Editing Summanus

{{Short description|Roman god of nocturnal thunder}}
{{About|the Roman god|the fictional god|Cthulhu Mythos deities}}
{{Ancient Roman religion}}

'''Summanus''' ({{langx|la|Summānus}}) was the god of nocturnal [[thunder]] in [[Religion in ancient Rome|ancient Roman religion]], as counterposed to [[Jupiter (god)|Jupiter]], the god of diurnal (daylight) thunder.<ref>Paulus ''Festi epitome'' 284L (=229M)</ref> His precise nature was unclear even to [[Ovid]].<ref>"The temple is said to have been dedicated to Summanus, whoever he may be" (''quisquis is est, Summano templa feruntur''): Ovid, ''[[Fasti (Ovid)|Fasti]]'' 6, 731. Translation by [[James G. Frazer]], [[Loeb Classical Library]]. [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] mentie temple at ''Natural History'' 29.57 (= 29.14).</ref>

[[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] thought that he was of [[Etruscan religion|Etruscan origin]], and one of the [[Novensiles#Council on lightning|nine gods of thunder]].<ref>''Natural History'' 2.53 (alternative numbering 52 or 138): "The Tuscan books inform us, that there are nine Gods who discharge thunder-storms, that there are eleven different kinds of them, and that three of them are darted out by Jupiter. Of these the Romans retained only two, ascribing the diurnal kind to Jupiter, and the nocturnal to Summanus; this latter kind being more rare, in consequence of the heavens being colder" ''(Tuscorum litterae novem deos emittere fulmina existimant, eaque esse undecim generum; Iovem enim trina iaculari. Romani duo tantum ex iis servavere, diurna attribuentes Iovi, nocturna Summano, rariora sane eadem de causa frigidioris caeli)''. English translation by [[John Bostock (physician)|John Bostock]], via [[Perseus Digital Library]].</ref> [[Varro]] lists Summanus among gods to whom Sabine king [[Titus Tatius]] dedicated altars ''([[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#ara|arae]])'' in consequence of a [[votum]].<ref>Varro ''Lingua Latina'' V 74.</ref> [[Paulus Diaconus]] considers him a god of lightning.<ref>Entry on ''Dium'' above.</ref>

The name ''Summanus'' is thought to be from ''Summus Manium'' "the greatest of the [[Manes]]",<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Summanus |volume=26 |pages=77–78}}</ref> or ''sub-'', "under" + ''manus'', "hand".

According to [[Martianus Capella]],<ref>[[Martianus Capella]], ''De nuptiis'' 2.164.</ref> Summanus is another name for [[Pluto (mythology)|Pluto]] as the "highest" ''(summus)'' of the [[Manes]]. This identification is taken up by later writers such as [[Camões]] ("If in Summanus' gloomy realm / Severest punishment you now endure ...")<ref>[[Os Lusíadas]], IV, 33, translated as ''The Lusiad'' by Thomas Moore Musgrave (1826).</ref> and [[John Milton|Milton]], in a [[simile]] to describe [[Satan]] visiting [[Rome]]: "Just so Summanus, wrapped in a smoking whirlwind of blue flame, falls upon people and cities".<ref>In the Latin poem "In Quintum Novembris" (lines 23–24): ''Talibus infestat populos Summanus et urbes / cinctus caeruleae fumanti turbine flammae.''</ref>

[[Georges Dumézil]]<ref>''Myth et epopée'' vol. III part 2 chapt. 3; ''Mitra-Varuna: essai sur deux representations indoeuropeennes de la souverainetè '' Paris 1948 2nd; ''La religion romaine archaïque'' Paris 1974; It. tr. Milano 1977 p. 184</ref> has argued that Summanus would represent the uncanny, violent and awe-inspiring  element of the gods of the [[Trifunctional hypothesis|first function]], connected to heavenly sovereignty. The double aspect of heavenly sovereign power would be reflected in the dichotomy [[Varuna]]-[[Mitra]] in [[Historical Vedic religion|Vedic religion]] and in Rome in the dichotomy Summanus-[[Dius Fidius]]. The first gods of these pairs would incarnate the violent, nocturnal, mysterious aspect of sovereignty while the second ones would reflect its reassuring, daylight and legalistic aspect.

