Biography Penates

Penates (Penates) – the ancient Roman gods of household food or pantry (penus – food). They were honored by the fire and stood close to the cult of Vesta. As Vesta was the personification of the spiritual family beginning insofar P. epitomized the material side of family life. They took care of daily bread for the family, that afforded the family home plenty of food and therefore were closely linked with family and revered as dei Penates (Lara did not have names dei). His concern for the family they shared with gifts: participated in all domestic sorrows, joys, misery, patronized all the family and each member individually, particularly those protected marital tranquility and contentment. As the gods of power, they were considered the beginnings of food before each reception thereof before their images put salt cellars and plates with small doses of foods. Pets, P. (Penates familiares, privati, minores) retains its value until the last pagan times and even moved into the area of Christian religious beliefs. In addition to private GP were more social (Penates publici, maiores), representatives of public welfare, as standing in connection with the cult of Vesta. Each city had its Vesta and their GP, not only latiiyan, but in general all Italians. Similarly, were a whole P. unions: the so-AP Latin Union had sanctuary in the mountains. Lavinia, which converged on the worship of the inhabitants of all the allied cities. Each year, the consuls, praetor, dictators before taking office and the addition of her sacrifice brought here before the images of PP, also came here to offer victims of priests and military chiefs, leaving for the province. According to legend, PA Lavinia – the same ones who were swept away by Aeneas from Troy. P. Temple existed in Rome, the first mention of it applies to 167 BC, the Chr. Colonies lit the fire of their social hearth by the fire in its metropolitan and transferred to a new settlement on the old Penates. P. were purely Roman deities; as indicated by their abstract, symbolic, impersonal. Although the Greeks was the cult of Hestia, corresponding to the cult of Vesta, but Greek mythology is not created deities such as P. In the Greek gods were patrons of the family, city or tribe, but they were heroes or personal gods, who had a face. Number of GP (as lares) at each locus had two and they are depicted as seated boys with spears in their hands. Wed Jer. Muller, "De diis Romanorum Laribus et Penatibus" (1811); Jaekel, "De diis domesticis priscorum Italorum" (Berl., 1830); Klausen, "Aeneas und die Penaten"; Hertzberg, "De diis Romanorum patriis sive de Larum atque Penatium religione ef cultu "(Halle, 1840).