Portunus (mythology): Difference between revisions
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Portunus appears to be closely related to god [[Janus]], |
Portunus appears to be closely related to god [[Janus]], with whom he shares many characters and functions and their symbol, the key<ref> Paul. p. 161 L2 </ref>. He was considered to be "deus portuum et portarumque praeses"<ref> [[Scholium]] Veron. on ''Aeneid'' V.241</ref> |
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The relationship between the two gods is underlined by the fact that the date chosen for the dedication of the temple of Janus in the Forum Olitorium rebuilt by emperor [[Tiberius]] is the day of the [[Portunalia]] |
The relationship between the two gods is underlined by the fact that the date chosen for the dedication of the temple of Janus in the Forum Olitorium rebuilt by emperor [[Tiberius]] is the day of the [[Portunalia]], August 17.<ref> Georges Dumézil ''La religion romaine archaïque'' Paris, 1974, part I, chap.4</ref> |
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| ⚫ | The linguist Giuliano Bonfante has speculated, on the grounds of his cult and meaning of his name, that he should be a very archaic deity and might date back to an era when Latins lived in dwellings built on ''palafits'' (pilings). <ref> G. Bonfante "Tracce di terminologia palafitticola nel vocabolario latino?" ''Atti dell'Istituto Veneto di scienze, lettere e arti'' '''97''' (1937:53-70).</ref> |
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His [[flamen]], the [[flamen Portunalis]] one of the [[flamines minores]] performed the ritual of oiling the spear on the statue of god [[Quirinus]], with an ointment especially prepared for this purpose and stored in a small vase (''persillum'').<ref>Fest. p. 321 L2</ref> |
His [[flamen]], the [[flamen Portunalis]] one of the [[flamines minores]] performed the ritual of oiling the spear on the statue of god [[Quirinus]], with an ointment especially prepared for this purpose and stored in a small vase (''persillum'').<ref>Fest. p. 321 L2</ref> |
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In Roman mythology, Portunes (alternatively spelled Portumnes or Portunus) was a god of keys and doors and livestock. He protected the warehouses where grain was stored. Probably because of folk associations between porta "gate, door" and portus "harbor", the "gateway" to the sea, Portunus later became conflated with Palaemon and evolved into a god primarily of ports and harbors.[1] In the Latin adjective importunus his name was applied to untimely waves and weather and contrary winds, and the Latin echoes in English opportune and its old-fashioned antonym importune, meaning "well-timed' and "badly-timed". Hence Portunus is behind both an opportunity and importunate or badly-timed solicitations (OED).
His festival, celebrated on August 16, the seventeenth day before the Kalends of September, was the Portumnalia, a minor occasion in the Roman year. On this day, keys were thrown into a fire for good luck in a very solemn and lugubrious manner. His attribute was a key and his main temple in the city of Rome, the Temple of Portunus, was to be found in the Forum Boarium.
Portunus appears to be closely related to god Janus, with whom he shares many characters and functions and their symbol, the key[2]. He was considered to be "deus portuum et portarumque praeses"[3]
The relationship between the two gods is underlined by the fact that the date chosen for the dedication of the temple of Janus in the Forum Olitorium rebuilt by emperor Tiberius is the day of the Portunalia, August 17.[4]
The linguist Giuliano Bonfante has speculated, on the grounds of his cult and meaning of his name, that he should be a very archaic deity and might date back to an era when Latins lived in dwellings built on palafits (pilings). [5]
His flamen, the flamen Portunalis one of the flamines minores performed the ritual of oiling the spear on the statue of god Quirinus, with an ointment especially prepared for this purpose and stored in a small vase (persillum).[6]
Notes
- ^ "Portunus gives to the sailor perfect safety in traversing the seas; but why has the raging sea cast up so many cruelly-shattered wrecks?" the Christian apologist Arnobius asks, ca 300 CE (Seven Books against the Heathen III.23 (on-line text).
- ^ Paul. p. 161 L2
- ^ Scholium Veron. on Aeneid V.241
- ^ Georges Dumézil La religion romaine archaïque Paris, 1974, part I, chap.4
- ^ G. Bonfante "Tracce di terminologia palafitticola nel vocabolario latino?" Atti dell'Istituto Veneto di scienze, lettere e arti 97 (1937:53-70).
- ^ Fest. p. 321 L2
References
- Marcus Terentius Varro, De Lingua Latina vii.19.
External links
- William Smith, 1875. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities( John Murray, London,): "Portumnalia"
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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