Name ▲▼ | Origin ▲▼ | Description ▲▼ |
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Goddess name "Bellona" | Roman | Mother goddess and goddess of war. She becomes syncretized with the Cappadocian mother goddess MA. The first known temple dedicated to Ma-Bellona by the Romans is dated to 296 BC. Bellona was attended by Asiatic priests who performed frenzied dances and gashed themselves with swords, offering the blood on the goddess's altars. Because of its violent nature, Rome refused officially to recognize the cult until the third century AD.... |
Goddess name "Ma" | Cappadocian / Anatolia / Turkey | Fertility and vegetation goddess. The tutelary goddess of Pontic Comana, she was served by votary priestesses acting as sacred prostitutes, and biennial festivals were celebrated in her honor. Gradually she took on an added role as a warrior goddess with solar connotations and ultimately became syncretized with the Roman goddess BELLONA. On coins of the Comana region she is depicted with the radiate head of a solar deity carrying weapons and a shield.... |