A hard thing done wellWineIncenseThe taking of a public officeA boast told true
Invocation Approach
Tone
Bracing formal
Address
VirtusExcellenceVirtus Augusta
Relationship
The standard a person is measured against
Warning
She measures the deed and not the intention
Resonance
Those facing a test that will be seen
Symbols
The helmetThe spearThe parazoniumThe laurel
Mythology Summary
Virtus is the Roman personification of valour and excellence: the noun carries the sense of manliness, but the goddess is shown as a helmeted woman in Amazon dress, often with spear and parazonium. Her cult was bound to Honos. A temple of Honos alone was dedicated in 234 BCE by Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus after his Ligurian victory, and after his vow at Clastidium in 222 BCE Marcellus was refused permission to rededicate it to both gods, so a second cella was built for Virtus and the double temple was dedicated in 205 BCE (Livy 27.25.7-9; Valerius Maximus 1.1.8; Plutarch, Marcellus 28). The precinct stood outside the Porta Capena on the Via Appia and was later restored by Vespasian.
Modern Practice
Virtus is called on before a test that will be seen - an examination, a public office, a hard conversation that has to be had in the open. The offering is the deed done well; the goddess is not interested in the intention behind it.