(^632) THE NATURE OF ROMAN MYTHOLOGY
from Hercules and had hidden them in his cave on the Aventine Hill. Here is
the climax of the fight, when Hercules has broken open the cave of Cacus (Aeneid
- 247-261):
Hercules overwhelmed Cacus from above with missiles, Cacus who had been
suddenly trapped by the unexpected daylight, shut in his rocky cave and bel-
lowing as he was not used to do. Hercules summoned up all his weapons and
attacked him with branches and huge boulders. But Cacus (who had no escape
from the danger) belched forth (a miracle to narrate) clouds of smoke, envelop-
ing his cave in blind darkness and taking away the sight from Hercules' eyes.
He filled the cave with the smoky blackness of night and darkness mixed with
fire. Brave Hercules did not put up with this: he leaped headlong through the
fire, where the waves of smoke were the thickest and the black clouds billowed
through the cave. Here he held Cacus knotted in his grip, as he vainly belched
forth fire in the darkness. Clinging tight he throttled him, so that his eyes burst
out and no blood was left in his throat. Then the doors of the black cave were
wrenched off and it was suddenly thrown open. Displayed to the sky were the
stolen cattle and the theft that Cacus had denied, and the monstrous corpse was
dragged out by its feet. The people could not have enough of gazing on the ter-
rible eyes of the monster, on the face and the chest with its bristling hair and
the throat with fire extinct.
Vergil's narrative ostensibly explains the origin of the worship of Hercules
at the Ara Maxima, an ancient cult-site in the low-lying ground (called the Fo-
rum Boarium) between the Aventine and the Tiber. But he makes a monster of
the ancient Italian fire-god, whose name survived in the Scalae Caci (Steps of Ca-
cus), a pathway leading up onto the corner of the Palatine Hill that was associ-
ated with the earliest settlement on the site of Rome.AGRICULTURAL AND FERTILITY DIVINITIES
SATURN, CERES, AND THEIR ASSOCIATES
Saturn was an ancient god, perhaps of Etruscan origin. His temple dated from
the early days of the Republic, and beneath it was the state treasury. His origins
are obscure; he was an agricultural deity, and his festival, the Saturnalia, cele-
brated on December 17, was perhaps originally connected with the winter grain
sowing. Like many other country festivals, it was accompanied by a relaxation
of the normal social inhibitions. This was a prominent feature of the Saturnalia
in historical times, when slaves were allowed freedom of speech. The Saturna-
lia came to be linked with the festival of Ops, which was celebrated two days
later, and eventually the festival period lasted for a week.
Saturn was very soon identified with the Greek Cronus, and like him was
believed to have ruled over a golden age. Rhea, the Greek consort of Cronus,
was likewise identified with Ops, the Italian goddess of plenty, who was the
partner of Saturn in popular mythology. His partner in cult, however, was the