[German version]

The word augures with its derivatives augurium and augustus belongs to the family auctor, auctoritas and also augere (‘to increase’) [1]. The role of the augures is, however, not just to guarantee the success of an undertaking [2. 57] but to bestow divine power that makes it possible to attain existence [3]: the gods grant a plein de force mystique [4], clearly perceptible in the founding of a city, particularly Rome, or in inauguration (Numa's model, Liv. 1,18,6-10). Our documentation shows that the imparting of the augur no longer produces this power itself: he …