|
In ancient Roman culture, ''felicitas'' (from the Latin adjective ''felix'', "fruitful, blessed, happy, lucky") is a condition of divinely inspired productivity, blessedness, or happiness. ''Felicitas'' could encompass both a woman's fertility, and a general's luck or good fortune.〔Anna Clark, ''Divine Qualities: Cult and Community in Republican Rome'' (Oxford University Press, 2007), p. 228, quoting G. Sauron, ''Quis deum? L'expression plastique des idéologies politiques et religieuses à Rome'' (École française de Rome, 1994), p. 287.〕 The divine personification of Felicitas was cultivated as a goddess. Although ''felicitas'' may be translated as "good luck," and the goddess Felicitas shares some characteristics and attributes with Fortuna, the two were distinguished in Roman religion.〔J. Rufus Fears, "The Theology of Victory at Rome: Approaches and Problem," ''Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt'' II.17.2 (1981), pp. 747, 798.〕 Fortuna was unpredictable and her effects could be negative, as the existence of an altar to ''Mala Fortuna'' ("Bad Luck") acknowledges.〔Lawrence Richardson, ''A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome'' (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992), p. 156.〕 Felicitas, however, always had a positive significance. She appears with several epithets that focus on aspects of her divine power. Felicitas had a temple in Rome as early as the mid-2nd century BC, and during the Republican era was honored at two official festivals of Roman state religion, on July 1 in conjunction with Juno and October 9 as ''Fausta Felicitas''. Felicitas continued to play an important role in Imperial cult, and was frequently portrayed on coins as a symbol of the wealth and prosperity of the Roman Empire. Her primary attributes are the caduceus and cornucopia.〔Clark, ''Divine Qualities,'' pp. 142, 146; Michael H. Crawford, ''Roman Republican Coinage'' (Cambridge University Press, 1974), vol. 2, p. 738.〕 The English word "felicity" derives from ''felicitas.'' ==As virtue or quality== In its religious sense, ''felix'' means "blessed, under the protection or favour of the gods; happy." That which is ''felix'' has achieved the ''pax divom,'' a state of harmony or peace with the divine world.〔H. Fugier ''Recherches sur l'expression du sacre' dans la langue latine'' Paris, 1963〕 The word derives from Indo-European '' *dhe(i)l,'' meaning "happy, fruitful, productive, full of nourishment." Related Latin words include ''femina'', "woman" (a person who provides nourishment or suckles); ''felo'', "to suckle" in regard to an infant; ''filius'', "son" (a person suckled);〔W. W. Skeat ''Etymological Dictionary of the English Language'' New York 1963 sv felicity, feminine〕 and probably ''fello, fellare'', "to perform fellatio", with an originally non-sexual meaning of "to suck".〔J.N. Adams, ''The Latin Sexual Vocabulary'' (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982), pp. 130–131.〕 The continued magical association of sexual potency, increase, and general good fortune in productivity is indicated by the inscription ''Hic habitat Felicitas'' ("Felicitas dwells here")〔''CIL'' IV, 1454.〕 on an apotropaic relief of a phallus at a bakery in Pompeii.〔Clark, ''Divine Qualities,'' p. 10.〕 In archaic Roman culture, ''felicitas'' was a quality expressing the close bonds between religion and agriculture. ''Felicitas'' was at issue when the ''suovetaurilia'' sacrifice conducted by Cato the Elder as censor in 184 BC was challenged as having been unproductive, perhaps for ''vitium'', ritual error.〔Brendon Reay, "Agriculture, Writing, and Cato's Aristocratic Self-Fashioning," in ''Classical Antiquity'' 24.2 (2005), p. 332.〕 In the following three years Rome had been plagued by a number of ill omens and prodigies ''(prodigia)'', such as severe storms, pestilence, and "showers of blood," which had required a series of expiations ''(supplicationes)''.〔Livy 39.46.3–5; 40.2.1, 19.1, 36.14–37.3.〕 The speech Cato gave to justify himself is known as the ''Oratio de lustri sui felicitate'', "Speech on the ''Felicitas'' of his Lustrum", and survives only as a possible quotation by a later source.〔H. Meyer, ''Oratorum Romanorum Fragmenta'' (Paris, 1837), p. 145.〕 Cato says that a ''lustrum'' should be found to have produced ''felicitas'' "if the crops had filled up the storehouses, if the vintage had been abundant, if the olive oil had flowed deliberately from the groves",〔''Si horrea messis implesset, si vindemia redundasset, if oliveta large fluxissent'': H. Malcovati, ''Oratorum Romanorum Fragmenta Liberae Rei Publicae'' (Turin, 1976, 4th ed.), pp. 26–27, as cited by Reay, "Agriculture, Writing, and Cato," p. 333, note 2. This definition is said explicitly to reflect beliefs ''in illa vetere re publica'', in the "old" republic.〕 regardless of whatever else might have occurred. The efficacy of a ritual might be thus expressed as its ''felicitas.''〔Reay, "Agriculture, Writing, and Cato," p. 332.〕 The ability to promote ''felicitas'' became proof of one's excellence and divine favor. ''Felicitas'' was simultaneously a divine gift, a quality that resided within an individual, and a contagious capacity for generating productive conditions outside oneself:〔H.S. Versnel, ''Triumphus: An Inquiry into the Origin, Development and Meaning of the Roman Triumph'' (Brill, 1970), pp. 343, 348, 361ff.〕 it was a form of "charismatic authority".〔Fears, "The Theology of Victory," p. 746.〕 Cicero lists ''felicitas'' as one of the four virtues of the exemplary general, along with knowledge of military science ''(scientia rei militaris)'', ''virtus'' (both "valor" and "virtue"), and ''auctoritas'', "authority." ''Virtus'' was a regular complement to ''felicitas'', which was not thought to attach to those who were unworthy.〔Fears, "The Theology of Victory at Rome," p. 747–748.〕 Cicero attributed ''felicitas'' particularly to Pompeius Magnus ("Pompey the Great"),〔Clark, ''Divine Qualities'', p. 245; Fears, "The Theology of Victory at Rome," pp. 798–799.〕 and distinguished this ''felicitas'' even from the divine good luck enjoyed by successful generals such as Fabius Maximus, Marcellus, Scipio the Younger and Marius.〔''Divinitus adiuncta fortuna'', in his work ''De lege Manilia''; Fears, "The Theology of Victory at Rome," pp. 797–798.〕 The sayings ''(sententiae)'' of Publilius Syrus are often attached to divine qualities, including Felicitas: "The people's Felicitas is powerful when she is merciful" ''(potens misericors publica est Felicitas)''.〔Clark, ''Divine Qualities'', p. 222.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Felicitas」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|