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The sly aruspex and his wicked son.

by Eugenia Salza Prina Ricotti

The sly aruspex and his wicked son
In the ancient Roman world there was magic of all kind: one could curse enemies, protect oneself from the sorceries and, through an aruspex, interpret prodigies. In one of this last cases only a miracle prevented that a good omen for Rome was conveyed to the Etruscan town where the soothsayer, to whom they went for the interpretation, lived. Excavating the foundations of the “Jupiter Capitolinus” temple on the Tarpeian cliff, Romans found an human head. Messengers were chosen and sent to Olenus of Cales, the most famous Etruscan aruspex. This man immediately understood that the sign indicated power and glory for the town, then, with trick questions, he tried to do so that with their answers the envoys transferred the luck of Rome to his town. It was enough that, when he was pointing to the soil of Cales with his wand, the Romans said that the head had been found there.
Thus, having taken his magic rod as if he wanted to trace a map of the discovery, he drew the plan of a temple and pointing at it he asked to the Romans. “Is it just this that you are telling me? Here the temple of “Jupiter Optimus et Maximus” will be erected? Is it just here that you have found this head?” And with all his strength he hit the Etruscan soil. The Annals asserted that if to these questions the head of the Roman embassy had answered that so it was, the glorious destiny of Rome would have been transferred to the Etruscans. But the man had been put on his guard by the soothsayer’s son; evidently this boy was not getting well with his father. Then he promptly answered “No. It has not been found there: It has been found in Rome”. The soothsayer was defeated and Rome became the “caput mundi”. Moral: This tale give us a very important rule, to wit, don’t trust too much your children.