==Temple and cult==
The temple of Summanus was dedicated during the [[Pyrrhic War]] c. 278 BCE on June 20.<ref>Ovid ''fasti'' VI 729-731; Fasti Esquil.,  Venus., Amit.: ad XII Kal. Iul.; CIL I 2nd p. 211, 221,243, 320</ref><ref>Pliny ''Nat. Hist.'' XXIX 14; Livy ''Periochae'' XIV. For dedication year, see 
Orlin, Eric M., "Foreign Cults in Republican Rome: Rethinking the Pomerial Rule", ''Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome'', Vol. 47 (2002), p. 5.</ref> It stood at the west of the [[Circus Maximus]], perhaps on the slope of the [[Aventine Hill|Aventine]]. It seems the temple had been dedicated because the statue of the god which stood on the roof of the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus had been struck by a lightning bolt.<ref>S. Ball Platner, T. Ashby ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome'' Baltimore 1928 p. 408, citing Cicero ''de Div.'' I 10; Livy ''Periochae'' XIV; Iordanes I 2, 14-15; 98-100</ref>
Every June 20, the day before the [[summer solstice]], round cakes called ''summanalia'', made of flour, milk, and honey and shaped as wheels,<ref>Festus p.557 L</ref> were offered to him as a token of propitiation: the wheel might be a solar symbol. Summanus also received a sacrifice of two black oxen or wethers. Dark [[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#victima|animals]] were typically offered to [[chthonic]] deities.<ref>[[John Scheid]], "Sacrifices for Gods and Ancestors", in ''A Companion to Roman Religion'' (Blackwell, 2007), p. 264; Raffaele Pettazzoni, "The Wheel in the Ritual Symbolism of Some Indo-European Peoples," in ''Essays on the History of Religions'' (Brill, 1967), p. 107.</ref>
[[File:Comic History of Rome p 145 Discovery of the Head of Summanus.jpg|thumb|"Discovery of the Head of Summanus" ([[John Leech (caricaturist)|John Leech]])]]
[[Augustine of Hippo|Saint Augustine]] records that in earlier times Summanus had been more exalted than Jupiter, but with the construction of a temple that was more magnificent than that of Summanus, Jupiter became more honored.<ref>Augustine, ''City of God'' IV 23</ref>

Cicero recounts that the clay statue of the god which stood on the roof of the [[Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus]] was struck by a lightning bolt: its head was nowhere to be seen. The [[haruspice]]s announced that it had been hurled into the [[Tiber River]], where indeed it was found on the very spot indicated by them.<ref>Cicero ''De Divinatione'' I 10</ref>

The temple of Summanus itself was struck by lightning in 197 BCE.<ref>Livy ''AUC'' XXXII 29, 1</ref>

==Summanus and Mount Summano==

Mount Summano (elevation 1291&nbsp;m), located in the Alps near [[Vicenza]] (Veneto, Italy), is traditionally considered a site of the cults of Pluto, Jupiter Summanus, and the [[Manes]].

The area was one of the last strongholds of ancient Roman religion in Italy, as shown by the fact that Vicenza had no [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Vicenza|bishop]] until 590&nbsp;CE.<ref name=Puttin-1977/>

Archeological excavations have found a sanctuary space that dates to the first Iron Age (9th&nbsp;century&nbsp;BCE) and was continuously active until late antiquity (at least the 4th&nbsp;century&nbsp;CE). The local flora is very peculiar, because it was customary in ancient times for pilgrims to bring offerings of flowers from their own native lands.<ref name=Puttin-1977/>

The mountaintop is frequently struck by lightning. The mountain itself has a deep grotto named Bocca Lorenza, in which, according to local legend, a young shepherdess became lost and disappeared. The story might be an adaptation of the myth of Proserpina, who was abducted by Pluto.<ref name=Puttin-1977>{{cite book |first=Lucio |last=Puttin |title=Monte Summano: Storia, arte, e tradizioni |publisher=Schio |year=1977}}</ref>

==Notes and references==
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{{Roman religion}}

[[Category:Roman gods]]
[[Category:Thunder gods]]
[[Category:Night gods]]
[[Category:Epithets of Śuri]]