Editing Sancus (section)

=== Sancus and Hercules ===
Aelius Stilo's interpretation of the theonym as {{Lang|la|Dius Filius}} is based partly on the interchangeability and alternation of letters ''d'' and ''l'' in Sabine, which might have rendered possible the reading of ''Dius Fidius'' as ''Dius Filius'', i.e. Dios Kouros, partly on the function of guarantor of oaths that Sancus shared with Hercules: [[Georg Wissowa|Wissowa]] called it a {{Lang|de|gelehrte Kombination}},<ref name=Wissowa-1909/><ref name=Wissowa-1912/> while interpreting him as the [[genius]] ({{Lang|la|semo}}) of Iupiter.<ref name=Fowler-1899/>{{rp|page=136}} who is rather critical of this interpretation of Wissowa's.
Stilo's interpretation in its linguistic aspect looks to be unsupported by the form of the theonym in the [[Iguvine Tables]], where it appears as ''Fisus'' or ''Fisovius Sancius'', a formula that includes the two component parts of the theonym.<ref name=Fowler-1899/>{{rp|page=137}}{{refn|
Rosenzweig (1937)<ref name=Rosenzweig-1937/>{{rp|page=275}}
quoted by Norden (1939):<ref name=Norden-1939/><ref name=Briquel-1979/>{{rp|pages=134–135}}
* ''Datives'' Ia 15 Fiso Saci, VI b 3 Fiso Sansie; vocative VI b 9, 10, 12, 14 , 15 Fisovie Sansie;
* ''accusative'' VI b 8 Fisovi Sansi;
* ''genitive'' VI b15 Fisovie Sansie;
* ''dative'' VI b 5,6, VII a 37 Fisovi Sansi; I a 17 Fisovi.
}}
This theonym is rooted in an ancient [[Indo-European languages|IE]] ''*''{{Lang|mis|bh (e)idh-tos}}<!-- Indo-European --> and is formed on the root stem ''*''{{Lang|mis|bheidh-}}<!-- Indo-European --> which is common to Latin {{Lang|la|Fides}}.

The connexion to Hercules looks to be much more substantial on theological grounds. Hercules, especially in ancient Italy, retained many archaic features of a founder deity and of a guarantor of good faith and loyalty. The relationship with Jupiter of the two characters could be considered analogous. Hence both some ancient scholars such as [[Varro]] and [[Macrobius]] and modern ones as Woodard (2006)<ref name=Woodard-2006/> consider them as one.