Were the Romans afraid of forests

[Walhaz]

All of the above posts are very accurate, and certainly explain far more about the Varian disaster than some sort of preternatural fear of forests. However, I would argue that the Romans were indeed superstitious (or religious, depending on how you look at it), and could and did take enemy gods or bad omens seriously. They were always very conscientious about offerings and divination. Wasn't there a ceremony where the Romans would invite the gods of a besieged city to switch sides?

So while I in no way agree with the notion that Roman soldiers would be afraid of forests, I would argue that these troops, far from home, cold, wet, hungry, and surrounded by howling Germans and dark forest, might well have looked up at the storming sky and wondered if just maybe Mannus or Tiwaz were in fact real, and were pissed. I just don't think it could have helped their morale any, at the very least. So in addition to all of the factors that led to the disaster, morale certainly should be acknowledged to play its part.