GENIUS (Genius). - A religious concept exclusively Roman. Unlike the classical independent divine figures, the Genius belongs always to persons, collectivities, places, or even gods: each of these has its own Genius. The Genius, however, in every single case, is a divinity. The documentation is relatively recent and does not allow us to determine whether originally the concept of the Genius was restricted to one of the mentioned categories and, if so, to which one.
For the public cult of the Genius, there is record of a sacrifice of animal victims in 218 B.C. The Genius of the Roman People, the public Genius, the Genius of the City of Rome are often indistinctly represented in tradition. A sanctuary of the public Genius was located near the temple of Concordia; an annual sacrifice common to the public Genius, to Fausta Felicitas, and to Venus Victrix is documented for October 9. From the 4th century A.D. *ludi genialicii* (February 11-12) are known. In domestic cult, the Genius of the head of the household predominates. His feast is the birthday of the *paterfamilias*. To this Genius, bloodless sacrifices, particularly pure wine, are offered. Employees swear by the Genius of the head of the household. In depictions, the Genius appears as a youth, with a cornucopia and a *patera*; in domestic paintings, it seems to take on the features of the head of the household himself; the theriomorphic expression of the Genius is the serpent. The Genius of the emperor has a public cult.
The word Genius undoubtedly derives from the verbal root *gen-* (*gignere*, to beget): ancient and modern interpretations, however, vary in explaining the connection. The Genius, inseparable from the person or thing to which it belongs, in any case represents the divine individual origin. While in some cases the Genius is also attributed to women and goddesses, more often a distinction is made between the Genius of the man and the Juno of the woman.