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Name my garden Roman


Crispina

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My first post! And want to begin by saying how happy I was to find this forum and how much I've enjoyed lurking as a "guest" these past months. Totally not what I expected my first question to be to you learned historians, but today I purchased a concrete head! He was only $10, but I saw him instantly as being given a position in one of my sunken gardens - a Medieval chap I thought. But..the more I looked upon him, the more I saw a sour faced Roman Senator! I've dubbed him, "Gaius Gardinius" (I know-not Latin for garden, but I like it). Me thinks he needs a third name. Can you help me?

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My first post! And want to begin by saying how happy I was to find this forum and how much I've enjoyed lurking as a "guest" these past months. Totally not what I expected my first question to be to you learned historians, but today I purchased a concrete head! He was only $10, but I saw him instantly as being given a position in one of my sunken gardens - a Medieval chap I thought. But..the more I looked upon him, the more I saw a sour faced Roman Senator! I've dubbed him, "Gaius Gardinius" (I know-not Latin for garden, but I like it). Me thinks he needs a third name. Can you help me?

 

All Roman garden gnomes (and other guardians of the garden) belong to the gens Hortensia, a name which is believed to have been derived from the Latin word hortus, meaning "garden".

 

Since the nomen gentilicium follows the praenomen, I suggest your call your Roman garden guardian: Gaius Hortensius Frutex. The cognomen "Frutex" has a double meaning. In a "garden" context, it means "shrub"; but as a cognomen/nickname it also means "blockhead" (which, really, is what that concrete head is).

 

-- Nephele

Edited by Nephele
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Since the nomen gentilicium follows the praenomen, I suggest your call your Roman garden guardian: Gaius Hortensius Frutex. The cognomen "Frutex" has a double meaning. In a "garden" context, it means "shrub"; but as a cognomen/nickname it also means "blockhead" (which, really, is what that concrete head is).

 

That's really clever.

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Haha I second Nephele's name there, take my word for it, if you need to know anythign about roman names she's the one to ask!

 

Anyway to the real point of this post. Welcome as a member to the forum Crispina!

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Haha nice one Nephele, you certainly deserve your new title of Nomina Domina.

 

Frutex (blockhead) I've got a few friends who would suit that name perfectly!

 

Also a very warm welcome to Crispina, what a strange but nice post to open your account with.

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I really can't think of anyone called Gaius you could call Frutex round here...

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"Gaius Hortensius Frutex" it is. Thank you Nephele! And thanks for all the welcoming remarks.

 

You're very welcome, Crispina -- and welcome to UNRV! Looking forward to seeing that pic of C. Hortensius Frutex!

 

-- Nephele

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As promised here is Gaius Hortensius Frutex. A friend wrote to me that he is "just in time for Halloween" (!) Now that I think about it, he does resemble a ghoul; but then again some Roman senators were certainly "goulish". He has eyeballs, they just don't appear in the pic. Ha ha. Thanks again Nephele.

And if I had been thinking I would have wrapped the ivy about his head, having no available laurel.

 

 

282974953.jpg

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He's quite an impressive fellow! Thanks, Crispina, for sharing that pic of Gaius Hortensius Frutex!

 

-- Nephele

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