#baduhenna

We are a new and small, bilingual (Dutch/English) server, that focusses on Dutch (folkloric) magic, deities, and paganism. Our goal is to create a warm community where we can share resources, and talk about our practices.

We are an inclusive, queer-friendly, and staunchly anti-fascist and anti-racist server. No firth with fascists.

AKA, everyone else since I only talk about Artek.

Either way, took me a while to figure out my other characters, but eventually I got something concreate for the main eight. Hope ya guys enjoy em!

Jedi Knight: Artek Sefyr

Artek is the hero of Tython of my headcanon. He starts off a bit bratty and impulsive, but otherwise a good ideal hero. However, his experiences during the war mentally break him, growing more jaded and resorting to more pragmatic means in order to beat the Sith Empire. Still generally a heroic warrior type.

Jedi Consular: Leonna Korvan

Leonna also starts of as not a real ideal Jedi, but generally matures over the course of the story. She's generally calm and collected, with the occasional sarcastic or trickster streak every now and then, a bit like Qui-Gon.

Smuggler: Dovan Ebrekin

Dovan is the oldest of my core eight (early 30s by comparison) and used to fly for the Republic Navy in the waning days of the Great Galactic War. He's largely self-interested, but is always willing to stand up for the little guy.

Trooper: Baduhenna Orlais

Baduhenna is very much a hardliner for the Republic. Having been born on Balmorra during the war, she lost a lot of friends and family to the Empire's invasion. Now she's dedicated to protecting the people of the Republic by any means necessary, even if it means fighting with the gloves off.

Sith Warrior: Keija Sakamor

Keija is the daughter of two Ziost nobles, and later the deputy commander of the Eternal Alliance. She starts off a little spoiled and dedicated to her Sith role, but mellows out after her experiences with her non-Sith companions, opening her mind a bit to the wider galaxy. She ends up being a much more pragmatic and reformist type of Sith in the long run.

Sith Inquisitor: Armali Iannlea

Armali is...a very chaotic cathar (with a bit of human ancestry). On one hand, she can be thoughtful, intelligence, and pragmatic, but on the other hand, she's also very manipulative and self-serving. Deep down, she is resentful of the Sith, especially for her slave background, but isn't interested in trying to reform them, only expand her own powerbase. That being said, those under her fair a lot better than those under other sith lords.

Bounty Hunter: Vessara Xiansil

Okay so Vessara is Mirialan in game, but the blue skin option does allow for a pretty convincing Pantoran kitbash. She's a former street kid turned professional mercenary. Fairly ruthless in how she operates, but not a complete psycho.

Imperial Agent: Malo Pellaeon

Malo is loyal and dedicated to the Empire, but very much opposes the Sith, thinking they're holding everyone else in the Empire back. He's very cold and pragmatic, but not beyond reason. He accepts a lot of the Empire's faults as nessecary evils early on, but grows to be more critical as time passes.

Baduhenna

Baduhenna is a Frisian Goddess of war. Sadly nothing much is known about her but she has been described by Tacitus. Badwa is the proto-Germanic word for battle. Interestingly enough, there is also a Celtic battle Goddess known as Badb, she appears in the form of a crow on battlefields to guide fallen warriors. So you can compare Baduhenna with some sort of Valkyrie. Henna means leader/protector,her name means either protecter of battles, leader of battles or the driven into battle.

Tacitus described the following: "Soon afterwards it was ascertained from deserters that nine hundred Romans had been cut to pieces in a wood called Baduhenna, after prolonging the fight to the next day, and that another body of four hundred, which had taken possession of the house of one Cruptorix, once a soldier in our pay, fearing betrayal, had perished by mutual slaughter. The Frisian name thus became famous in Germany, and Tiberius kept our losses a secret, not wishing to entrust any one with the war."

When Tacitus' work was rediscovered in the 16th century, people started looking for the location of the grove in the Netherlands. At first it was thought that the location of the grove lies in modern day Frisia near the place Beetgum (baduheim), named after the Goddess. No archeological findings have been found there however that links the place with the grove.

In the 1980's archeologists discovered a destroyed Roman fort near Velsen. The fort was destroyed in 28AD which is the exact same year when the battle of Baduhenna took place. This fort was most likely Castellum Flevum and so the Baduhenna grove must be nearby.

Skeletons, coins, pottery and weapons have been found at Velsen which fit the time era of the Frisian uprising in 28AD. The most probable location of the grove is Velserbroek, 3km away from the discovered Roman fort. We know that there was a place of sacrifice in Velserbroek.

