MEDITRINA´LIA
MEDITRINA´LIA a festival on October 11th in honour
of Meditrina, the old Roman goddess of healing (cp. Varro,
L.
L. 6.21; Fest. s. v.). On this day, when the new wine (
mustum) was tasted, it was the custom to pour a
libation with the prayer that the wine might have health-giving powers,
“novum vetus vinum bibo, novo veteri vino morbo medeor.”
According to the Calendar of Amiternum it was “feriae Jovi,”
and perhaps a libation was poured to him as the god of the prosperity
(
salus) of the state, as well as to
Meditrina, with whose healing power the festival was identified. We may
compare the prayer used at the
πιθοίγια,
“ἀβλαβῆ καὶ σωτήριον τοῦ φαρμάκον χρῆσιν
γενέσθαι;” and also the
primitiae
pomorum,
Plin. Nat. 28.23. (Preller,
Rom.
Myth. pp. 175, 594; Marquardt,
Staatsverw.
3.584.)
[
L.S] [
G.E.M]
