GENIUS the Ancient Roman Protection Spirit / God Ancient Coins
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Genius
The name Genius comes probably from Lat. gignere, because this deity
was assigned to each human when he was conceived or he was taken under
his protection (Varro), or he has created us himself or has been created
together with us (Apuleius).
It's clear, that the Romans tried to integrate the Genius into their
mythology. His parents should have been Jupiter and Gaea, who has born
him, after Jupiter has created him when he was asleep. Others suggest
that he was a son of the gods and the father of men. In any case all
suggest that the Genii - there are many of them! - take a middle
position between the gods and men. As soon as a human being was born one
or two Genii were assigned to him, a white good one and a black bad one.
The good one gives him all of his good thoughts, the bad one the
contrary. Which ever is the stronger one he is the one who forms the
character of the man. Genii always appear at males. Within women there
were the Junones. The Genii stayed with their person until his death
when they gave him to the gods. According to others each man has only
one Genius. The Genius handed down his man to the court and blamed him
if he was lying or praised him when he kept the truth. According to the
Genius the judgment was given to him because the Genius knew all of his
secret thoughts. Even families, cities and countries had these guardian
spirits. The Genius of Rome had a golden statue in the VIII regio.
Everyone gave honour to his own Genius, especially at his birthday when
he gave offerings to him but only flowers, wine and incense, because it
was not allowed to kill any animal on this day. A vow done by the Genius
of the emperor was the most steadfast oath as if it was done by Jupiter
himself. Some suggested that the Genius was identical with the Animus,
others that he actually was the mind of men. But because also mountains,
swamps, lakes, fountains, valleys and forests had their own Genius it
could be concluded that he actually was a fictive entity invented only
to put the humans in fear and to prevent them from vice (Hederich).
The Genius is the 'power' which is inherent in man, not only becoming
manifest in his virility but signifying extensively his whole
personality. The Genius is neither 'soul' nor 'life'. It's particular to
each one and ceased with his death. It is a kind of active principle
which could be found too in collectives like troop units, councils and
so on. It is assigned too to localities like provinces or cities. Power
and prestige of the pater familias explain that the domestics worshipped
his Genius and swore by him. The oath by the Genius of the emperor
became common in private and public fields. False oath was a crime
against the emperor. The concept of the Genius Augusti was the
possibility to assign divine attributes to the emperor without making
him a god directly which was frowned especially in the western part of
the Empire!
The need for protection resulted in the idea of the Genius as protection
spirit, but it was never clear whether he was immanent to men or has his
own existence. In later times these ideas were mixed with the conception
of the soul which could be found in grave inscriptions. The conception
of the Genius as sum of the personality expanded to the idea of the
Genius of a god: Genius Iovi. This required the conception of a full
personalized deity.
Meaningful is the Genius Populi Romani which is not only the Roman
interpretation of the Greek City deity Tyche. On October 9 the festival
of the Genius Publicus was celebrated. The later snake shape was an
amalgamation with the well-known incarnation and soul conception. The
Genius indeed was linked to a person but not identical with him. Life
arises 'by appearing of the Genius', who then obtained it continually.
We can see that the ancient world had difficulties with the
interpretation of the Genius. But worshipping of the Genius was alive
until the beginning of Christianity. | 
