Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...

, Volturnus was a

god In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

of the

Tiber The Tiber ( ; ; ) is the List of rivers of Italy, third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the R ...

, and may have been the god of all rivers. He had his own minor

flamen A (plural ''flamines'') was a priest of the ancient Roman religion who was assigned to one of fifteen deities with official cults during the Roman Republic. The most important of these were the three (or "major priests"), who served the importa ...

, a high priest, the '' Flamen Volturnalis''. His

festival A festival is an event 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, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

, '' Volturnalia'', was held on August 27.

Culture

Although he was originally an Etruscan god, his worship spread to Rome, and appears to have replaced or coincided with the Roman god Tiber.

History

Although originally popular enough to receive his own ''Flamen'', he vanished into obscurity around the time of the late Roman Republic.

Appearance

Volturnus was a man, who had long blonde hair.

Family

Volturnus had at least two descendants, a daughter named Juturna, a grandchild named Fons. Fons was born of a love affair between Juturna and

Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janus (''Ianu ...

, and was the god of spring water.

Honours

Volturnus Lake in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

is named after the deity.

References

Roman gods Sea and river gods Personifications of rivers {{AncientRome-myth-stub