IncenseWineWaterA visit to the sickAn honest account of an illnessA recovery acknowledged
Invocation Approach
Tone
Warm practical
Address
SalusSafetySalus Augusta
Relationship
The soundness that is maintained and not seized
Warning
She is the states health as much as yours
Resonance
The sick their carers and those responsible for others
Symbols
The serpentThe pateraThe sceptreThe altar
Mythology Summary
Salus is the Roman personification of safety and health, and her temple stood on the Quirinal near the Porta Salutaris: it was vowed in 311 BCE by the consul Gaius Junius Bubulcus Brutus in the Second Samnite War, dedicated by him as dictator a few years later, and decorated with scenes of the war by Gaius Fabius Pictor. The cult was tied to the survival of the state as Salus Publica, and under the empire to the safety of the emperor as Salus Augusta, the object of the annual vows. Her Greek counterpart is Hygieia, and the healing serpent belongs to both.
Modern Practice
Salus is called on in illness and in the care of others, and before a public undertaking that could go wrong. Her practice is maintenance rather than rescue: the treatment taken, the visit made, the honest account kept.