# If you made up a Roman god of traffic control, what would be its name? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 31, 2023, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398 "2023-10-31T22:58:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/1 "2023-10-31T22:58:42Z")
The Romans had gods of little things, like Cardea, the goddess of hinges. So what would the god/dess of traffic control be? The best I can come up with is Delineatus - possibly spelled differently. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/2 "2023-10-31T23:05:56Z")
Lux Alterna? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/3 "2023-10-31T23:06:56Z")
I hadn’t thought of lights. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/4 "2023-10-31T23:09:08Z")
Semaphorus ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/5 "2023-10-31T23:11:26Z")
Roman? It would be a Goddess: Congestia. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/6 "2023-10-31T23:12:42Z")
Traffregole` ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/7 "2023-10-31T23:14:20Z")
Chariotis-rex. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/8 "2023-10-31T23:17:20Z")
All good candidates. I think that Congestia would be the goddess of traffic jams and holdups, though. She and Semaphorus (or Lux) could be antagonists. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/9 "2023-10-31T23:24:58Z")
The son of Janus, Anus. Because there are a lot of a-holes out there. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/10 "2023-10-31T23:27:06Z")
Fumidus. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/11 "2023-10-31T23:32:24Z")
Roundaboutus ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/12 "2023-10-31T23:36:23Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > The son of Janus, Anus. Because there are a lot of a-holes out there. - - Snerk - - > [@Alessan](#): > > Fumidus. Smoked? > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Roundaboutus I think he’s more specific. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/13 "2023-10-31T23:38:12Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Smoked? Smokey! (My Latin is, eh, not so great). ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/14 "2023-10-31T23:40:20Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Smokey! Ah! I like that. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/15 "2023-10-31T23:53:24Z")
There already is one, right? [“Diana Trivia”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_(mythology)) was a name reflecting the goddess Diana’s “guardianship over roadways, particularly Y-junctions or three-way crossroads. This role carried a somewhat dark and dangerous connotation, as it metaphorically pointed the way to the underworld” (still entirely apt for a traffic deity nowadays). ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/16 "2023-11-01T00:01:47Z")
That may be the answer. But does she use traffic cones? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/17 "2023-11-01T00:13:47Z")
Torches, I imagine. But this is getting complicated because Janus, whose alternate form “Dianus” is AFAICT linked with the name “Diana”, is also considered a patron deity of roadways? To be on the safe side, let’s just designate a nymph-attendant of Diana specifically for roadway management and call her Via. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/18 "2023-11-01T00:15:24Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > She and Semaphorus (or Lux) could be antagonists. Semaphorus is the original Greek god. Lux Alternativus is the Roman surplant. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/19 "2023-11-01T00:15:33Z")
That works. So much to contemplate. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398/20 "2023-11-01T00:50:24Z")
Given [Julius Caesars attempts at Roman traffic control laws](https://avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/law_of_caesar.asp#:~:text=Vehicular%20traffic%20during%20the%20day,regulated%20(17%2D19).) maybe the Divine Julius Caesar? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-made-up-a-roman-god-of-traffic-control-what-would-be-its-name/992398.md?page=2)