Metamorfosi, transizioni e intersezioni nel mito e nel nome di Vertumno

For scholars of classical languages, the theme of metamorphosis brings to mind a host of literary and mythological figures. Among them, one in particular lends itself to the discussion of the roots and the transformations of myths: the god Vertumnus who, restless and changeable in form and name, seems to lack an ubi consistam within the variegated pantheon of Italic divinities. The main goal of this study is to evaluate whether this “heavenly harlequin”, as Frazer calls him, is a real shapeshifter and, maybe, one of those fragments of culture which recent research considers as traces of pathways and prehistoric contacts between eastern and western languages, cultures, and traditions. However, the task is not easy and the literature that we will consider reveals a number of unresolved issues concerning Vertumnus not only qua fabula, i.e. as a myth and literary invention, but also qua numen, i.e. for his capacity and sphere of divine influence, and qua nomen as well, i.e. for his origin and linguistic identity. After presenting relevant data taken from literary sources, such as Propertius, Ovid, and Horace, information offered by antiquarians and historians, such as Varro, Donatus, and Livy, will be discussed as well. Archaeological and linguistic evidence will help to reconstruct the portrait of this puzzling divinity, whose wanderings and transitions intertwine the Etruscan world and Roman tradition. The various names of the god (Voltumna, Vortumnus, Vertumnus), in particular, indicate a constellation of forms which not only seem to reflect the metamorphic nature of this creature, but also suggest the existence of a stage and an area of intersection with recurrent phenomena of linguistic interference. In all likelihood, the coming of Vertumnus does not presuppose a straightforward move from Etruria to Rome, but rather an intricate path through the various people of ancient Latium. Here, on the borders where Etruscan, Faliscan, Sabine and Latin languages converged and merged, there is evidence of bilingual and multilingual communities. The details on the emergence of cultural and linguistic hybrids in such contexts are discussed in the final part of this paper, along with some reflections about the diverse and conflicting identities of Vertumnus.