Bona Dea

From NovaRoma
(Difference between revisions)
Jump to: navigation, search
m (use footnotes)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{LanguageBar|Bona Dea}}
 
{{LanguageBar|Bona Dea}}
  
Ancient Latin goddess of fertility, of women and thus guardian of the community. In Rome, the cult of Bona Dea was a state cult. The traditional ''dies natalis'' (foundation day) of her temple on the [[Aventine]] was celebrated on the Kalends of May. <ref>Ovid ''Fasti''</ref> The temple had an ''herbarium'' dispensary, where the priestesses dipensed herbs, <ref>Macrobius l.c</ref>  
+
Ancient Latin goddess of fertility, of women and thus guardian of the community. In Rome, the cult of Bona Dea was a state cult which excluded men. The traditional ''dies natalis'' (foundation day) of her temple on the [[Aventine]] was celebrated on the Kalends of May. <ref>Ovid ''Fasti''</ref> The temple had an ''herbarium'' dispensary, where the priestesses dipensed herbs, <ref>Macrobius l.c</ref> Her temples were unique in being enclosed by a wall. Snakes were kept inside the temple precincts. Her cult statue was of a sitting woman holding a cornucopia in her left hand and an offering bowl in her right with a snake twined about her arm.
 +
The other celebration were nocturnal mysteries whose date was recalculated each year, but was always early in the month of December.<ref>Brouwer p.359</ref> These mysteries were celebrated '''pro populo''' and by matrons of the highest class along with the Vestal Virgins.
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Revision as of 04:21, 4 May 2009

 Home| Latíné | Deutsch | Español | Français | Italiano | Magyar | Português | Română | Русский | English

Ancient Latin goddess of fertility, of women and thus guardian of the community. In Rome, the cult of Bona Dea was a state cult which excluded men. The traditional dies natalis (foundation day) of her temple on the Aventine was celebrated on the Kalends of May. [1] The temple had an herbarium dispensary, where the priestesses dipensed herbs, [2] Her temples were unique in being enclosed by a wall. Snakes were kept inside the temple precincts. Her cult statue was of a sitting woman holding a cornucopia in her left hand and an offering bowl in her right with a snake twined about her arm. The other celebration were nocturnal mysteries whose date was recalculated each year, but was always early in the month of December.[3] These mysteries were celebrated pro populo and by matrons of the highest class along with the Vestal Virgins.

References

H.H.J. Brouwer "Bona Dea: The Sources and a Description of The Cult"

Notes

  1. Ovid Fasti
  2. Macrobius l.c
  3. Brouwer p.359
Personal tools