Re: Silvanus Calaedicus

From: Christopher Gwinn
Message: 11276
Date: 2001-11-19

>and p 205 "SILVANUS CALAEDICUS A Celtic god linked with the Roman god
>Silvanus. This deity is known from a single inscription on an altar
found
>near Logrono, Spain. There is some dispute as to whether the name
Calaedicus
>refers to a separate deity or is just another name of Titullus, the
person
>who dedicated the altar. However, Calaedicus has been interpreted as
meaning
>"the god of the rocky refuge who burns." This would be a suitable
deity to
>be linked with Silvanus, one of whose many functions was the patron
of
>quarrymen (fire was used to break up rock in the process of
quarrying).
>Reading: Dorcey 1992 62-63."


None of my sources (which are normally quite comprehensive) list
Calaedicus as a divinity, so I wasn't aware that this name existed
(which is why I thought Cas or his source had confused the name)- I
have done a search and found the inscription, though:

ERRioja 052 = AE 1976, 00331.
Silvano / Titullus /
Calaedico(n) / Viam(i)
f(ilius) / v(otum) s(olvit)
l(ibens) m(erito)

It seems to me that there is good reason for not considering
Calaedico to be a divine name - if it was a theonym (and native
byname of Silvanus), we should expect it to be written as Silvano
_Calaedico_ Titullus Viam[i] f. v.s.l.m., while it makes perfect
grammatical sense for Calaedico to be a nominative (like Titullus) n-
stem (making our inscription read "To Silvanus, Titullus Calaedico,
son of Viamus, willingly and deservedly fulfilling the vow".

- Chris Gwinn