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Summanus (Latin:Summānus) was the god of nocturnalthunder inancient Roman religion, as counterposed toJupiter, the god of diurnal (daylight) thunder.[1] His precise nature was unclear even toOvid.[2]
Pliny thought that he was ofEtruscan origin, and one of thenine gods of thunder.[3]Varro lists Summanus among gods to whom Sabine kingTitus Tatius dedicated altars(arae) in consequence of avotum.[4]Paulus Diaconus considers him a god of lightning.[5]
The nameSummanus is thought to be fromSummus Manium "the greatest of theManes",[6] orsub-, "under" +manus, "hand".
According toMartianus Capella,[7] Summanus is another name forPluto as the "highest"(summus) of theManes. This identification is taken up by later writers such asCamões ("If in Summanus' gloomy realm / Severest punishment you now endure ...")[8] andMilton, in asimile to describeSatan visitingRome: "Just so Summanus, wrapped in a smoking whirlwind of blue flame, falls upon people and cities".[9]
Georges Dumézil[10] has argued that Summanus would represent the uncanny, violent and awe-inspiring element of the gods of thefirst function, connected to heavenly sovereignty. The double aspect of heavenly sovereign power would be reflected in the dichotomyVaruna-Mitra inVedic 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.
The temple of Summanus was dedicated during thePyrrhic War c. 278 BCE on June 20.[11][12] It stood at the west of theCircus Maximus, perhaps on the slope of theAventine. 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.[13]Every June 20, the day before thesummer solstice, round cakes calledsummanalia, made of flour, milk, and honey and shaped as wheels,[14] 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. Darkanimals were typically offered tochthonic deities.[15]
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.[16]
Cicero recounts that the clay statue of the god which stood on the roof of theTemple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus was struck by a lightning bolt: its head was nowhere to be seen. Theharuspices announced that it had been hurled into theTiber River, where indeed it was found on the very spot indicated by them.[17]
The temple of Summanus itself was struck by lightning in 197 BCE.[18]
Mount Summano (elevation 1291 m), located in the Alps nearVicenza (Veneto, Italy), is traditionally considered a site of the cults of Pluto, Jupiter Summanus, and theManes.
The area was one of the last strongholds of ancient Roman religion in Italy, as shown by the fact that Vicenza had nobishop until 590 CE.[19]
Archeological excavations have found a sanctuary space that dates to the first Iron Age (9th century BCE) and was continuously active until late antiquity (at least the 4th century 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.[19]
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.[19]
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