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Robigus

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

God who protected crops from mildew and rust, honored in the Robigalia festival with dog sacrifices.

Detailed Definition
Robigus averted agricultural blight, crucial for grain survival. In poetry, especially agricultural verse, he appears as a reminder of nature’s fragility and the need for ritual intervention to secure divine favor against invisible threats to sustenance.
Example
Example in poetry:
Robigus, god of mildew and crop disease, appears in agricultural apotropaic verse: "Robigus, spare the vines—take only the weak"; At the Robigalia (April 25), dogs were sacrificed to avert blight: "Robigus, we offer red blood—turn your rust from our wheat"; A farmer’s plea: "Robigus, your breath blights—breathe elsewhere"; Symbol of necessary evil: "Robigus culls the field so the strong may thrive"; In charm poetry: "Robigus, pass by—this crop is under Ceres’ eye."
Additional Notes
Robigus protected crops from mildew (robigo); his festival Robigalia (April 25) involved sacrificing red dogs (color of rust) and racing chariots; he embodies the Roman strategy of deifying threats to control them; poets reference him in agricultural verse; his cult shows the deep connection between religion, farming, and state survival in Roman Italy—where crop failure meant famine and unrest.
Also Known As
Robigo
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