The Palici were a pair of indigenous Sicilian chthonic deities recognized in Roman mythology and, to a lesser extent, in Greek mythology, mentioned by both Ovid and Virgil. Their cult centered on three sulphurous lakes on the Palagonia plain in Sicily, where they were associated with volcanic geysers and with the underworld. A shrine at the site was used for oaths and ordeals, where worshippers could undergo tests of reliability believed to be judged by the gods themselves. Ancient sources disagree about their parentage, naming Zeus and the nymph Aetna, or Aetna and Hephaestus, or Zeus and the nymph Thaleia, among the versions recorded. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Attestation
Era of Attestation Veneration TodayHistorically attested; no continuous cult 2 HistoricityNot a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being 1 Belief
TheologyPolytheistic: many gods 1 Function
Domain / Function Sources
1. The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend
Anthony S. Mercatante, revised and expanded by James R. Dow, Facts on File
2. The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 4th edition
Simon Hornblower, Antony Spawforth and Esther Eidinow (eds.), Oxford University Press, 2012Palici, Aeschylus and DiodorusView the Source Wikipedia, "Palici"
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