The plot:

“I spin the whole damn planet

Sandraudiga

Sandraudiga is another barely known native Dutch Goddess of whom we have only heard about thanks to an altar stone found in 1812 on November 15 in Tiggelt, Noord Brabant, the Netherlands. If you take a close look at the date, 1812, it was during the Napoleonic era that this stone was found by workers who were constructing the Napoleon road between Antwerp and Breda. (I had to mention this as a huge fan of the Napoleonic era)

The altar stone has been dated back to around the 2nd century AD and is 1,40 meters tall. It has an inscription on the front side and a cornucopia decoration on the right side of the altar stone. The inscription reads: "DEAE SANDRAUDIGAE CULTORES TEMPLI" meaning "To the goddess Sandraudiga the worshipers of her temple". It took another 138 years before the temple was discovered in 1950 where this altar stone once stood. Unfortunately, barely any pieces of the temple have survived until the 20th century.

But who exactly was Sandraudiga? We know she is a Germanic Goddess if you look at her name. The meaning of her name is still up for debate but we know that the modern day Dutch village of Zundert is named after this Goddess. The name Zundert is derived from Sunderda which in term is derived from the name of the Goddess Sandraudiga. The first written mention of the name Zundert dates back to 1157AD. Sunderda means southern-earth, maybe she was the Goddess of the southern lands? Makes sense since Brabant is located south of the Germanic border.

The cornucopia on the right side of the altar stone might offer a clue as well. The cornucopia is a symbol of abundance and nourishment. She might have played a role as a Goddess of fertility, abundance or fortune. The location of the found stone and temple might indicate that it was either the Texuandri or the Batavi who worshiped her.

Who WAS Sandraudiga? What was her/their domain? Who were the worshippers, that for so long maintained shrines? The followers that left offerings?