The
Acta Arvalia preserve the names of four "functional goddesses" that are otherwise unknown. They were to be invoked for a
piaculum, a propitiation conducted in advance of destroying a tree. Their names, having the appearance of Latin
gerundives, are Adolenda (in reference to burning the tree), Commolenda (reducing it to chips), Deferunda and Coinquenda (felling the tree). They are included by
W.H. Roscher among the
indigitamenta, the
lists of Roman deities maintained by priests to assure that the correct divinity was invoked in public rituals. What appears to be a gerundive form would be unusual, though not unique to these four deities. Most
theonyms formed from verbs are
active or
agent nouns, indicating that the deity was thought to enable or perform the action. If the names are gerundives, they could be taken as
passive, meaning that the deity received the action.
Hendrik Wagenvoort thought that perhaps the names were addressed to the
numen of the tree itself, trees being of
feminine gender in Latin. Two sheep were the prescribed
piaculum for each goddess. == References ==