In ancient Roman religion, the were lists of deities kept by the College of Pontiffs to assure that the correct divine names were invoked for public prayers. These lists or books probably described the nature of the various deities who might be called on under particular circumstances, with specifics about the sequence of invocation. The earliest , like many other aspects of Roman religion, were attributed to Numa Pompilius, second king of Rome.
Sources The books of the Pontiffs are known only through scattered passages preserved throughout Latin literature. Varro, a 1st-century BCE writer, is assumed to have drawn on direct knowledge of the lists in writing his now-fragmentary theological books. Servius the Grammarian claims that, according to Varro, the were a series of pontifical books that contained the names of gods and the justifications for those names,Servius the Grammarian. Commentary on the Georgics of Vergil. 1.21. and also that the names of the were present in these texts. Varro's work was also used as a reference by the Church Fathers for their mocking catalogues of minor deities.W.R. Johnson, "The Return of Tutunus", Arethusa (1992) 173–179; William Warde Fowler, The Religious Experience of the Roman People (London, 1922), p. 163. As William Warde Fowler noted, the good Fathers tumbled the whole collection about sadly in their search for material for their mockery, having no historical or scientific object in view; with the result that it now resembles the bits of glass in a kaleidoscope, and can no longer be re-arranged on the original Varronian plan.Fowler, Religious Experience, p. 163.
Georg Wissowa, however, asserted that Varro's lists were not , but di certi, gods whose function could still be identified with certainty, since by the late Republic some of the most archaic deities of the Roman pantheon were not widely cultivated and understood.Georg Wissowa, Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (unknown edition), vol. 13, p. 218 online. See also Kurt Latte, Roemische Religionsgeschichte (Munich, 1960), pp. 44-45. Another likely source for the patristic catalogues is the lost work De indigitamentis of Granius Flaccus, Varro's contemporary.Lactantius, Div. inst. 1.6.7; Censorinus 3.2; Arnaldo Momigliano, "The Theological Efforts of the Roman Upper Classes in the First Century B.C.", Classical Philology 79 (1984), p. 210. Arnobius, a 3rd-century Christian apologist, writes that the name of the god Apollo was not present in the of Numa Pompilius,Arnobius, Adversus Nationes 2.73. who was generally considered in Roman legend to have been the organizer of many Roman religious practices. It is probable that these specific early date back prior to 431 BCE—the date when Apollo received an official temple, and therefore presumably a place in the Roman pantheon. However, the passage also implies that Apollo was present in later versions of the , which is perhaps further supported by the works of the 4th-century CE theologian Augustine, who does mention Apollo among a list of gods that appears to have been drawn from an older Varronian source covering the .Augustine. City of God. 4.21.
W.H. Roscher collated the standard modern list of ,W.H. Roscher, Ausführliches Lexikon der griechischen und römischen Mythologie (Leipzig: Teubner, 1890–94), vol. 2, pt. 1, pp. 187–233. though other scholars may differ with him on some points.
Form It is unclear whether the written contained complete prayer formularies, or simply an index of names.Matthias Klinghardt, "Prayer Formularies for Public Recitation: Their Use and Function in Ancient Religion." Numen 46 (1999), p. 44. If formulas of invocation, the were probably precationum carmina, chants or hymns of address.Fowler, Religious Experience, p. 163. Paulus defines them as incantamenta, incantations, and indicia, signs or intimations.Paulus, Festi epitome p. 101 (edition of Lindsay); see p. 84 in the 1832 Teubner edition.
A further point of uncertainty is whether these names represent distinct minor entities, or epithets pertaining to an aspect of a major deity's sphere of influence, that is, an indigitation, or name intended to "fix" or focalize the action of the god so invoked.William Warde Fowler, The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic (London, 1908), p. 89. If the former, the might be described as indexing "significant names which bespoke a specialized divine function," for which the German term Sondergötter is sometimes used;H. Usener, Goetternamen Bonn 1896. for instance, Vagitanus gives the newborn its first cry (vagitus).D.C. Feeney, Literature and Religion at Rome: Cultures, Contexts, and Beliefs (Cambridge University Press, 1988), p. 85. If the record invocational epithets, however, an otherwise obscure deity such as Robigus, the red god of wheat rust, should perhaps be understood as an indigitation of Mars, red god of war and agriculture;Fowler, Roman Festivals, pp. 89–91 (on the Robigalia); Eli Edward Burriss, "The Place of the Dog in Superstition as Revealed in Latin Literature", Classical Philology 30 (1935), pp. 34–35. Maia, "a deity known apparently only to the priests and the learned," would be according to MacrobiusMacrobius, Saturnalia 1.12. an indigitation of the Bona Dea.Fowler, Roman Festivals, p. 99. Roscher, however, does not consider Robigus and Maia to have been part of the .
