Fons

Fons was the Roman god of wells and springs.

Parents: Janus and Juturna
Festivals: Fontinalia

Ornamental wellhead, c. 1st c. AD, depicting a drunken Hercules as part of a Bacchic revel. Madrid National Archaeology Museum. (c) Luis Garcia

As a god of pure water, Fons can be placed in opposition to Liber as a god of wine identified with Bacchus.

Fons Perennis

Water as a source of regeneration played a role in the Mithraic mysteries, and inscriptions to Fons Perennis (“Eternal Spring”) have been found in mithraea. In one of the scenes of the Mithraic cycle, the god strikes a rock, which then gushes water. A Mithraic text explains that the stream was a source of life-giving water and immortal refreshment.

Votive altar dedicated to the Divine Fontes. Bergamo Museum. (c) Luca Giarelli

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