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Februus is an ancient Italic god of purifications, who was worshipped by both the Romans and Etruscans. He was also worshipped as the god of the
underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwo ...
by the
Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, roug ...
. For them, Februus was also the god of riches (money and gold) and death, both connected loosely to the underworld in the same natural manner as with the better-known Roman god
Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...
. Februus' name could mean "the underground ne in the
Etruscan language Etruscan () was the language of the Etruscan civilization, in Italy, in the ancient region of Etruria (modern Tuscany, western Umbria, northern Latium, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Lombardy and Campania). Etruscan influenced Latin but was eventua ...
.
Johannes Lydus John the Lydian or John Lydus ( el, ; la, Ioannes Laurentius Lydus) (ca. AD 490 – ca. 565) was a Byzantine administrator and writer on antiquarian subjects. Life and career He was born in 490 AD at Philadelphia in Lydia, whence his cognomen ...
, de Mensibus, 25
Februus may have become the Roman
Febris Febris (), or Dea Febris (), is the Roman goddess of fevers, who embodied, but also protected people from fever and malaria. Because of this, Febris was a feared goddess whom people wanted the favour of. She does not have a myth of her own. Among ...
, goddess of fever (''febris'' in Latin means fever). These are possibly connected with the sweating of fevers, which was considered a purgative, washing, and purification process. Februus is possibly named in honor of the more ancient Februa, also Februalia, festival of washing and purification. Februus' holy month was ''
Februarius ''Februarius'', fully ''Mensis Februarius'' ("month of Februa"), was the shortest month of the Roman calendar from which the Julian and Gregorian month of February derived. It was eventually placed second in order, preceded by '' Ianuarius'' ...
'' (of Februa), hence the English ′′February′′, a month named for the Februa/Februalia purification festival which occurred on the 15th of that month. These purification activities occurred at about the same time as
Lupercalia Lupercalia was a pastoral festival of Ancient Rome observed annually on February 15 to purify the city, promoting health and fertility. Lupercalia was also known as ''dies Februatus'', after the purification instruments called ''februa'', the ...
, a Roman festival in honor of
Faunus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Faunus was the rustic god of the forest, plains and fields; when he made cattle fertile he was called Inuus. He came to be equated in literature with the Greek god Pan, after which Romans depicted him as a ...
and also the wolf who nursed
Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus (, ) are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf sucklin ...
, during which expiatory sacrifices and ritual purifications were also performed. Because of this coincidence, the two gods Faunus and Februus were often considered the same entity.


See also

*
Deities and personifications of seasons There are a number of deities associated with seasons and personifications of seasons in various mythologies, traditions, and fiction. Winter *Kheimon, from Greek kheima, a hora of winter, early ancient Greece *Hiems, the Roman personification ...
* List of death deities


References


External links

Death gods Etruscan gods Lupercalia Abundance gods February {{deity-stub