Editing Felicitas (section)

==As virtue or quality==
[[File:Bible Museum - Bordellzeichen.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sexuality in ancient Rome#Phallic sexuality|Phallic]] [[relief]] with the inscription "Felicitas dwells here"]]
In its religious sense, ''felix'' means "blessed, under the protection or favour of the gods; happy." That which is ''felix'' has achieved the ''[[pax deorum|pax divom]],'' a state of harmony or peace with the divine world.<ref>H. Fugier ''Recherches sur l'expression du sacre' dans la langue latine'' Paris, 1963</ref> The word derives from [[Proto-Indo-European language|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);<ref>W. W. Skeat ''Etymological Dictionary of the English Language'' New York 1963 sv felicity, feminine</ref> and probably ''fello, fellare'', "to perform [[Sexuality in ancient Rome#Cunnilingus and fellatio|fellatio]]", with an originally non-sexual meaning of "to suck".<ref>J.N. Adams, ''The Latin Sexual Vocabulary'' (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982), pp. 130–131.</ref> 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")<ref>''[[Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum|CIL]]'' IV, 1454.</ref> on an [[apotropaic]] relief of a [[fascinum|phallus]] at a bakery in [[Pompeii]].<ref>Clark, ''Divine Qualities,'' p. 10.</ref>

In archaic Roman culture, ''felicitas'' was a quality expressing the close bonds between [[List of Roman agricultural deities|religion and agriculture]]. ''Felicitas'' was at issue when the ''[[suovetaurilia]]'' sacrifice conducted by [[Cato the Elder]] as [[Roman censor|censor]] in 184 BC was challenged as having been unproductive, perhaps for ''[[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#vitium|vitium]]'', ritual error.<ref>Brendon Reay, "Agriculture, Writing, and Cato's Aristocratic Self-Fashioning," in ''Classical Antiquity'' 24.2 (2005), p. 332.</ref> In the following three years Rome had been plagued by a number of ill omens and prodigies ''([[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#prodigium|prodigia]])'', such as severe storms, pestilence, and "showers of blood," which had required a series of expiations ''([[supplicatio]]nes)''.<ref>[[Livy]] 39.46.3–5; 40.2.1, 19.1, 36.14–37.3.</ref> 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.<ref>H. Meyer, ''Oratorum Romanorum Fragmenta'' (Paris, 1837), p. 145.</ref> 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",<ref>''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.</ref> regardless of whatever else might have occurred. The efficacy of a ritual might be thus expressed as its ''felicitas.''<ref>Reay, "Agriculture, Writing, and Cato," p. 332.</ref>

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:<ref>H.S. Versnel, ''Triumphus: An Inquiry into the Origin, Development and Meaning of the Roman Triumph'' (Brill, 1970), pp. 343, 348, 361ff.</ref> it was a form of "[[charisma]]tic authority".<ref>Fears, "The Theology of Victory," p. 746.</ref> [[Cicero]] lists ''felicitas'' as one of the four virtues of the exemplary general, along with knowledge of [[military science]] ''(scientia rei militaris)'', ''[[virtus (virtue)|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.<ref>Fears, "The Theology of Victory at Rome," p. 747–748.</ref> Cicero attributed ''felicitas'' particularly to [[Pompey the Great|Pompeius Magnus ("Pompey the Great")]],<ref>Clark, ''Divine Qualities'', p. 245; Fears, "The Theology of Victory at Rome," pp. 798–799.</ref> and distinguished this ''felicitas'' even from the divine good luck enjoyed by successful generals such as [[Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus|Fabius Maximus]], [[Marcus Claudius Marcellus|Marcellus]], [[Scipio the Younger]] and [[Gaius Marius|Marius]].<ref>''Divinitus adiuncta fortuna'', in his work ''De lege Manilia''; Fears, "The Theology of Victory at Rome," pp. 797–798.</ref>

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)''.<ref>Clark, ''Divine Qualities'', p. 222.</ref>

[[File:Romeinse munten denarius Macrinus 217-218.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|AR [[Denarius]] of [[Macrinus]], reverse side with 'FELICITAS TEMPORVM'.]]
[[File:Caracalla-felicitas+.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|AR [[Denarius]] of [[Caracalla]], reverse side with 'FELICITAS AVGG' - Felicitas Augusti means: "To the good fortune (or happiness) of emperors"]]