A Guide to Italian Polytheism šæ šŗ ź¾
Italic or Italian Paganism / Polytheism is the term to indicate the worship of the different native Gods of the Italian Peninsula or a specific Italic pantheon and all its religious practices.
The beliefs and Gods come for the most part from Etruscans and Latins, but on a minor scale Veneti, Sabines, Samnites, Oscans Umbrians, Ligures etc. too.
Italian Polytheism usually refers to pre-Empire and pre-syncretism native beliefs but most of the traditions and Gods of the Roman Religion (before the syncretism) are directly based on Etruscans and Italic populations (like the Latins, whom the Romans come from)
quick note:
if you are transphobic, homophobic, misogynistic or racist this religion is NOT for you and itās beliefs donāt align with any of those hateful ideologies
šĖ ࣪⹠Key concepts:
Numen (plural - Numina): in Latin means "divine will" or "divine power." In ancient times, the term was used to refer to the presence of a divine force in a place, a person, or an object. It is not a specific god or goddess but rather the sacred presence or influence that makes something holy or divine.
Hinthial: Etruscan term that refers to the spirit or shade of the dead, representing the soul that persists after death in funerary and underworld contexts.
šĖ ࣪⹠Spirits:
In Italic beliefs, particularly in Roman and Etruscan traditions, the Genius (Latin name) or Farthan (Etruscan name) represents a personal divine spirit associated with an individual that is created with the birth of the person and stays with them till death, it is often seen as a guardian, protector, or embodiment of one's vital force or destiny, kinda like a more ancient version of the guardian angel. It was often depicted as a youthful male figure, usually winged, sometimes holding symbols of life, power, or fertility- such as a patera (libation bowl), cornucopia, or serpent.
Vanth: Winged female spirit of the underworld, guides souls of the dead. Often shown with torches, keys, or scrolls.
Charu: Male underworld spirit (very different from the Greek Charon) he is depicted as a fearsome, monstrous figure with blue or black skin, pointed ears, fangs or tusks, sometimes horns, and often wings. He carries a large hammer or mallet and has a menacing, grotesque face that embodies the terrifying aspect of death. He is the Guardian or enforcer in the realm of the dead.
Lasa (plural: Lasae):
Female guardian spirits, associated with fate, beauty, and protection. Often winged, accompanying other deities or mortals.
Thuluter:
The divine gatekeepers, represented side by side, one facing the other with their backs turned, standing guard at the boundary between heaven and earth.
Lares: Household protective spirits (Lares Familiares). Also Lares Compitales (crossroads), Lares Praestites (state protectors). Often honored in domestic shrines (lararium)
Penates: Spirits of the pantry or food storage, ensuring domestic well-being. Worshiped with the Lares, especially during meals and family rituals.
Manes: General term for the spirits of the dead (ancestral spirits). Honored during Parentalia and Feralia festivals.
Lemures: Restless or malevolent spirits of the dead. Feared and exorcised during the Lemuria festival in May.
Larvae: Sometimes considered interchangeable with Lemures, but more malicious. Ghosts or shades that disturbed the living.
Camenae: Water and prophecy spirits, sometimes guardians of sacred springs or inspiration. Some mythological figures associated with the Camenae include:
Carmenta, Egeria, Antevorta, Postverta
Lymphae / Diumpas: spirits connected to water in ancient Italic mythology associated with springs, rivers, and healing waters.
šĖ ࣪⹠Key Figures:
Tages: He is considered the sacred prophet of the Italic people.
The myth tells of a divine child prophet who emerged from the earth when an Etruscan farmer was plowing his field. As the farmer turned the soil, he uncovered a child-like figure, and despite his youthful appearance, Tages possessed great wisdom and divine knowledge, as he taught them the sacred practices of augury and haruspicy, the art of interpreting omens through the examination of animal entrails.
Tages not only shared these divinatory techniques but also imparted the knowledge of sacred rituals, guiding the Etruscans in understanding the will of the gods through signs in nature and ritual sacrifice. The Etruscans later shared this knowledge with the neighboring Italic populations creating the basis of the religious beliefs of the Peninsula.
Lasa Vecuvia: Vegoia, in Latin, Lasa Vecuvia, in Etruscan, is a sibyl, prophet, or nymph within the Italic religious framework who is identified as the author of parts of their large and complex set of sacred books, detailing the religiously correct methods of founding cities and shrines, draining fields, formulating laws and ordinances, measuring space and dividing time; she initiated the Etruscan people to the arts, as originating the rules and rituals of land marking, and as presiding over the observance, respect, and preservation of boundaries. This teachings just like Tages' ended up influencing all the neighboring Italic populations
Italic deities I worship:
I. CulÅanÅ (Latin name: Janus)
2. Menrva (Latin name: Minerva)
3. Usil
4. Thesan
5. Uni (Latin name: Juno)
6. Salacia
7. Tinia (Latin: Jove)
8. Angitia
9. Voltumna / Veltha (Latin:
Vertumnus)
10. Calu / Manth
11. Åuri (Latin: Soranus)
12. Cupra / Ikiperu
13. Flora
14. Thufthla (Latin: Fortuna)
15. Nethuns (Latin: Neptune)
16. Diana
17. Cel (Latin: Tellus)
18. Catha
19. Turan (Latin: Venus)
20. Bellona
21. Pomona
22. Turms (Latin: Mercurius)
23. Laran
24. Venilia
25. Saturn
26. Ops / Opis
27. Feronia
28. Selvans
29. Flufuns (Latin: Liber)
30. Ceres
31. Vesta
32. Turnu (Latin: Cupid)
šĖ ࣪⹠Festivals
1. Agonalia
⢠When: January 9th.
