In Roman mythology, Mefitis (or Mephitis; Mefite in Italian) was a goddess of Italic origins primarily worshipped by the Samnites and Osci in southern Italy. Mefitis was associated with water— particularly foul-smelling or sulfurous water— and noxious fumes. Her main temple was situated near Lake Ampsanctus, which was described as deadly by Cicero and Pliny. The temple itself was reported to contain poisonous gas that killed anyone who entered, and Virgil described it as an entrance to the underworld. Though Mefitis is sometimes cast as the goddess of intoxication, modern scholarship generally disagrees with this assertion. Modern scholars have proposed that Mefitis served a medicinal role due to her association with sulfur, which Romans considered purifying; an agricultural role due to her epithet Aravinna, from arva ("soil"); or a mediatory role, with her sacred sites believed to serve as links between the heavens and the underworld.
Functions Mefitis was a Samnite and Oscan goddess worshipped from the 7th-century BCE to the 2nd-century CE whose cult was primarily concentrated in the southwest of central Italy. In ancient literature, she is often associated with the foul-smelling gases of the earth. It is theorized that Mefitis was originally a goddess of underground sources, such as natural springs—the fact that many of these springs were sulfurous led to her association with noxious gases. For instance, the 5th-century author Servius the Grammarian claims that any "foul scent is thought to properly belong to Mefitis," who he claims was "born from sulfur water." Despite the plethora of ancient literary accounts documenting her supposed association with noxious fumes and geologic activity, the archaeological evidence from her sanctuaries does not necessarily support her supposed status as goddess of intoxication. The archaeologist Adriano La Regina notes that sulfurous water, though present in her sanctuary at Ampsanctus, is absent from the sanctuaries at Saepinum and Rossano.
Medicinal Role According to the archaeologist Ingrid Edlund-Berry, it is likely that the divine role of Mefitis involved healing, as sulfur is ascribed medicinal and purificatory prosperities in Roman writings. For instance, Pliny the Elder writes that sulfur "has a place in religious ceremonies" ("habet et in religionibus locum") and is utilized for "purifying houses by fumigation" ("ad expiandas suffitu domos"). Moreover, the archaeologist Barbro Santillo Frizell notes that Virgil describes the usage of water to treat sheep scab, stating that "foul scab attacks sheep" and thus "the keepers bathe the whole flock in fresh streams." Geographically, the Ansanto sanctuary is situated nearby transhumance routes utilized by ancient farmers, which may indicate that the site functioned to treat livestock. However, the classicist Allison Griffith argues that there is no archaeological or literary evidence corroborating the usage of these sites for healing or bathing. Regarding Rossano specifically, Griffith notes that the known votive assemblage at the site consists of militaristic objects such as greaves or spear points and also bronze figurines, none of which have any associations with healing. The archaeologist Elena Isayev argues that Mefitis was likely worshipped in various capacities depending upon the context of the needs of her suppliants.
Mythology In the Aeneid, Mefitis is implicitly associated with Albunea and the oracle of Faunus—Virgil claims that the grove of Albunea "breathes forth from her darkness a deadly vapor," which he describes utilizing the term mephitim, meaning "pestilential air". Moreover, Virgil associates the lake of Ampsanctus with the underworld and the god Dis, which may indicate that the goddess also had chthonic characteristics. An offering of burnt quince has been uncovered in Rossano, which may have been related to chthonic rituals. Amongst the numerous votive pits at Rossano, there are vessels marked by perforations at their bottoms, which—according to Isayev—may indicate the objects were intended to serve as libations to an underworld deity. Servius, in his commentaries on the Aeneid, mentions that "some" ("alii") claim that Mefitis was connected to the goddess Leucothea in the same manner as Adonis is to Venus and Virbius is to Diana. There is evidence for a relation between Diana and Mefitis, as an inscription propitiating Mefitis has been uncovered near Mount Tifata, the site of a temple dedicated to Diana. At Rossano, various statues dated between 150 and 100 BCE have been uncovered, two of which represent the goddess Artemis, the Greek equivalent of Diana. Another remnant of the head of a sculpture survives, although it is unclear whether it depicts Aphrodite or Artemis. Moreover, excavations at Rossano have also revealed one necklace with gold pendants resembling a half-moon— iconography associated with Artemis and Selene in Greek mythology. Szylińczuk proposes that Mefitis, as a goddess of mediation, may have connected to Diana in her capacity as Trivia, the goddess of crossroads and the underworld.
Worship
Temples and Shrines Placidus claimed that she was worshipped in "many places" throughout Italy, and that she had a sacred lake in Lucania from which a sulphuric odor was emitted. Tacitus mentions another supposed temple to Mefitis in Cremona, which he claims survived the destruction of the city after the Second Battle of Bedriacum as it was safeguarded by "either its position or its deity." The classicist Saskia Roselaar proposes that Mefitis—a goddess primarily worshipped in southern Italy—may have acquired suppliants in the northern Italian town of Cremona due to the arrival of migrants colonists. Mirabella Eclano (Irpinia) was the site of another temple. An inscription on the wall of the House of the Great Fountain in Pompeii mentions a festival celebrating Mefitis, organized by the gens Mamia.
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