n. pl.
See 1st
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| Classical Literature Companion: lārēs |
lārēs, in Roman religion, spirits associated with a particular place. Their origins are disputed, but it seems likely that the lares were originally deities of the farmland, invoked (in the words of Tibullus) to ‘give good crops and wine’, and that the household lar familiāris (‘of the servants’) was introduced into houses at a later time by the farm-slaves. The lares familiārēs were sometimes thought of, it has been argued, as the deified spirits of dead ancestors, good and beneficent so long as they were treated with respect. By classical times the lares familiares were guardian spirits who had the special care of the house and household. Every household had its lararium or shrine, often like a cupboard, containing small images of the lares, standing in a corner of the atrium. The lares familiares had their counterpart in the lares praestitēs (‘guardians’) of the state. These had a temple at the head of the Via Sacra; the figure of a dog stood between their images, symbolic of their faithful guardianship. In later times the lares were identified with the Dioscuri. They have no mythology. See also COMPITALIA, GENIUS, and PENATES.
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| Wikipedia: Lares |
| Topics in Roman mythology | |
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| Important Gods: | |
| Jupiter | Minerva |
| Mars | Mercury |
| Quirinus | Vulcan |
| Vesta | Ceres |
| Juno | Venus |
| Fortuna | Lares |
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| Roman Kingdom | |
| Religion in ancient Rome | |
| Flamens | |
| Roman, Greek, and Etruscan mythologies compared | |
| Other minor Roman deities: | |
| Penates | Lemures |
| Genius | Manes |
| Terminus | |
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Practices
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Apollo · Ceres · Diana · Juno |
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Other major deities
Divus Augustus · Divus Julius · Fortuna |
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Lesser deities
Adranus · Averrunci · Averruncus |
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Texts
Sibylline Books · Sibylline oracles |
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Lares (sing. Lar, also called Genii loci or, more archaically, Lases) were ancient Roman deities protecting the house and the family, they were a form of household gods.
Lares were presumed sons of Mercury and Lara, and deeply venerated by ancient Romans through small statues, usually put in higher places of the house, far from the floor, or even on the roof (but some statues were also on some crossings of roads). Of the Lares proper, there are only two, and they had inferior power. Over time, their power was extended over houses, country, sea, cities, etc., as the Lares became conflated with other Roman deities and protective spirits.
The Genius loci was presumed to take part in all that happened inside the house, and a statue was also put on the table during the meals.
In the early Roman times, in every house there was at least one little statue. Later, a sort of confusion connected their figure with those of Manes, deities of Hades (and the most virtuous dead persons of the family). Finally the confusion included the Penates (other minor deities) as well. In Late Antiquity they represented the "illustrious dead" of the city and empire of Rome, and the Emperor Alexander Severus venerated the Lares of such figures as Abraham, Orpheus, and Jesus Christ.[1]
In his book Phases in the Religion of Ancient Rome, historian Cyril Bailey presents some interesting information regarding the Lares. The festival of the Lares was known as the Compitalia, which refers to the crossroads. The crossroads were the traditional setting for the veneration of the Lares. Crossroads have also been associated with witchcraft since ancient times.
Scholar Georges Dumezil, in his book Archaic Roman Religion, mentions that the worship of the Lares included setting little towers with an altar placed before them. Archaeologists Lesley and Roy Adkins note (in their book Dictionary of Roman Religion) that the Lare shrine at the crossroads was “open in all four directions to allow passage for the Lar”.
The ancient writer Ovid, in his work titled Fasti, refers to the Lares as the “night watchmen”.
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Lararia are small domestic altars to the Lares and other household Gods, most visible in the remains of Pompeii. Often in small niches in very public areas within a house, such as looking down corridors and onto peristyle gardens, they represent a very personal and very important part of Roman domestic religion. The House of Menander has one such lararium within room XXV[2] that had very rustic statuary associated with it, revealing the active use of such altars in the mid-first century AD when Pompeii was destroyed.
Other examples of Lararia at Pompeii include the House of the Vettii, the House of the Golden Cupids and the House of the Ephebus
Non-structural forms of Lararia can be seen through decorative art. The example from the House of the Vettii is perhaps the best known of these. Measuring 1.3m x 2.25m, this alternative forms of expression is in a very visible area within a courtyard of the house; perhaps revealing of its purpose in showing status. Even the stonework surrounding this painting is used to help generate a religious experience as it is styled like a classical temple complete with a detailed pediment. Interestingly, this pediment contains a patera; a bowl used during religious activity, and undoubtedly a very recognisable icon.
Types of Lares:
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| Best of the Web: lares |
Some good "lares" pages on the web:
Roman Mythology www.pantheon.org |
| lararium | |
| Shelly Lares (Latin Artist, '90s, 2000s) | |
| lar |
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