Translate

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Matribus Germanis




The Aufaniae, Suleviae, Vacallinehae, and so many more.  The Matribus Germanis - My Germanic Mothers.  Bede ties them to the Yuletide Modraniht, the obvious forbears of the Diser.  They were the Germanic Mother Goddesses, the helpers in times of need.  

Over 1,000 votive offering sites singing their praises were raised not just by Germanic Legionnaires, but also by their Celtic counterparts.  These Legionnaires learned Latin while in the service of Rome; we are the direct beneficiaries.  And, these votive offering sites are also found in southern Spain and Scotland.  Germanic and Celtic Legionnaires, including their families, raised these offerings to their Mother Goddesses usually after said Mothers helped them.  Always shown in groups of three, these Mother Goddesses covered a lot of ground.  

They were called upon during war, asked to help infertility and childbirth (fertility also includes crops and livestock), and for the general overall protection of the family.  In the Rhine area and Upper Italy, they were known as the Matronae.  In the UK, Matres.  And in Celtic Gaul, Matres and Matra.  So Pilgrim, have Matribus Germanis?  


                                                     Copyright @2016 Terry Unger

In Honor of Arminius

To honor this hero, I offer snippets from my new book, Finding Polaris ...            Introduction, Part One - The Age of Arminius ...