Pales (mythology)

Feast of the Pales ( Joseph-Benoît Suvée , 1783)

Pales is a shepherd deity in Roman mythology .

At the time of the Varro , Pales seems to have been little known. There was mention in historical sources of a Pales temple dating from 267 BC. Was founded by Marcus Atilius Regulus , with consecration ( natalis templi ) on July 7th and there was the Palilia or Parilia , the old purification festival of the shepherds and their flocks on April 21st. But this connection between Pales and the Palilia / Parilia is not certain: it is asserted several times in the literature, but does not appear in the calendars and is contested by Marius Victorinus .

None of this gives any indication of whether Pales is a god or a goddess. There is evidence of both a goddess Pales and a god. In addition, Pales could also be a plural form , meaning a pair or a group of gods whose individual names are no longer known today.

In order not to have to assume two deities of the same name of different sexes, the goddess Pales has been identified with Palatua , the patron deity of the Palatine . This can be more clearly understood because her cult had a state priest ( Flamen Palatualis or Pontifex Palatualis ) who made her a regular sacrifice on the Palatine, the palatuar .

literature

Francesca Prescendi: Pales. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 9, Metzler, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-476-01479-7 , column 186 f.
Georg Rohde: Pales. In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume XVIII, 3, Stuttgart 1949, Col. 89-97.
Georg Wissowa : Pales . In: Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (Hrsg.): Detailed lexicon of Greek and Roman mythology . Volume 3.1, Leipzig 1902, Col. 1276-1280 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Pales - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Florus Epitoma de Tito Livio 1:15
↑ Varro De lingua latina 6.15; Ovid Fasti 4,721-746, 775f .; Paulus Deacon Epitoma Festi 248: 17-19
^ Marius Victorinus 6.25 GL
↑ Virgil Eclogae 5.36; Calpurnius Siculus Eclogae 4.106; Varro in Aulus Gellius Noctes Atticae 13,23,4; Ovid Fasti 4,723ff.
↑ Varro in Maurus Servius Honoratius Commentarius in Vergilii georgica 3.1
↑ Varro De lingua latina 7.45
↑ CIL VIII 10500
^ Paulus Diaconus Epitoma Festi 284; 476

[1] Florus Epitoma de Tito Livio 1:15

[2] Varro De lingua latina 6.15; Ovid Fasti 4,721-746, 775f .; Paulus Deacon Epitoma Festi 248: 17-19

[3] Marius Victorinus 6.25 GL

[4] Virgil Eclogae 5.36; Calpurnius Siculus Eclogae 4.106; Varro in Aulus Gellius Noctes Atticae 13,23,4; Ovid Fasti 4,723ff.

[5] Varro in Maurus Servius Honoratius Commentarius in Vergilii georgica 3.1

[6] Varro De lingua latina 7.45

[7] CIL VIII 10500

[8] Paulus Diaconus Epitoma Festi 284; 476