Vaticanus

pronunciation: WAH-tee-KAH-noos

Vaticanus was a Roman deity associated with infancy and speech, particularly the first cry of a baby.

He was believed to open the mouths of infants to cry, marking the beginning of life outside the womb. His role placed him within the broader divine framework surrounding childbirth and early infancy, making him especially relevant to the experience of women in labor and early motherhood. While not a maternal deity like Juno Lucina or Diana, Vaticanus was implicitly tied to childbirth through his function at the moment of birth.

The Vatican Hill (Mons Vaticanus) derives its name from this ancient deity. It was later significant in Etruscan and Roman prophecy practices.

The Mons Vaticanus (Vatican Hill) predates Christianity and was used for Etruscan prophecy. The Sibylline oracles and augurs (prophets) were linked to Roman religious practice. The name Vaticanus is likely related to divination, from vaticinia (prophecies).

Sybils

The Sibyls prophesied on or near Vatican Hill, notably the Tiburtine Sibyl. In ancient Rome, there were several prophetic traditions, including the Etruscan Sibyls and the Tiburtine Sibyl, influencing early Roman spirituality.

John Lydus 600CE

From Lecture - 2018 - Dr. David Ammon Hillman:

John Lydus, a Roman writing in Greek, wrote about the Etruscan religion that preceded the Roman religion. And he said the Etruscan priestesses (the Vates (wah-tes) who practice their art on the Vatican Hill worshiping Vaticanus (wah-tee-kah-noos) a thousand years before Christianity) that these priestesses said “we must convey to you transdimensional ideas that can only exist in metaphor and allegory” that's what myth is, the priestesses say “don't get confused”. The stories are not stories. They are ritual. They are formulae. They are the mystery.