Flamen

A Flemish (plural: flamines ) was in the ancient Roman religion of the individual and sacrificial priests of a particular deity. The task of flamines was the honoring of God assigned to them or the associated goddess by formal acts of worship such as the implementation of libations. Compared to the process performed by magistrates and soothsayers survey and atonement rituals had the rites of flamines little political weight.

Etymology

Flamen The origin of the name is unclear. Varro led forth the word of the wool yarn or woolen band that is part of the Apex, the ritual headdress of the priests, was so out of filum ( "thread" ) to filamentous / flamen.

Georges Dumézil put the word in relation to Brahman, the name of the Indian priests. Other derivations are from the Indo-European * flad ( s ) men and from gothic blotan ( " worship ").

Flamens maiores and minores

The three major flamens ( flamines maiores ) were since early Roman times for the cult of the gods Jupiter ( Flamen Dialis ), Mars ( Flemish Martialis ) and Quirinus ( Flemish Quirinalis ) have been responsible. One of them joined the Flemings for compiled as Divus Iulius to God Gaius Julius Caesar ( Flamen Divi Julii ) at the beginning of the Principate.

There were twelve flamines minores for other gods, who are not all known:

• Flemings Furrinalis ( priest of Furrina )
• Flemings Carmentalis ( priest of Carmenta )
• Flemings Volcanalis (priest of Vulcan )
• Flemings Cerealis (priest of Ceres )
• Flemings Portunalis ( priest of Portunus )
• Flemings Volturnalis ( priest of Volturnus )
• Flemings Palatualis ( priest of Palatua )
• Flemings Floralis ( priest of Flora)
• Flemings Falacer (probably related to the Sabine place Falacrinae )
• Flemings Pomonalis ( priest of Pomona )
• Flemings a non- traditional deity ( perhaps Lucularis )
• Flemings a non- traditional deity ( perhaps Virbialis ).

All flamines belonged to the college of pontiffs and were supervised by this. However, in relation to their respective deity they were different than the haruspices, augures and IIviri sacri faciundis assigned as the respective god or temple priests individual, and thus not collegial, organized. The appointment to the priesthood was for life; the flamen Dialis but had to withdraw at the death of his wife. The flamines maiores had to come from the patricians, the plebeians were flamines minores or in the imperial period Equites. For all flamines maiores was the requirement that they had to be children of parents who had been married to the rite of confarreatio. The designated flamines maiores even had to be married by this ancient rite. The wife of a flamen was called Flaminica.

Unlike, for example, in the Indian caste society, it was in the Roman priests not to have completed by the rest of society of persons. Priest - whether flamen or pontifex - could the mass of Roman citizens. However, de facto had the candidates have sufficient political weight - ie the influential senatorial families belong or are close to - in order to obtain a corresponding items. The flamines here were appointed by the Pontifex maximus, whereas the remaining priesthoods co-opted to fill their full strength if necessary.

The apotheosis of Divus Augustus under Emperor Tiberius was also used for the deified members of the imperial family ( divi ) used after her death each one Flemish, the flamines divorum. The original flamen Divi Julii, the priest of the deified Julius Caesar, the flamines maiores was beyond and was the flamen Dialis comparable due to the privileges of the priesthood, but it had far-reaching political freedoms. Furthermore, there was flamens also in the College of Arvalbrüder and in some cities of the empire.

The life of flamens subject to strict ritualistic regulations, which were particularly restrictive, especially for the Flemish Dialis. For example, he had the open air always the ritual headdress consisting of galerus and Apex carry, the other flamens had the only ritual acts.