Editing Mens

{{Short description|Roman divine personification of thought, consciousness and mind}}
{{About|the ancient Roman divine personification|the commune in France|Mens, Isère}}
[[File:Ara del vilicus felix (detta popolarmente della mente buona), dalla cava di calogio presso colonnata, 50 dc ca. 02.jpg|thumb|upright|An altar dedicated to Bona Mens by a ''[[vilicus]]'' named Felix ''(Castello Malaspina)''<!--probably Bobbio? description at Commons is a little thin--><ref>''MENTI BONAE SACRVM FELIX VILICVS POSVIT''</ref>]]
In [[ancient Roman religion]], '''Mens''', also known as '''Mens Bona''' ([[Latin]] for "Good Mind"), was the [[personification]] of thought, consciousness and the mind, and also of "right-thinking". The founding ''([[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#dies natalis|dies natalis]])'' of her temple in Rome was celebrated on [[Iunius (month)#Dates|June 8]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Handbook to life in ancient Rome |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9JJdqJ8YGH8C&dq=mens+goddess+festival&pg=PA267 |page=267 |first=Roy A. |last=Adkins |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-19-512332-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Karl Pomeroy |last=Harrington |publisher=American Book Company |year=1914 |title=The Roman elegiac poets |url=https://archive.org/details/romanelegiacpoet00harruoft }}</ref> A temple on the [[Capitoline Hill]] in Rome was vowed to Mens in 217 BC on advice from the [[Sibylline Books]], after the defeat of [[The Battle of Lake Trasimene|Lake Trasimene]],<ref>J E Sandys ed., ''A Dictionary of Classical Antiquities'' (London 1894) p. 389</ref> and was dedicated in 215 BC.

==In Latin poetry==
In Latin love elegy, Mens Bona is represented as a guardian against Desire (''Cupido'') and amorous pursuits. [[Propertius]] celebrated his escape from erotic bondage to his Cynthia by dedicating himself to the shrine of Mens Bona.<ref>Guy Lee trans., ''Propertius: The Poems'' (OUP 2009) p.102 (III.24.19-20)</ref> [[Ovid]] depicted [[Cupid]] as leading Mens Bona as a [[Slavery in ancient Rome#Captivi in Roman culture|captive]] in his [[Roman triumph|triumphal parade]].<ref>A D Melville trans., ''Ovid: The Love Poems'' (OUP 2008) p. 5 and p. 176 (Amores I.2.32-3)</ref>

==Legacy==

The Latin word ''mens'' expresses the idea of "mind" and is the origin of English words like ''mental'' and ''dementia''. The gifted-only organization [[Mensa International]] was originally to be named ''mens'' in the sense of "mind", but took instead the name ''Mensa'' (Latin: "table") to avoid ambiguity with "men's" in English and "mens" in other languages such as the Dutch language. In the Dutch vocabulary, "mens" is the word for "man" as in "mankind".

==See also==
*[[Bona Dea]]
*[[Empedocles]]
*[[Pudicitia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Richardson, L. (1992). ''A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome'' (pp.&nbsp;251). Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press. {{ISBN|0-8018-4300-6}}.
* Scullard, H.H. (1981). ''Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic'' (p.&nbsp;148). London: Thames and Hudson. {{ISBN|0-8014-1402-4}}.

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[[Category:Health goddesses]]
[[Category:Roman goddesses]]
[[Category:Personifications in Roman mythology]]