*Ø* Fontinalia of Rome
Fontinalia, garlanding of fountains, Roman Empire
Festival dedicated to Fontus (Fons), the god of wells and springs and son of Juturna and Janus. From this God's name and the Latin word font or fons we derive the names of fountain, the baptismal font and the fonts, or typefaces, that we use most days.
The latter comes from the font, or well, of hot metal (usually an alloy of lead, tin and antimony) from which letters were cast in letterpress printing. The Latin verb fundere, from fons, meaning to pour out, gave the French fondre, to melt or pour out, which led to our typeface word. A cognate is the Sanskrit dhanvati, meaning flows, runs.
Now that you know this, you can be the font of wisdom at your next dinner party, and hope that they serve fondue, a molten meal or dessert, which is from the same root.
The freshwater goddesses, the Camenae, oracular water-nymphs, were honoured today as well. Today saw sacrifices, feasts, games, and the drinking of wine mixed with spring water. Garlands were used to decorate wells and springs today.
This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with many more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date (or your birthday) when you're there.
Fontinalia, garlanding of fountains, Roman Empire
Festival dedicated to Fontus (Fons), the god of wells and springs and son of Juturna and Janus. From this God's name and the Latin word font or fons we derive the names of fountain, the baptismal font and the fonts, or typefaces, that we use most days.
The latter comes from the font, or well, of hot metal (usually an alloy of lead, tin and antimony) from which letters were cast in letterpress printing. The Latin verb fundere, from fons, meaning to pour out, gave the French fondre, to melt or pour out, which led to our typeface word. A cognate is the Sanskrit dhanvati, meaning flows, runs.
Now that you know this, you can be the font of wisdom at your next dinner party, and hope that they serve fondue, a molten meal or dessert, which is from the same root.
The freshwater goddesses, the Camenae, oracular water-nymphs, were honoured today as well. Today saw sacrifices, feasts, games, and the drinking of wine mixed with spring water. Garlands were used to decorate wells and springs today.
This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with many more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date (or your birthday) when you're there.
Pip Wilson posted item above at 9:07 PM | Permalink
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