Diana and Roman-Celtic Syncretism
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[images in this post have been added for aesthetic purpose only and do not contain relevant text. any relevant images will be described using image ID]
As a witch, I make it my aim to know the Gods as well as I possibly can, to explore their many epithets, counterparts and aspects. When I first started, I initially followed the Hellenic Pantheon, this then expanded into their Roman counterparts, and by extension of this, I explored not only the original Celtic Polytheism (in particular the Tuatha De Dannann, the Irish Gods, but the Gaulish epithets of the Roman Gods.
Very recently, I came back into contact with Diana-Artemisa. I had honoured her previously, but I was interested in reconnecting to the earth and to the forest, and she was there for me. This initiated my research into today's topic, Roman-Celtic syncretism of the Goddess Diana.
A few notes before we get started. Today I am focusing on the Gaulish-Celtic regions, so I will refer to the Gauls, Gaulish worship and language accordingly. I am also referring to Diana-Artemisa as 'Diana' as today we are specifically looking at Roman-Gaulish Syncretism, so she is being referred to as her Roman face.
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Religious Syncretism is a topic that has been discussed in this community before, and has been done so in a more sophisticated manner, and I thoroughly recommend further research on the topic outside of my post.
To put it simply, religious syncretism is when multiple religions or aspects of a religion are in contact and begin to mix or combine. This often happens between regions that are close to one another geographically, through trade routes, regular communication through regions, but it can also take place as a result of war, imperialism or colonisation, which is important historical nuance to consider when approaching this subject.
In terms of Roman religion, that which we are discussing today, Roman society had a tendency towards Syncretism. The connection between Greek and Roman religion for example is often discussed, the Romans identifying their own Gods, sometimes seen as counterparts of the Hellenic Gods, by similar powers.
Religious Syncretism also happened between Roman and Gaulish religions, Gallo-Roman religion was a result of occupation from the ruling Roman empire. While the Roman's did not necessarily impose their religion and gods (though they did impose themselves in other ways such as taking over the land through imperialist means), Roman-Gaulish religion is characterised by how the Gauls adopted Roman language, culture and beliefs.
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Diana is primarily known as a Virgin Goddess, a Goddess of the Hunt, protector of women, Goddess of both the Moon and the Forest, and in Gaulish worship it is clear that she was seen as relatively important and that her worshippers were faithful to her. Diana became associated, or seen as one and the same as a few pre-existing goddesses, which i will discuss further in detail in a few moments.
In Gaul, Diana was frequently attributed the Epithet "Augusta", 'regina', meaning Queen. She was often also referred to as being holy, which was not used as a descriptor for all deities at the time. Across Gaul, there were something of 85 inscriptions written in the name of Diana, while 13 also appeared in Great Briton, Diana's worship while often seen specifically in Gaul also extended to other Celtic regions such as Briton.
While it cannot be argued that Diana is the most significant deity within Gaul, her worship and importance cannot be denied, the label of her as a queen indicates very clearly that Diana was revered. The Gauls worshiped Diana much as they worshiped other deities, honouring the Goddess within the Cult regulations of the Temple of Aventine (the temple being significant in Diana's association as a protector of Refugees). They also notably celebrated her on the day of Nemoralia.
Part of the Gaul's association with Diana comes from Diana of Esphesus, a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess within Asia Minor, which was well known for it's cults dedicated to 'mother goddesses'. The Artemision was a place in which Diana-Artemisa was worshiped in extraordinary proportion, which extended to regions outside including PhΕcia. It was when that the PhΕcians arrived on a southern coast of Gaul (Marseille) escaping exile that a new cult of Diana of Esphesus was established within their new colony, this implying that Diana was the first deity of Hellenistic origin that the Gauls may have interacted with (though this cannot be confirmed because of natural syncretism on trading routes etc). This epithet of Diana came to be associated with the protection of foreigners, refugees and - as an extension, sharing religion across cultures.
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Diana as a deity is notable for being associated and considered "one" with other deities and beliefs, an example being her Triple Goddess form as Diana-Luna-Hecate, an avatar of Diana in which herself, Dea-Luna (a distinct Goddess of the moon, sister to Sol) and Hecate.
Diana queen of the groves, thou who in solitude lovest thy mountain-haunts,
and who upon the solitary mountains art alone held holy,
change for the better these dark, ill-omened threats.
