Semo Sancus
Roman · deity · regal · deity
Sancus is what makes a promise hold. His name belongs with sancire, to make binding, and his other name, Dius Fidius, puts the sky-god element beside fides, sworn faith — so that the god is the oath itself, guaranteed under the open sky. Romans swore by him constantly: medius fidius, so help me Dius Fidius. The cult was reckoned one of the oldest in the city and his temple stood on the Quirinal, in the same Sabine stratum as Quirinus. The Umbrian Fisus Sancius of the Iguvine Tablets, already in this registry, carries the same Sancius element and is linked here without being merged.
Domains
- oaths
Powers
- to make an oath binding, so that the swearer is held by it
Epithets
- Dius Fidius
Relations
- counterpart of: Fisus Sancius
Sources
- Reference treatment of Sancus / Semo Sancus Dius Fidius, his spheres, the antiquity of the cult and the Quirinal temple.