In ancient Roman religion, Vica Pota was a goddess whose shrine ''(

aedes ''Aedes'' is a genus of mosquitoes originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but now found on all continents except perhaps Antarctica. Some species have been spread by human activity: '' Aedes albopictus'', a particularly invasive sp ...

)'' was located at the foot of the

Velian Hill The Velia — or Velian Hill or Velian Ridge — is a saddle or spur stretching out from the middle of the north side of the Palatine Hill towards the Oppian Hill (itself a spur of the Esquiline Hill) in Rome. In later times, the Velia was cal ...

, on the site of the '' domus'' of

Publius Valerius Publicola Publius Valerius Poplicola or Publicola (died 503 BC) was one of four Roman aristocrats who led the overthrow of the monarchy, and became a Roman consul, the colleague of Lucius Junius Brutus in 509 BC, traditionally considered the first year of ...

. This location would place the temple on the same side of the Velia as the Forum and perhaps not far from the

Regia The Regia ("Royal house") was a two-part structure in Ancient Rome lying along the Via Sacra at the edge of the Roman Forum that originally served as the residence or one of the main headquarters of kings of Rome and later as the office of the ...

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

explains her name as deriving from ''vincendi atque potiundi'', "conquering and gaining mastery." Winged victory by Stefano Bolognini

In the '' Apocolocyntosis'', Vica Pota is the mother of Diespiter; although usually identified with

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandth t ...

, Diespiter is here treated as a separate deity, and in the view of

Arthur Bernard Cook Arthur Bernard Cook (22 October 1868 in Hampstead – 26 April 1952 in Cambridge) was a British archeologist and classical scholar, best known for his three-part work, ''Zeus: A Study in Ancient Religion''. Early life and education Arthur Bern ...

should perhaps be regarded as the chthonic Dispater. The

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

of Vica Pota was January 5. Asconius identifies her with

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, but she is probably an earlier Roman or Italic form of victory goddess that predated Victoria and the influence of Greek

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

; Vica Pota was thus the older equivalent of Victoria but probably not a personification of victory as such. In a conjecture not widely accepted,

Ludwig Preller Ludwig Preller (15 September 1809 – 21 June 1861) was a German philologist and antiquarian. Biography Born in Hamburg, he studied at Leipzig, Berlin and Göttingen, in 1838 he was appointed to the professorship of philology at the University ...

thought that Vica Pota might be identified with the Etruscan divine figure Lasa Vecu.Preller, ''Römische Mythologie'' vol. 2, p. 245, as cited by Charles Hoeing, "Vica Pota," ''American Journal of Philology'' 24 (1903), p. 32
online.
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References

{{Roman religion Roman goddesses Victory

See also

References