This is a reblog of the article entitled THE SPIRITS OF ANCIENT ROME
Posted on July 5, 2022 by neptunesdolphins. It is an interesting overview of what the Roman believed were spirits in their world.
For the Romans, the world was full of spirits. Because they lived in a numinous world, Numina (spirits) could be found in growing crops or in the act of traveling. Moreover, places and things had their native spirit. In addition, the Romans regarded values such as “victory” as being numinous.
The Spirits of the Place were the Genius Loci. The Lares Compitales presided over crossroads, while the Lares Viales guarded the roads. Where the roads met, Roman erected altars to these Lares. Altars found alongside the road were for their offerings requesting safe travels.
In the home, the Lares Familiaris (Spirits of the Family) guarded the family. Meanwhile, everyone had a Genius (Juno for women) who was their guardian spirit. (The Genius of the Paterfamilias (Head of the Household) took the form of a snake in the home.) The Penates watched over the food stores of the home.
The family…
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Apollo's Raven 