A question to fellow Roman polytheists, not at all influenced by currently being quite happily snowed-in.
Which deity do you associate with snow?
Looking primarily for UPG reflections, I guess. There’s Jupiter for all manner of storms, of course, but I tend to associate him only with the proper thunder and lightning sort. The rest I put to the Tempestates, whom I consider something like storm nymphs, and the clear-skied winds to the Aurae. But snow is……different.
Today, April 5, is the dies natalis (anniversary) of the dedication of the temple of Fortuna Publica in the city of Rome. Fortuna Publica Romani is the goddess ofthe luck, fate, or fortune of the of the people and state of Rome.
O, Goddess! Be favorable this day to the people of the modern city of Rome, and to all those throughout the world who revere the gods of Rome!
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Featured image: Altar dedicated to the Fortune of the Roman People and Gaius Julius Raeticus, centurion of the Sixth Legion Victrix. Found 1717 in a hypocaust inside Vindolanda Roman Fort. Formerly in the Chapter Library, Durham, now (1995) in the Museum of Archaeology, Durham.
Fortunae p(opuli) R(omani) G(aius) Iul(ius) Raeticus (centurio) leg(ionis) VI Vict(ricis)
Image source: Bruce, J.C. 1870-1875 Lapidarium Septentrionale (Newcastle upon Tyne), S. 250, via WIkipedia Commons (X).
Image license: This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 70 years or fewer. Public Domain in the United States presumably because it was presumably published in the U.S. before 1926.
The Floralia is a Roman festival honoring Flora, the goddess of spring, flower gardens, and crops. It was held each year from April 27th or 28th to May 3rd. She is married to Favonius, the God of the West Wind. Flora was one of the most important goddesses in the Roman pantheon, one of only 15 deities to have a cult administered by a state priesthood consisting of a married couple, who were appointed for life.
The celebration of the Floralia included theatrical performances, competitive games, and a sacrifice to Flora, presumably at her temple on the lower slope of the Aventine Hill near the Circus Maximus.
About the base image:
Flora, or the Primavera of Stabaie; 1st century CE fresco from Stabaie, Italy. Collection of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli via Wikimedia Commons (X). Image license: Public Domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 70 years or fewer and in the United States - published anywhere (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before 1926.
Manipulation: I ‘healed’ some of the fresco’s more obvious flaws and added the floral border.
Fascinating insights about Floralia and Flora’s cult.
Altar to Bona Dea. Glanum, Bouches du Rhone, Provence, France.
Today, 1 May, is the dies natalis (anniversary) of the dedication of the temple of Bona Dea on the Aventine in Rome. Bona Dea is a goddess of healing and a protector of the Roman people.
The cult of Bona Dea, the Good Goddess, is married to Faunus, god of the flocks from Latium, and connected with Damia, goddess of the fertile earth from Magna Graecia, who is (perhaps, Demeter). The rites of Bona Dea were secret, permitted only to women and banned for men, though men were allowed to seek healthcare from the medical staff at the goddess’ temples.
The ears on this altar indicate Bona Dea’s reputation for “hearing” prayers.
The Floralia is a Roman festival honoring Flora, the goddess of spring, flower gardens, and crops. It was held each year from April 27th or 28th to May 3rd. She is married to Favonius, the God of the West Wind. Flora was one of the most important goddesses in the Roman pantheon, one of only 15 deities to have a cult administered by a state priesthood consisting of a married couple, who were appointed for life.
The celebration of the Floralia included theatrical performances, competitive games, and a sacrifice to Flora, presumably at her temple on the lower slope of the Aventine Hill near the Circus Maximus.
Image: Flora Maggiore, Roman statue, 2nd century CE, currently in the collection of the Naples National Museum of Archaeology, Italy. Photo by: Sailko, 2013, via Wikimedia Commons (X). Image license: Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported I erased the original background and tinted the flowers. Flower field background: Yann Behr, 2020, via unsplash.com (X).
honorthegods focuses on modern Hellenic and Roman reconstructionist polytheisms and ancient Mediterranean religions, mythology, philosophy, archaeology, history, literature, and art.
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Image: Central part of a large floor mosaic from a Roman villa in Sentinum (now known as Sassoferrato, in Marche, Italy), ca. 200–250 C.E. Aion, the god of eternity, is standing inside a celestial sphere decorated with zodiac signs, in between a green tree and a bare tree (summer and winter, respectively). Sitting in front of him is the mother-earth goddess, Tellus (the Roman counterpart of Gaia) with her four children, who possibly represent the four seasons.
Photo by: Bibi Saint-Pol, 2007-02-08, via Wikimedia Commons (X). Image license: Public Domain. I fiddled with the colors and enhanced the fruit in the hair of some of the figures.
