King Lear and the Temple of Janus - Part 4

Part 4 of a series about the temple to Janus where, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, King Lear was buried around 850-800 BC.

This series is part of a bigger project on the hunt for King Lear's tomb, and that project is in turn part of a planned series about ancient British history.

The reference to Janus seems to be a reference to the very ancient pagan horned god, Cernunnos, the lord of the hunt. Although there is no surviving evidence for a cult of this god at Leicester, there is evidence for a cult of his female counterpart, Diana, queen of the witches. Given that the worship of the horned god was heavily suppressed by the Christian church, which portrayed him as the devil, it is quite possible that he was also worshipped alongside his female companion. Geoffrey of Monmouth's account of a Janus temple at Leicester therefore seems to contain a kernel of truth, and his work may be more historically accurate than currently appreciated.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• devil
• witchcraft
• ancient
• british
• history
• geoffrey
• of
• monmouth
• king
• lear
• janus