Vedovus on one side of the coin; on the second Minerva.
Auttor: Johny SYSEL | Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
Vedovus festival was a festival in honor of Vedovus (other names: Vediovis, Vedius, Veiovis, Vendius). Vedovus was a very old Roman deity associated with death, swamps, volcanic movements and earthquakes. Sometimes compared to king Di Manes. Considered the opposite of Jupiter – his name literally means “non-Jupiter”. A chamois was sacrificed in honor of Vedovus.
In the play, Vedovus was portrayed as a young man carrying arrows and a bow; in the company of a goat. Later Veiovis was identified with Apollo. The Julius family surrounded him with a special cult. The festival was celebrated in his honor: January 1, March 7, May 21.
Sources
- Jaczynowska Maria, Religie świata rzymskiego, Warszawa 1987
- Zieliński Tadeusz, Religia Rzeczypospolitej Rzymskiej