Roscher's list of Many of the are involved in the cycle of conception, birth, and child development (marked BCh); see List of Roman birth and childhood deities. Several appear in a list of twelve helper gods of Ceres as an agricultural goddessServius, note to Georgics 1.21. or are named elsewhere as having specialized agricultural functions (Ag). Gods not appearing on either of those lists are described briefly here, or are more fully described in their own articles as linked.
Abeona BCh Adeona BCh Adolenda, see Acta Arvalia Aescolanus, god of copper money (aes) and father of Argentinus (below)Augustine of Hippo, De Civitate Dei 4.21, 28: "For likewise they put their case before Aescolanus, the father of Argentinus, because copper (or bronze) money entered into use first, with silver later" (nam ideo patrem Argentini Aescolanum posuerunt, quia prius aerea pecunia in usu esse coepit, post argentea). Afferenda, goddess whose purpose was the offering of dowriesTertullian, Ad nationes 2.11. Agenoria BCh Agonius Aius Locutius Alemona BCh Altor Ag Antevorta BCh Arculus, tutelary god of chests and strongboxes (arcae)Festus, De significatione verborum, entry on arculus, p. 15 in the edition of Lindsay (Arculus putabatur esse deus, qui tutelam gereret arcarum); Roscher, Ausführliches Lexikon, p. 193. Argentinus, god of silver money; see Aescolanus above Ascensus, god of sloping terrain and hillsides, from the verb scando, scandere, scansus, "scale, climb"Tertullian, Ad nationes 2.15; compare Scansus, the god named ab ascensibus, from his relation to slopes. Aventinus Bubona Caeculus Candelifera BCh Cardea Catius pater BCh Cela, perhaps a title of Panda Cinxia BCh Clivicola, "she who inhabits the clivus," a slope or streetTertullian, Ad nationes 2.15. See for instance Clivus Capitolinus. Coinquenda, see Acta Arvalia Collatina, a goddess of hills (Latin collis "hill")Name known only from Augustine, De civitate Dei 4.8. Coluber, marked by Roscher as uncertain Commolenda or Conmolanda, see Acta Arvalia Conditor Ag Convector Ag Cuba BCh Cunina BCh Decima Deferunda, see Acta Arvalia Deverra Domiduca Domiducus Domitius, god who preserves the home (domus) of newlywedsAugustine, De Civitate Dei 6.9. Edusa (also Educa, Edula, Edulia) Fabulinus BCh Farinus BCh Fessona or Fessonia, goddess who relieved weariness.Augustine, De civitate Dei 4.23. Fluvionia or Fluonia BCh Forculus, protector of doors (Latin fores)Augustine, De Civitate Dei 4.8. Fructesea, another name for Seia Ag Hostilina Ag Iana Inporcitor Ag Insitor Ag Intercidona Interduca Iuga BCh Iugatinus BCh Lactans Ag Lacturnus Ag Lateranus Levana Libentina or Lubentina Lima, a goddess of the threshold (limen)Arnobius, Adversus Nationes, 4.9. Limentinus, god of the limen or limesAugustine, De civitate Dei, 4.8; 6.7. Limi or Limones (plural), guardian spirits (curatores)Arnobius 4.9. of Rome's clivi (slopes, streets)Ludwig Preller, Römische Mythologie (Berlin, 1883), vol. 2, p. 221. Locutius BCh Lucina BCh Lucrii (plural) Manturna, a conjugal goddess who causes the couple to remain together (from the verb maneo, manere)Augustine, De Civitate Dei 6.9. Mellona Mena BCh Messia Ag Messor Ag Mola Montinus, a god of mountains;Arnobius 4.9. compare Septimontius Morta Mutunus Tutunus or Tutinus Nemestrinus, god of groves (nemora, singular nemus)Arnobius 4.7. Nenia Noduterensis Ag Nodutus Ag Nona Numeria BCh Nundina BCh Obarator Ag Occator Ag Odoria Orbona BCh Ossipago BCh Panda or Empanda Pantica Parca Partula Patella Ag Patellana Ag Paventina BCh Pellonia Peragenor Perfica Pertunda BCh Peta Picumnus Pilumnus BCh Pollentia Porrima BCh Postverta or Postvortia BCh Potina BCh Potua BCh Praestana Praestitia Prema mater BCh Promitor Ag Prorsa BCh Puta Reparator Ag Rediculus Rumina BCh Rumon? Runcina Ag Rusina Rusor Sarritor or Saritor Ag Sator Ag Segesta Ag Segetia Seia Ag Semonia Sentia BCh Sentinus BCh Septimontius Serra Spiniensis Stata Mater Statanus BCh Statilinus BCh Statina BCh Sterquilinus Stercutus Stimula, identified with Semele Strenia Subigus pater BCh Subruncinator Ag Tutanus Tutilina Ag Unxia Vagitanus BCh Vallonia Venilia Verminus Vervactor Ag Vica Pota Victa Viduus Virginiensis BCh Viriplaca Vitumnus BCh Voleta Volumna BCh Volumnus Volupia Volutina Ag
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