In
ancient Roman religion, Fornax was the divine personification of the
oven ''(fornāx)'', the patroness of bakers, and a goddess of
baking. She ensured that the heat of ovens did not get hot enough to burn the corn or bread.
People would pray to Fornax for help whilst baking. Her
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 ...
, the
Fornacalia, was celebrated on February 17 among the thirty ''
curia
Curia (Latin plural curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally likely had wider powers, they came ...
e'', the most ancient divisions of the city made by
Romulus from the original three tribes of Rome. The Fornacalia was the second of two festivals involving the ''curiae'', the other being the
Fordicidia
In ancient Roman religion, the Fordicidia was a festival of fertility, held on the Ides of April (April 15), that pertained to farming and animal husbandry. It involved the sacrifice of a pregnant cow to Tellus, the ancient Roman goddess of the E ...
on April 19. The goddess was probably conceived of to explain the festival, which was instituted for toasting the
spelt (Latin ''far'') used to bake sacrificial cakes.
[Smith, ''The Roman Clan'', p. 206.] Her role was eventually merged with the goddess
Vesta.
Ancient sources
*
Ovid
Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...
, ''
Fasti
In ancient Rome, the ''fasti'' (Latin plural) were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events. After Rome's decline, the word ''fasti'' continued to be used for simil ...
'' II. 525 ff
*
Festus
Festus may refer to:
People Ancient world
*Porcius Festus, Roman governor of Judea from approximately 58 to 62 AD
*Sextus Pompeius Festus (later 2nd century), Roman grammarian
*Festus (died 305), martyr along with Proculus of Pozzuoli
*Festus (h ...
, ''De significatu verborum'', under ''Fornacalia'', p. 82 in the edition of Lindsay
*
Plutarch
Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for hi ...
, ''Roman Questions'' 89
See also
*
Grain supply to the city of Rome
Cura Annonae ("care of Annona") was the term used in ancient Rome, in honour of their goddess Annona, to describe the import and distribution of grain to the residents of the cities of Rome and, after its foundation, Constantinople. The city of ...
* ''
Mola salsa
In ancient Roman religion, ''mola salsa'' ("salted flour") was a mixture of coarse-ground, toasted emmer flour and salt prepared by the Vestal Virgins and used in every official sacrifice. It was sprinkled on the forehead and between the horns of ...
''
*
Vestalia
References
External links
Myth Index - Fornax
Roman goddesses
{{AncientRome-myth-stub