Fontus

A Roman divinity, and believed to be a son of Janus. He had an altar on the Janiculus, which derived its name from his father, and on which Numa was believed to be buried. He was a brother of Volturnus.

The name of this divinity is connected with fons, a well; and he was the personification of the flowing waters. On the 13th of October the Romans celebrated the festival of the wells, called Fontinalia, at which the wells were adorned with garlands, and flowers thrown into them.

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References

Sources

  • Arnobius, iii, 29.
  • Cicero. De Legibus ii, 22.
  • Festus, s.v. Fontinalia.
  • Smith, William. (1870). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London: Taylor, Walton, and Maberly.
  • Varro. On the Latin Language vi, 22.

This article incorporates text from Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) by William Smith, which is in the public domain.