Editing Caeculus (section)

{{Short description|Mythical character}}
{{distinguish|Caelus}}
In [[Roman mythology]], '''Caeculus''' (meaning "little blind boy", from ''caecus'' "blind")<ref>Paschalis, [https://books.google.com/books?id=o5-3qxjL6lgC&dq=Caeculus&pg=PA267 p. 267]</ref><ref name=Grimal>Grimal, [https://books.google.com/books?id=iOx6de8LUNAC&q=Caeculus p. 83]</ref><ref>De Vaan, Michiel (2008). ''Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages''. Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series Volume 7. Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2008. p. 79.</ref> was a son of [[Vulcan (god)|Vulcan]], and the legendary founder of [[Praeneste]] (modern [[Palestrina]]).<ref>Smith, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DC%3Aentry+group%3D2%3Aentry%3Dcaeculus-bio-1 "Cae'culus"].</ref>

King Caeculus appears in Book VII of [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Aeneid]]'' as an ally of [[Turnus]] against [[Aeneas]] and the [[Troy|Trojans]],<ref>Virgil, ''Aeneid'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0055%3Abook%3D7%3Acard%3D678 7.678 ff.]</ref> where he is said to be the "founder of Praeneste" and described as "the son of Vulcan, born among the rural herds and found upon the hearth".<ref>Mandelbaum, p. 183, lines 894&ndash;897.</ref>

The myth concerning the birth of Caeculus and his divine parentage<ref>[[Maurus Servius Honoratus|Servius]], ''Commentary on the Aeneid of Vergil'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Serv.+A.+7.678&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0053 7, 678]; Schol. Veron. ''Aen.'' 7,681; Solin. 2, 9</ref> is of great interest for the study of Latin religion. In the myth he is the nephew of two [[divine twin]] brothers (''divi fratres'') called the [[Depidii]] (or [[Digidii]]). They had a younger sister. One day while she was sitting by the hearth, a spark landed on her and she was impregnated. When the child was born, she exposed him near the temple of [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]], where he was found, lying next to a fire, by a group of girls (one version says that these girls were also sisters of the Depidii), who had come to fetch water from a nearby spring. The girls took the child to his uncles, the Depidii, who reared him. 
After spending his childhood among shepherds, he gathered a band of youngsters of his age, and founded the city of Praeneste. 
Caeculus was unharmed by a fire, caused by his casting doubt on the divinity of his ancestry. He also showed mastery over fire by starting and extinguishing another at his will. The smoke though damaged his eyes, which remained smaller than normal, hence his name, Caeculus, ''little blind one''.

His story is reminiscent of the practise of [[ver sacrum]] and similar to that of [[Romulus and Remus]] the founders of [[Rome]].<ref>G. Dumezil ''La religion romaine archaique'' Paris, 1974, part I, chap.5</ref>
Caeculus was claimed as the eponymous ancestor of the Roman ''[[gens]]'' [[Caecilia gens|Caecilia]],<ref name=Grimal/><ref>Smith, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0104:entry=caecilia-gens-bio-1&highlight=caeculus "Caeci'lia Gens"].</ref> and also perhaps by the lesser known ''gens'' [[Caesia gens|Caesia]].<ref>Farney, [https://books.google.com/books?id=jdFF_Pc7GPMC&dq=Caeculus&pg=PA63 p. 63]</ref>