In
Roman mythology, 'Pales' was a deity of shepherds, flocks and livestock. Regarded as a male by some sources and a female by others, and even possibly as a pair of deities (as ''Pales'' could be either singular or plural in
Latin), Pales was an obscure deity about which little information remains.
Pales' festival, called the
Parilia, was celebrated on
April 21. Cattle were driven through bonfires on this day. Another festival to Pales, apparently dedicated "to the two Pales" (''Palibus duobus'') was held on
July 7.
Marcus Atilius Regulus built a temple to Pales in
Rome following his victory over the
Salentini in
267 BC. It is generally thought to have been located on the
Palatine Hill, but, being a victory monument, it may have been located on the route of the
triumphal procession, either on the
Campus Martius or the
Aventine Hill.
Pales is referenced in the Tom Robbin's book, ''Skinny Legs and All,'' where a statue to the deity is erected by Boomer Petway.
Pales is a band in Fayetteville, Arkansas:
[1]
Pronunciation: Pay-lees
References
★ Richardson, L. (1992). ''A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome''. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press. (p. 282)
★ Scullard, H.H. (1981). ''Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic''. London: Thames and Hudson. (p. 104–105)