Mars & Pallas, Joined in Battle *and* Origin Stories: Faustus Sabaeus

Name: Faustus Sabaeus Date: 16th century CE   Region:  Brixia [Brescia, modern Italy] Citation:   Epigrams, book 1 p.61-2

Mars & Pallas

Over here, you see a woman

Wearing an aegis, a helmet, and a spear,

And over there, there’s a splendid looking youth in full armor.

One is the daughter of Jupiter,

The other is a son of Juno.

Both are warriors, and wage war effectively.

Both are around the same age,

But have different origin stories:

Mars doesn’t have a dad,

And Minerva doesn’t have a mom.

 

 

 

De Marte et Pallade

Gorgone munitam & galea quam cernis & hasta

tectum armis iuvenem conspicuum, atque trucem

Illa Jovis nata est, Junonis filius iste, 

Bella gerunt ambo, & strenue & arma movent.

Pene pares aetate ambo, sed dispare ab ortu

patre quidem Mavors, matre Minerva caret.

 

Faustus Sabaeus [16th century, modern Italy] was a librarian of the Vatican library who composed numerous poems on mythology-based themes.