⢠This festival honored CulÅanÅ/Janus, god of beginnings, transitions, and time
2. Carmentalia
⢠When: January 11 and 15
⢠Celebration: Honored Carmenta, goddess of childbirth and prophecy, with rites for mothers and newborns.
3. Compitalia
⢠When: Early January (date varied)
⢠Celebration: Dedicated to the Lares (household gods), with offerings at neighborhood shrines for protection of homes and communities.
4. Sementivae (or Paganalia)
⢠When: January (specific date varied)
⢠Celebration: Agricultural festival to honor Tellus (earth goddess) and Ceres for crop fertility and protection.
5. Lupercalia
⢠When: February 15
⢠Celebration: Fertility and purification festival, involving ritual sacrifices and a ceremonial race to promote fertility.
6. Parentalia
⢠When: February 13-21
⢠Celebration: Honored deceased ancestors, with families visiting tombs and making offerings.
7. Feralia
⢠When: February 21
⢠Celebration: Concluded Parentalia with offerings to appease the spirits of the dead.
8. Terminalia
⢠When: February 23
⢠Celebration: Honored Terminus, god of boundaries, with rites at boundary stones for property protection.
9. Matronalia
⢠When: March 1
⢠Celebration: Celebrated Uni/Juno, with prayers and gifts to honor married women and bless families.
10. Liberalia
⢠When: March 17
⢠Celebration: Celebrated Liber and Libera, deities of freedom and fertility, and marked coming-of-age for young men.
11. Quinquatria
⢠When: March 19-23
⢠Celebration: Festival for Minerva, goddess of wisdom and crafts, with games and arts performances.
12. Veneralia
⢠When: April 1
⢠Celebration: Honored Venus/Turan, goddess of love, with rituals for beauty, harmony, and love.
13. Cerealia
⢠When: April 12-19
⢠Celebration: Festival for Ceres, goddess of agriculture, with games and offerings for harvest success.
14. Fordicidia
⢠When: April 15
⢠Celebration: Rituals for Tellus, including sacrifices for agricultural fertility.
15. Parilia
⢠When: April 21
⢠Celebration: Festival for Pales, goddess of shepherds, to purify livestock and promote fertility.
16. Vinalia Priora
⢠When: April 23
⢠Celebration: Wine festival for Jupiter and Venus, marking the blessing of vineyards.
17. Robigalia
⢠When: April 25
⢠Celebration: Offerings to Robigus, to protect crops from rust and mildew.
18. Floralia
⢠When: April 27 - May 3
⢠Celebration: Honored Flora, goddess of flowers and spring, with games and performances celebrating fertility.
19. Lemuria
⢠When: May 9, 11, and 13
⢠Celebration: Rites to ward off malevolent spirits from homes, offering beans to restless souls.
20. Vestalia
⢠When: June 7-15
⢠Celebration: Festival for Vesta, goddess of the hearth, with rituals for family and domestic blessings.
21. Matralia
⢠When: June 11
⢠Celebration: Honored Mater Matuta / Thesan, goddess of dawn and childbirth, with rites for the protection of children.
22. Neptunalia
⢠When: July 23
⢠Celebration: Festival for Neptune and Salacia, gods of waters, with picnics and outdoor celebrations to honor water and avoid drought.
23. Nemoralia (Festival of Torches)
⢠When: August 13
⢠Celebration: Dedicated to Diana, goddess of the hunt, with candlelit processions around Lake Nemi and rituals for protection, especially for women.
24. Consualia
⢠When: August 21 and December 15
⢠Celebration: Honored Consus, god of grain storage, with chariot races and rites for agricultural success.
25. Vulcanalia
⢠When: August 23
⢠Celebration: Honored Vulcan, god of fire, with sacrifices to prevent destructive fires during the dry season.
26. Meditrinalia
⢠When: October 11
⢠Celebration: Celebrated the tasting of new wine with offerings to Jove/Tinia for health and prosperity.
27. Fontinalia
⢠When: October 13
⢠Celebration: Honored Fontus, god of springs, with decorations and offerings at wells and fountains.
28. Saturnalia
⢠When: December 17-23
⢠Celebration: One of Romeās most famous festivals, honoring Saturn with feasting, role reversals, and gift-giving as a celebration of agricultural bounty.
29. Opalia
⢠When: December 19
⢠Celebration: Honored Ops, goddess of abundance, with rites to celebrate earthās gifts and agricultural plenty.
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