Libitina
Libitina, the goddess of corpses (in her temple were kept the funeral apparatus and the registries of death)
Could not find Libitinae in Logeion dictionaries.
Libitinae Proper-name noun: feminine nominative plural, Proper-name noun: feminine vocative plural, Proper-name noun: feminine genitive singular, Proper-name noun: feminine dative singular of Libitina
- I Lit.: triginta funerum milia in rationem Libitinae venerunt, were registered, Suet. Ner. 39.—
- II Transf.
- A The requisites for burial, the apparatus of funerals: pestilentia tanta erat ut Libitina vix sufficeret, i.e. it was hardly possible to bury all the dead, Liv. 40, 19, 3: ne liberorum quidem funeribus Libitina sufficiebat, id. 41, 21, 6.—
- 2 Esp., a bier, a funeral pile: dum levis arsura struitur libitina papyro, Mart. 10, 97; Plin. 37, 3, 11, § 45.—
- 3 The undertaker's business, the disposal of corpses: Libitinam exercere, Val. Max. 5, 2, 10.—
- B Death (poet.): multaque pars mei Vitabit Libitinam, Hor. C. 3, 30, 6; cf. id. S. 2, 6, 19: Libitinam evadere, Juv. 14, 122; Phaedr. 4, 18 fin.
quid enim ~a distat et epilensia?
~as fieri imperavit, quibus ‥ corpora ‥ ad ‥ coenobium allata sunt
hic, Augustine, micat aula tuae libithinae
corpus ‥ in ~a reponitur, et impositum humeris commilitonum ‥ deportatur
~as sive feretra in quibus corpora defunctorum ‥ afferuntur ‥ percipiet
pro j formula et j lebitina ab eo emptis
pro una ~a lignea
hic loculus,a bere ; est loculus bursa, parvus locus et lubitina
hec libetina, A.a bere
habere ~am, Anglicea heeler , ornatam nobilioribus ornamentis universitatis coram crucifixo in ede beate Virginis
iiij corporalia, ij ~a, ij ciste pro vestimentis
super feretrum subherse perpulchro, sub ~a pannis aureis undique decorata
remansit loco corporis cista ~e supposita
- 1. doodsgodin; in haar tempel werden alle benodigdheden voor begrafenissen bewaard en de sterfregisters bijgehouden;
- 2. (meton.) (a) benodigdheden voor een begrafenis, o.a.: draagbaar, doodsbed; (b) (poët.) dood.
an ancient Italian divinity, who was identified by the later Romans sometimes with Persephone (on account of her connection with the dead and their burial) and sometimes with Aphrodite. The latter was probably the consequence of etymological speculations on the name Libitina, which people connected with libido. (Plut. Num. 12, Quaest. Rom. 23.) Her temple at Rome was a repository of everything necessary for burials, and persons might there either buy or hire those things. It was owing to this circumstance, that a person undertaking the proper burial of a person (an undertaker) was called libitinarius, and his business libitina, whence the expressions libitinam exercere, or facere (Senec. de Benef. 6.38; V. Max. 5.2.10), and libitina funeribus non sufficiebat, i. e. they could not all be buried. (Liv. 40.19, 41.21.) Also the utensils kept in the temple, especially the bed on which corpses were burnt, were called libitina. (Plin. Nat. 37.3; Martial, 10.97; Ascon. Argum. ad Milon.) Dionysius (4.79) relates that king Servius Tullius, in order to ascertain the number of persons who died, ordained that for each person that had died, a piece of money should be deposited in the temple of Libitina. (Comp. Suet. Nero 39.) Owing to this connection of Libitina with the dead, Roman poets frequently employ her name in the sense of death itself. (Hor. Carm. 3.30. 6; Sat. 2.6, 19, Epist. 2.1. 49; Juvenal. 14.122.) [L.S]
- the goddess of corpses (in her temple were kept the funeral apparatus and the registries of death): acerba, H.—The apparatus of funerals: pestilentia tanta erat ut Libitina vix sufficeret, i. e. the dead could hardly be buried, L. —Death: vitare Libitinam, H., Iu.
An ancient Italian goddess of voluptuous delight and of gardens, vineyards, and vintages, originally connected with Venus, and therefore often called Venus Libitina. She was also regarded as the goddess of death and of the departed, and was therefore afterwards identified with Proserpina. By an ancient ordinance, asscribed originally to Servius Tullius, for every person who died in Rome a piece of money was deposited in her temple. Everything requisite for burials was kept there, and had to be bought or borrowed from it. Hence a person undertaking the burial of a person (an undertaker) was called libitinarius, and his business libitina; whence the expression libitina funeribus non sufficiebat—i. e. they could not all be buried. Owing to the connection of Libitina with the dead, the Roman poets frequently employ her name in the sense of death itself.