Epona, pronounced EyPONEah, a panCeltic (Gallic) horse goddess worshiped from around
400BC and earlier until around the time of Christianization in circa 400AD is called the Horse goddess or
Divine Mare. Also referred to as the Great Mare or Mare Goddess, Epona, is one of the most well known
deities in the Celtic pantheon and possibly the only Celtic goddess to have been worshiped in Rome. While
she is believed to have originated in Alesia in Gaul her worship spread widely spanning the entire Celtic and
Roman worlds and as far away as North Africa. Part of her expansive worship area is likely from the Roman
army who worshiped her as a military cult thus spreading her worship to all areas they occupied. The British
also joined in a cult style worship of Epona deeming her “Rigatona” or “Rig Antonia” meaning “Great
Queen.” Here she is seen with a possible correlation to the goddess Rhiannon who was also known by that
title during her time of worship years later. It is in this aspect that Epona is believed to be relived in the
Welsh tales of the Mabinogion. Epona has also been associated with many other goddesses including
Macha, the Goddess of War, in Ireland.
While no stories are evident of a husband, children or other family, it is suggested that Epona may
have originated as a great naturemother goddess that was later reduced to a horse goddess. Only one
story seems to have survived about this goddess. In the Parallela Minora (Greek and Roman Parallel Lives)
is a story about Fulvius Stellus. This story states how he so hated women that he took a horse to mate. The
mare became pregnant giving birth to a beautiful daughter she named Epona who was thought to be able to
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...(Facts on File, 1993) p78
Epona.net Introduction http://www.epona.net/introduction.html
Journeying to the Goddess Goddess Epona
http://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/2012/06/13/goddessepona/
Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Correspondences Sandra Kynes (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2013) pg320
Llewellyn Spell of the Day Epona's Feast Day https://www.llewellyn.com/spell.php?spell_id=5232
The Magical Circle School Resource Library Gods and Goddesses Epona Colleen
Criswellhttp://www.mistresskalpanasrealm.com/mod/glossary/showentry.php?
courseid=36&eid=1019&displayformat=dictionary
The Magical Circle School Resource Library Gods and Goddesses Epona Raiwvynn Dusasa (Student
acct.) http://www.mistresskalpanasrealm.com/mod/glossary/showentry.php?
courseid=36&eid=14973&displayformat=dictionary
Wikipedia Epona http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epona
life, i.e. birth, harvest, etc. Accompanying the 6 major goddesses (Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Hestia, Demeter and Artemis) we have the lesser divinities such as the Muses, the Graces, the Fates, etc.
...ueen of all gods, many worshipped her. “Hera’s sanctuary was at Argos in the Peloponnesus, where she was worshipped as the town Goddess. Other temples stood in Olympia, Mycenae, Sparta, Paestum, Corinth, Tiryns, Perachora, and the islands of Samos and Delos.”
important to establish who she is and what part she plays in the legend. Five different
There are many different Pagan gods and goddesses, but two primary deities that are worshipped. Gaia, and The Horned God; Cernunnos. The goddess Gaia is the mother of all primordial goddesses, and life on Earth. Little is known about Cernunnos and his role in traditional Pagan beliefs, but it has been suspected that he symbolizes nature or fertility. Gaia’s is characterized as a feminine woman, with green skin, the planet Earth for a belly (or a spiral on Her stomach), and plants for hair. Often times, Gaia is shown sitting cross legged, symbolizing Her connection with Earth. The goddess Gaia is also called Mother Earth and Mother. Her influences on Pagan culture are rituals, worship, and prayers. The Horned God, Cernunnos, is depicted as theriocephalic (having a beast's head), with horns or or antlers on his head. Cernunnos is often associated with na...
She is stil worshiped to this day by the Indian people. Her story is quite different from Athena’s, she was not the goddess of war and had nothing to do with violence. Instead she was also the goddess of knowledge helping people learn things such as the Alphabet. The Indian people hold a festival every year in her honor on the fifth day of spring in which the Hindu children are given their first lesson in reading and writing (Das).
In “The Horse-Trader’s Daughter”, Mabel loses her mother, her creator. The doctor who saves her from drowning then takes on the important role of giving her a renewed life, filling that void for Mabel (Lawrence, 1-15). Afterlife myths explain what becomes of the soul after the body dies, as humans have a problem accepting the possibility that the soul becomes nothing. Egyptian afterlife myths include a god named Osiris.
...uing the belief in various gods and goddesses. After the expansion of Rome they started developing other forms of deities based on Greek culture, basically meaning “Greco-Roman” religion. Although many religious cults that were connected to Rome including Greece were often accepted, many were banished.
Because of her primary nature as a horse goddess, many Roman cavalry soldiers took up worshipping her, presumably for healthy steeds. Because of this adoption by the Roman state, there are very clear and well-preserved images of her, always with a horse or pair of horses, and often with a cornucopia or other symbol of abundance. Despite this preservation, the only narrative tied to Epona is through a Welsh supernatural figure who is likely derived from her, Rhiannon. Rhiannon’s appearance in the mythos is in the Mabinogi, the earliest written record of the stories of Britain written in approximately the fourteenth century. In this text, she appears to the hero, Pwyll, as a beautiful woman casually riding a white horse, but when he and his men try and catch up to her, they cannot.
Goddess. The serpent said that he was a beast and after eating the fruit from
Sweet Briar College History of Art Program. Web. The Web. The Web. 27 Feb. 2011. http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/images/women/papers/stebbinsathena/athena2.html>.
Roman gods and goddesses are an important part of history. “Roman mythology is the conflation of ancient Roman gods, and Roman religion together...” (Milani). The belief in the Roman gods and goddesses known as mythology influenced the daily lives of the people both past and present. It has become part of our life through books and movies, architecture, religion, and art.
most beautiful woman on earth. Helen was a prize to Paris from Aphrodite because Paris picked this goddess the "fairest" of all goddesses.
There are many variations of the story of Medusa. Yet, I find this one more
Goddesses play important roles protectors and guardians of men and are demonstrated as being wise and knowledgeable in Homer’s Odyssey. Circe knows the directions to the underworld, and Eidothea, Proteus’ daughter knew where Odysseus was and was able to outmaneuver her father by telling men of how he will try to shift his shape and sh