Turnus (1), Italian hero
Stephen J. Harrison
Turnus (1), Italian hero, in *Virgil son of Daunus and the *nymph Venilia and brother of the nymph Juturna; the Greek tradition calls him ‘Tyrrhenus’, suggesting an *Etruscan link (Dion. ...
More
Ve(d)iovis
Nicholas Purcell
Ve(d)iovis, Roman god, a form of *Jupiter, with a festival on 21 May, and temples on the *Tiber island and between the two summits of the Capitoline hill (see capitol). Important remains of the ...
More
ver sacrum
J. Linderski
Ver sacrum, ‘the sacred spring’, a ritual practised in Italy, particularly by the Sabellic (*Oscan) tribes; see sabelli. In times of distress all produce of the spring (or the whole year) ...
More
Vesta, Vestals
Richard Gordon
Vesta was the Roman goddess of (the hearth-) fire, custos flammae (Ov. Fast. 6. 258, comm. F. Bömer), one of the twelve Di *Consentes. The cult is also known from *Pompeii and *Latium: it was ...
More
vicomagistri
Nicholas Purcell
Vicomagistri, officials of a *vicus, which was a miniature body politic, and was entitled to possess property, administer common funds, and appoint officials. These magistri or vicomagistri, who were ...
More
victimarius
Herbert Jennings Rose and John North
Sacrificial slaughterer; see sacrifice, roman. The magistrate in charge of a sacrifice did not perform the act of killing himself; he performed symbolic acts and pronounced the prayers, ...
More