Both velserbroek and Velsen are located in Kennemerland, The Netherlands. Kennemerland was once part of Frisia, now it lies south of West-Frisia. Daggers, spearheads, horse gear and parts of shields have been found as offer gifts. This looks like fitting objects to give to a battle Goddess. Both places have also been inhabited by people since 3500BC so an existing place of nature worship could have developed into Baduhenna's grove during the iron age.

It is quite sad to see how this Goddess has been almost completely forgotten amongst the Dutch/Frisians and of course other Germanic people. Hopefully with the rise of modern heathenism, we can restore her worship again. Velserbroek is certainly a place worth visiting.

@fyeahmyths' summer myths event day 7: western or southern european deity

Baduhenna

Shrine for Cernunnos

More under the cut!

Fern's Baduhenna Deep Dive Part 1: Titles, name. Tacitus and the Annals Part 2: Aspects Part 3: Correspondences, ways to honour, extra info

Baduhenna: Valkyrie or Dutch Morrigan? Baduhenna statue and holiday Offering Bowl restoration Prayer a Day: Baduhenna Find me, Sister (prayer/poem) Baduhenna Moodboard Baduhenna Drawing What drew me to Baduhenna? Myth and personal associations Crow Spirit Cord Stardew Valley Shrines Top 5 Songs for Baduhenna

15 Days of Devotion: Day 1 - Short introduction Day 2 - Genealogy Day 3-4 - Symbols, Attributes, and Myths Day 5 - Names and Epithets Day 6-7 - Relationships and Offerings Day 8-9 - Festivals and Sacred Space Day 10 - Devotional Practices Day 11 - Art by others Day 12-13 - Aesthetics and own art Day 14-15 ??

Devotional side blog: @crow-and-fern

Sources:

the Annals (book) - Tacitus

Baduhenna, Godin van het Slagveld (PDF) [D]

W.A. Braakman De alde dyk (PDF)

Anneke Koers [D] Hoe de Godin verdween uit Oldholtpade (direct .doc)

W.A. Braakman [D] Taaldacht (webpage)

Baduhenna [D] War-goddesses, furies and scald crows: The use of the word badb in early Irish literature (webpage with link to PDF) -Kim Heijda

The Valkyries and the Irish War-Goddesses (JSTOR) - Charles Donahue

Antwoord op de vraag, door het Zeeuwse Genootschap de Wetenschappen (book) – Jona Willem te Water [D]

Over de beoefening der Nederlandse mythologie, naar aanleiding der jongste tot dat onderwerp betrekkelijke geschriften (book) – Johan van der Wal [D]

Verhandelingen over het Westland (book) – Derk Buddingh [D]

In this context historical means there is a general consensus this deity was worshiped in the past. There is archeological or historic evidence, no matter how little.

Unrecorded are deities forgotten through time. They were once worshiped, but that was so long ago even their name is forgotten. Perhaps on day we'll find evidence, perhaps not.

Constructed are deities that are of my own creation. Whether completely from scratch, or through adding to existing mythology of different deities.

When it comes to the Gleaming Grove - my personal pantheon, it is like this:

Hooded Hunter, both historical and unrecorded, Cernunnos

Rootwoman, historical, Baduhenna

Wildmother, historical, Nehalennia

Wayfarer, historical and unrecorded, Elen of the Ways

Sanctuary, historical, Nemetona

Hearthlight, historical and unrecorded, Freyr

Trickster, historical, Loki

Iridescent One, historical and constructed, Frigg-Frija

Shining One, historical, Frigg-Frija

Lady of Flowers, unrecorded, Eostre

Amber Forge, historical, Brighid

The Healer, historical, might be Eir or Airmid

Ashkeeper, unrecorded

Veiled Silence, historical, Holle/Holda

Crescent Huntress, historical, Jecha

Earth Mother, historical, Herta/Hertus

Crowmother, historical, the Morrigan

Void, unrecorded

Moon Mother, historical, Mona

Star Sister, unrecorded

Lotweaver, unsure

Wordweaver, constructed

Clothweaver constructed

Because there is so much we don't know of most of the historical deities that I honor, I rely heavily on my interactions with them, as well as UPG. It is why I started calling them by titles, instead of names, to make sure it people looking for historical "facts" would not be led astray.

However I am doubting this decision now, and may start refering to them by name again. We'll see.