O great goddess of the woods and groves,
bright orb of heaven, glory of the night,
by whose changing beams the universe shines clear,
O three-formed Hecate, lo, thou art at hand, favouring our undertaking.β
Β Β Β Β Β βSeneca,Β PhΓ¦dra,Β ll. 406-412Β (trans. Miller).
These three forms may correspond each goddess to a particular phase of the moon, but most interestingly to me it associates Diana with the practice of magic in Gaul, for while Hecate was known she was never invoked by name. Hecate; as a goddess of witchcraft and sometimes seen by the modern witch as being associated with Faeries (later Roman scripture citing her as the Queen of Faeries), it also connects Diana to these ideas.
With this established, what I found most interesting about Diana-Abnoba is her connection to water.
Diana-Abnoba, or simply Abnoba is often known as Diana's face in the black forest region. She is a goddess of Nature, mountains and the hunt, and her most prominent symbol is the black forest itself, the mountain range in Baden-WΓΌrtemburg, a mountain within the area owing it's name, apparently, to her.
The goddess was also well known as being a deity of river and forest, her influence was massive, and as a water deity many rivers in England were named in her honour. Revered as a Patroness and Protector of Springs, rivers, woods wild animals and children, when translated her name can mean 'She of River Wetness'.
Even at a first glance, Abnoba's associations as a goddess of forest, hunt, wildlife and childbirth invoke the image of Diana. However she is very often seen as being the Epithet of Diana worshiped in the Black Foret Region, an Altar in BadenWeiler Germany (at the Roman Baths) associates the two by name.
[Image I.D - a photo of a stone shrine in front of a brick wall. The shrine reads "Dianae Abnobæ Msennvs Frontosl Ex Voto". End I.D]
Diana's worship across the black forest region was widespread, with multiple altars being inscribed both to her and Abnoba.
Prior to discovering this I was entirely unaware of Diana-Artemisa having any associations with water, but it seems the epithet Abnoba ties her very close to them, particularly rivers and springs. With Diana's associations with life, it can be fair to assume her association with water also comes from it's life giving qualities, particularly her being a patroness of springs and rivers. To me, Diana-Abnoba is an important epithet in my craft as a water witch, and I hope to communicate with her more in future.
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Arduinna is a Gaulish Woodland Goddess whom is associated with Wild nature, mountains, rivers, forests and hunting, much like Diana and Diana-Abnoba. As a goddess, she was both seen as a hunter of the forest and their protector of the Flora and Fauna.
Widely worshipped around the regions of the Ardennes, she is also associated with the forest of Arden in England. I find it interesting that while in this post I have looked mostly at Gaulish Worship, much of my research has come back to England, where I am from.
Arduinna was often depicted as a young woman surrounded by nature, riding a Boar and holding a spear (this is one notable difference between Diana and Arduinna, for Diana is more associated with the Bow and Arrow). The image of her upon a wild boar also symbolises her power and strength, for that is what boars were seen as, as well as being vital for life as a food source.
The only surviving depiction of Arduinna is a bronze Gallo-Roman statue of a woman riding a boar holding a dagger. However, the statue bears no inscription, and was simply assumed to be Arduinna in the 19th century. Diana and Arduinna are often identified with one another, a similar bronze statue existing in the British Museum from the collection of Richard Payne Knight is traditionally labelled as "Diana", their associations being tied in art dedicated to them. Interestingly, the statues are both headless.
Historically, Arduinna and Diana have been associated together and have been written about in Gregory of Tours account. In which, a preacher known as Walfroy preached to the population of Villers-devent-Orval in Ardennes as an attempt to discourage them from worshiping the goddess Diana. According to Gregory of Tour's writing, there was a large stone statue of Diana of which people would make their dedications to her. Unfortunately, the statue was pulled down and demolished by the preacher and his followers. Here we can see that Diana and Arduinna are identified historically in the Ardennes region. It also may explain why so few depictions of Diana-Arduinna remain, due to demolishment and interference from the church.
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http://www.deomercurio.be/en/dianae.html#abnobae
https://symbolsage.com/nature-goddesses-names/
Green,Β Gods of the Celts, 1986,
Dictionary of Gaulish Language
https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/arduinna
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Diana-Roman-religion
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195389661/obo-9780195389661-0059.xml
https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/greco-roman-religion-and-philosophy
The British Museum Online
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