Necessitas

deity Roman single tradition · 1

Necessitas is the divine personification of necessity in Roman religion. She was depicted with a nail, "the adamantine nail / That grim Necessity drives," as described by the Augustan poet Horace. Horace pictures Necessity carrying nails large enough to drive into wooden beams, and wedges.

When

First attested
30 BCE
Attested period
-30 – 2020
Historical notes
Depicted in Augustan-era poetry.

Relationships

co occurs with
Athrpa, Rehtia, Nortia, Voltumna
syncretized with
Ananke

Expand to full subgraph →

Sources

wikipedia (1)

Source passages

“At Rome, the goddess Necessitas, the divine personification of necessity, was also depicted with a nail, "the adamantine nail / That grim Necessity drives," as described by the Augustan poet Horace. In a poem addressing Fortuna and acknowledging her power over all, from the lowliest to the highest, Horace pictures Necessity carrying nails large enough to drive into wooden beams, and wedges.”

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