Consus was the god who looked after the grain stored in the granaries. The husband of the goddess Ops. Its symbol was an ear of grain.
He was worshipped with Ops on August 25 and December 19 (Opiconsualia), during harvest and planting; and his own celebration was Consualia on August 21 and December 15. In the basement of Circus Maximus there was a Consus Altar (ara), only available during Consualia.
Flamen Quirinalis and the Vestals took part in the rituals dedicated to Consus.
Over time, Consus was assigned new functions. As a patron of horses, he was identified with “Neptune Equestrian” (Neptunus Equestris). During the festival dedicated to god, mule and horse races were held, decorated with flowers and “off work”. In the time of Augustus, Consus became a god of good advice.
- Kempiński Andrzej, Encyklopedia mitologii ludów indoeuropejskich, Warszawa 2001
- Schmidt Joël, Słownik mitologii greckiej i rzymskiej, Katowice 1996
