The article presents erotic behaviours by the participants of some sacral ceremonies of ancient Rome. These celebrations belong to the group of sacra publica (sacrum Annae Perennae, Parilia, Floralia, Veneralia, the festival in honour of Juno with the epithet Sororia), as well as of sacra privata (the marriage rites connected to the god Mutunus Tutunus). The basic aim of sacral rites with intensive sexual features was to increase the biological forces cumulated in earth and plants which, through magical references, increase the organic forces in other animated elements of the cosmos, i.e. animals and humans. According to a sacral society, such socially accepted behaviour was voluntary and efficient, it reflected the primary idea of religious celebrations, assisted the activity of divine powers, allowed people to participate in the activities of the numen and co-create the scenario of the festival.
The article presents erotic behaviours by the participants of some sacral ceremonies of ancient Rome. These celebrations belong to the group of sacra publica (sacrum Annae Perennae, Parilia, Floralia, Veneralia, the festival in honour of Juno with the epithet Sororia), as well as of sacra privata (the marriage rites connected to the god Mutunus Tutunus). The basic aim of sacral rites with intensive sexual features was to increase the biological forces cumulated in earth and plants which, through magical references, increase the organic forces in other animated elements of the cosmos, i.e. animals and humans. According to a sacral society, such socially accepted behaviour was voluntary and efficient, it reflected the primary idea of religious celebrations, assisted the activity of divine powers, allowed people to participate in the activities of the numen and co-create the scenario of the festival.
The ceremonies in honour of the dead – Parentalia, Lemuria, Larentalia, Compitalia, mundus patet – corresponded with the spiritual needs of the Romans. The purpose of the religious event recorded in the fasti usually resulted from its placing at a specific moment of the religious year, which was of great significance to the sacral community. A religious intuition in the Romans gave ground to the combination of official ceremonies in the honour of ancestors with important agricultural dates i.e. defined periods for the evaluation of time and space, which, often, accepted the form of apotropaic festivities with magical rituals. Often, the ceremonies of the turn of the year guaranteed human and animal fecundity as well as vegetative fertility.
Die Römer praktizierten Magie in ihrem privaten und öffentlichen Leben. Neben magische Praktiken gegen das Eigentum und das Leben von Menschen, verwendeten die Römer auch allgemein bekannte und verwendete Schutz- und Heilmagie. Manchmal wurden magische Praktiken in offiziellen religiösen Zeremonien zur Sicherheit der bürgerlichen und sakralen Gemeinschaft der Römer angewendet.
EN
The Romans practiced magic in their private and public life. Besides magical practices against the property and lives of people, the Romans also used generally known and used protective and healing magic. Sometimes magical practices were used in official religious ceremonies for the safety of the civil and sacral community of the Romans.
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