Quaestiones Romanae

Why do they sacrifice a bitch to the goddess called Geneta Mana[*](Cf. Pliny, Natural History, xxix. 4 (58).) and pray that none of the household shall become good?

Is it because Geneta is a spirit concerned with the generation and birth of beings that perish? Her name means some such thing as flux and birth or flowing birth. [*](An attempt to derive the name from genitus (-a, -um) and manare.) Accordingly, just as the Greeks sacrifice a bitch to Hecatê,[*](Cf. 280 c, infra.) even so do the Romans offer the same sacrifice to Geneta on behalf of the members of their household. But Socrates[*](Müller, Frag. Hist. Graec. iv. p. 498.) says that the Argives sacrifice a bitch to Eilioneia by reason of the ease with which the bitch brings forth its young. But does the import of the prayer, that none of them shall become good, refer not to the human members of a household, but to the dogs? For dogs should be savage and terrifying.

Or, because of the fact that the dead are gracefully called the good, are they in veiled language asking in their prayer that none of their household may die? One should not be surprised at this: Aristotle,[*](Frag. 592 (ed. V. Rose); Cf.Moralia, 292 b, infra.) in fact, says that there is written in the treaty of the Arcadians with the Spartans: No one shall be made good[*](Cf.χρηστὲ χαῖρ on Greek tombstones.) for rendering aid to the Spartan party in Tegea: that is, no one shall be put to death.

Why do they even now, at the celebration of the Capitoline games, proclaim Sardians for sale!,[*](So apparently Plutarch; but the Latin Sardi venales can mean nothing but Sardinians for sale. Plutarch, or his authority, has confused Sardi with Sardiani (Sardians).) and why is an old man led forth in derision, wearing around his neck a child’s amulet which they call a bulla [*](Cf.Life of Romulus, xxv. (33 e).)?

Is it because the Etruscans called Veians fought against Romulus for a long time, and he took this city last of all[*](This is quite contrary to the traditional account (Cf. for example, Livy, vi. 21-23), according to which Veii was not captured until 396 b.c.) and sold at auction many captives together with their king, taunting him for his stupidity and folly? But since the Etruscans were originally Lydians, and Sardis was the capital city of the Lydians, they offered the Veians for sale under this name: and even to this day they preserve the custom in sport.