by adrianus » Tue Jun 05, 2012 11:36 am
Well, it's a cute story but I would imagine it more likely that, for architectural features that protrude and conduct rain away from the walls, the notion of a gurgling gullet (gurgulio) is a very natural one.
Bellam fabulam. Ego autem sic credo. Perapta antefixis quae protrudunt deducuntque muris pluvem notio gurgulionis erumpentis.
As for the choice of image, the romans liked to stick effigies of "happy gods" to their temples, it seems.
De simulacrorum dilectu, Romani effigies ridentes ad templa affingere solebant.
Apud Livium (34.4.4) "antefixa fictilia deorum romanorum ridentes"
Connections, maybe, with yoni and síle/sheela na gigs. Vide etiam yoni et sheela na gigs
I'm writing in Latin hoping for correction, and not because I'm confident in how I express myself. Latinè scribo ut ab omnibus corrigar, non quod confidenter me exprimam.