Subject: (whorl) Novensiles divi

From: m.driussi <m.driussi at genie.com>
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 18:58:00 +0000

[Posted from WHORL, the mailing list for Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun]

Here's an odd tidbit, recently turned up in Latin dictionary . . .

I was looking up something else, as so often is the case, when I saw
a couple of entries.

"noveni -ae, a, _nine each, nine at a time; poetic, nine._"

Well sure, that makes perfect sense and hardly worth mentioning
(November, etc.).  However, the next one . . .

"Novensiles divi, _gods whose worship had been introduced from
foreign countries._"

Wow.  Since "Noven-" seems to be the prefix or root meaning nine, this
Latin word sure looks to me like "the nine gods" (as opposed to "the new
(foreign) gods").  Then again, I don't know Latin.  Anyway, let's say that this
category "Novensiles divi" actually has only nine figures in it--quick,
who would they be?  All those mystery cults of exotic Eastern religions
in ancient Rome spring to mind: Osirus, Cybelle . . . Mithras?
Orpheus?  Isis?

Just a random thought.

=mantis=