Iron fulmina (Latin plural: "lightning-bolts") were crossed
lightning
Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...
bolt insignia of some units of the
Roman army
The Roman army () served ancient Rome and the Roman people, enduring through the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC), the Roman Republic (509–27 BC), and the Roman Empire (27 BC–AD 1453), including the Western Roman Empire (collapsed Fall of the W ...
. Shields of the
Legio XII Fulminata
Legio XII Fulminata ("Thunderbolt Twelfth Legion"), also known as ''Paterna'', ''Victrix'', ''Antiqua'', ''Certa Constans'', and ''Galliena'', was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was originally levied by Julius Caesar in 58 BC, and the le ...
showed the spread fires of trident-shaped lightning bolts (Latin: trifida fulgures).
[Graham Summer, Raffaele D'Amato Arms and Armour of the Imperial Roman Soldier - 2009 1473811899- Page 120 The milites of the Legio XII Fulminata were probably identified, at least at the beginning, by the lightning bolts chiselled ... rifidalightning bolts] The bolts were a reference to Jupiter, most senior of the Roman deities, hurling lightning bolts.
May also refer to Marziale's most used figure of speech, where the meaning of a poem is flipped in the last few sentences. (Fulmen in clausula)
References
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Insignia