Helernus

Helernus, also known as Alernus, was an Archaic Roman deity.[1] He was a minor god of the underworld, and god of the beans used during the Lemuria festival during May.[2] His sacred grove (lucus) was near the mouth of the Tiber river.[3] Sacrifices were made to him annually on the 1st of February by the Roman Pontiffs, in which a black ox was killed.[lower-alpha 1][1][5] He had one daughter, named Carna, who was goddess of protecting the intestines of children from vampires.[2]

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Notes

  1. One of the evidences for his being a minor chthonic deity is his sacrifice being a black ox, as only gods of the underworld were given black animals as sacrifice.[4]

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