the Week of Proper 26 / Ordinary 31
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Bible Encyclopedias
Tanaquil
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
or the Etruscan name of the wife of Tarquinius Priscus, or of one of his sons. After her immigration to Rome she is said to have received the name Gaia Caecilia. She was famous for her shrewdness and prophetic gifts, which enabled her to foretell the future greatness of her husband and of Servius Tullius. There was a statue of her as Gaia Caecilia in the temple of Sancus, which possessed magical powers. She was celebrated as a spinner of wool, and was supposed to exercise influence over Roman brides. Tanaquil and Gaia Caecilia are, however, really distinct personalities. The anecdotes told of Gaia Caecilia are aetiological myths intended to explain certain usages at Roman marriages.
See Livy, i. 34, 41; Pliny, Nat. Hist., viii. 74, xxxvi. 7 0; Schwegler, Romische Geschichte, bk. xv. 8.
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Chisholm, Hugh, General Editor. Entry for 'Tanaquil'. 1911 Encyclopedia Britanica. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/bri/t/tanaquil.html. 1910.
