Motif
Cult foundation at a deity-chosen site
cult_foundation_at_a_deity_chosen_site
A motif of the World Axis and Sacred Center family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
roman
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The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books VIII-XV EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION.; lines 13517-13608 confidence: high
Explanatory note: Rome suffers pestilence; Sibylline books direct Romans to bring Æsculapius from Epidaurus; delegates receive a serpent identified by priests as the god, transport it by ship, and build a temple where it settles on the Island of the Tiber.
The serpent leaves the ship at the Island of the Tiber, conceals itself among reeds, and the Romans interpret this as the god choosing a habitation and build a temple there.
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