The Genius of Palermo (in Italian ''Genio di Palermo'', also called ''Genio'' or ''Palermo'') is one of the city symbols and the lay patron of

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

. He was the ancient

numen Numen (plural numina) is a Latin term for "divinity", "divine presence", or "divine will." The Latin authors defined it as follows:For a more extensive account, refer to Cicero writes of a "divine mind" (''divina mens''), a god "whose numen ever ...

and

genius loci In classical Roman religion, a ''genius loci'' (plural ''genii locorum'') was the protective spirit of a place. It was often depicted in religious iconography as a figure holding attributes such as a cornucopia, patera (libation bowl) or snake. ...

of the Sicilian city. The Genius is the emblem of Palermo, the personification of the city, and symbol of its inhabitants. Its origins are probably pre-Roman, but there is no accepted

archetype The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ot ...

of this legendary and mysterious patron deity. According to the myths passed down from Ovid in the first century it symbolizes the genius loci, or the metamorphosis of an animal spirit into a masculine figure. The snake symbolizes

Scipio Africanus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (, , ; 236/235–183 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, most notable as one of the main architects of Rome's victory against Carthage in the Second Punic War. Often regarded as one of the best military com ...

, who was helped by Palermo in the war against the

Carthaginians The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of the ...

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...

. In gratitude, Scipio is said to have gifted the city with a golden basin, with a central statue of a warrior with a serpent feeding on his chest. The symbol of the serpent may have more than one meaning: it is linked to land and water, fertility, rebirth and renewal. The snake is also a symbol of prudence, antagonist of the sun, and bearer of knowledge related to physical force. In addition to the serpent, the symbology of the Genius also include a crown, a scepter and a dog. In 1400 the leaders of

adopted the image of the Genius as part of the city seal. The Genius of Fieravecchia, also called the ''Genius of Revolution Square'', took on a new role during the riots of 1848, becoming the symbol of the desire for freedom and emancipation of Palermo from Bourbon rule: in that time the people in revolt gathered around the statue, and draped it in the flag in protest. Personifying the ideals of the city, the Genius took on a role as a lay patron, complementary to that of Santa Rosalia. «''Panormus conca aurea suos devorat alienos nutrit''» (''Palermo the golden dell, devours hers and feeds the foreigners''.

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

inscription on the edge of the basin of the Genius statue at City Hall of Palermo.)

References

Bibliography *Vincenzo Di Giovanni, ''Palermo restaurato'' (17th century), pp 544, Palermo, Sellerio, reprint 1989 *Vincenzo Auria. ''Istoria cronologica dei viceré di Sicilia dal 1409 sino al 1697''. Palermo, 1697.Vincenzo Auria
, file card of the Archive of the town of Palermo. Retrieved 3 September 2010. *Anonymous, manuscript to the public library of Palermo, 1703. *Francesco Gaetani di Villabianca. ''Notizie storiche intorno agli antichi uffizii del regno di Sicilia''. Palermo, 1776. *Luigi Genuardi (1882-1935). ''Storia municipale di Palermo''. *

Georges Dumézil Georges Edmond Raoul Dumézil (4 March 189811 October 1986) was a French philologist, linguist, and religious studies scholar who specialized in comparative linguistics and mythology. He was a professor at Istanbul University, École pratique d ...

. ''La religione romana arcaica''. Milan,

Rizzoli Rizzoli is an Italian surname. People *Achilles Rizzoli (1896–1981), an American artist *Angelo Rizzoli (1889–1970), an Italian publisher ** RCS MediaGroup, formerly "A. Rizzoli & C." and "Rizzoli Editore", a publishing company founded by Angel ...

, 1977. *Giuseppe Pitrè. ''Almanoacco popolare palermitano''. Palermo, Ristampe Siciliane, 1985. * Giuseppe Bellafiore. ''Palermo. Guida della città e dintorni''. Palermo, 1980/1986. *Citti Siracusano, ''La pittura del Settecento in Sicilia''. Rome, De Luca, 1986. *Vincenzo Di Giovanni. ''Palermo restaurato''. Palermo, Sellerio, 1989. *Alessandro Dell’Aira, ''Van Dyck a Palermo''. Palermo, Kalós, 1999. *Giulia Sommariva. ''Palazzi nobiliari di Palermo''. Palermo, Flaccovio, 2004. *Salvatore Requirez. ''Le ville di Palermo''. Palermo, Flaccovio, 2009. Notes {{Reflist Civic personifications Liberty symbols History of Palermo Tutelary deities Snakes in art

See also

References