Pax Deorum

Translated in English, Pax Deorum means "peace of the gods."  In the days of ancient Rome, bad things that happened were because a certain god or goddess or all of them were angry or mad about something...and good things that happened were because the gods were happy about something.  Therefore, it was important, for the sake of health, war, crops, etc... that the Romans attempted to appease the gods by making and maintaining peace with them.  If the gods are at peace, good things will happen, right?

The Pontifex Maximus was responsible for maintaining the proper balance and peace between the state and the dieties.  However, all Romans sought to maintain the pax deorum daily in their own lives.  In an effort to avoid Ira Deorum, both individuals and the state attempted to make peace with the gods in several ways:

• Animal sacrifice
• Prayer
• Offering specific to the god/goddess
• Public festivals honoring the god/goddess
• Daily care to avoid bad omens

One example of a ritual that might be performed by a Roman is that of carrying a new [bride] over the threshold of the home.  That ancient practice is carried over in modern tradition! This practice was to avoid the bad omen that would occur if the newest member of a household stumbled upon her first entry into the house.

Sidenote: Apparently a song by Enya...

Another sidenote: It's real hard to find stuff about this!