, G.o.ddess of health.

17. _Liberalia_, Feast of Bacchus. Young men invested with the Toga-Virilis on this day.

19 to 23. Feast of _Minerva_, for five days. Offerings made to her by all mechanics, artists, and scholars.