Rosmerta

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This article is about the Celtic goddess. For information about the character from the fictional Harry Potter series, see Madam Rosmerta.

In Gallo-Roman religion, Rosmerta was a goddess of fertility and abundance, her attributes being those of plenty such as the cornucopia. Rosmerta is attested by statues, and by inscriptions. In Gaul she was usually partnered with Mercury but is sometimes found alone.

[edit] Statues

Statue of Rosmerta and Mercury from Autun

In this relief from Autun, Rosmerta is seated and holds a cornucopia while to the right, Mercury sits and holds a patera.

A bas-relief from Eisenberg (Deyts p.119) shows Mercury to the right and Rosmerta to the left. Rosmerta holds a purse in her right hand and a patera in her left. The inscription (AE 1905, #00058, see below) allows the figure beside Mercury to be confidently identified. In a pair of statues from Paris, one depicting Mercury and the other Rosmerta, she holds a cornucopia and a basket of fruits.

Rosmerta is shown by herself on a bronze statue from Fins d'Annency, where she sits on a rock holding a purse and, unusually, also bears the wings of Mercury on her head; and on a stone bas-relief from Escolives-Sainte-Camille (Deyts pp. 120-121) where she holds a patera and cornucopia.

[edit] Inscriptions

Map showing the location of inscriptions dedicated to Rosmerta (in red), as well as to Cantismerta (green) and Atesmerta (blue).

Jufer and Luginbühl list 27 inscriptions to Rosmerta (p.60) from France, Germany and Luxembourg, corresponding mainly to the provinces of Gallia Belgica and Germania Superior. An additional two inscriptions are known, one from Dacia (AE 1998, #01100). The following inscriptions are typical: the first is from Metz (CIL 13, #04311 ) and the second is from Eisenberg:

Deo Mercurio et Rosmertae / Musicus Lilluti fil(ius) et sui(s) ex voto

Deo Mercu(rio) / et Rosmer(tae) / M(arcus) Adiuto/rius Mem/{m}or d(ecurio) c(ivitatis) St() / [po]s(uit) l(ibens) m(erito)

In two inscriptions (CIL 13, #04683 and CIL 13, 04705, both from Gallia Belgica) Rosmerta is given the epithet sacrum (sacred). This more lengthy inscription (CIL 13, #04208; AE 1967, #00320; AE 1987 #00771) from Wasserbillig in Gallia Belgica associates Rosmerta with the founding of a hospital:

Deo Mercurio [et deae Ros]/mertae aedem c[um signis orna]/mentisque omn[ibus fecit] / Acceptus tabul[arius VIvir] / Augustal[is donavit?] / item hospitalia [sacror(um) cele]/brandorum gr[atia pro se libe]/risque suis ded[icavit 3] / Iulias Lupo [et Maximo co(n)s(ulibus)]

[edit] Etymology

The name is Gaulish, and is analysed as ro-smert-a. Smert means 'provider' or 'carer' and is also found in other Gaulish names such as Ad-smerio, Smertu-litani, Smerius, Σμερο, Smertae, Smertus, etc. (Delmarre p.277). Ro- is a modifier meaning 'very' 'great' or 'most' as found in Ro-bili ('most-good'), Ro-cabalus ('great horse'), Ρο-βιος ('great life') (Delmarre pp. 261-2). The -a ending is the typical Gaulish feminine singular nominative. The meaning is thus 'the Great Provider' and this accords well with her attributes.

An alternative^{[citation needed]} etymology based upon the University of Wales' reconstructed Proto-Celtic lexicon suggests that the name could be ultimately derived from the Proto-Celtic *roud-smertā, a word with the semantic connotations of ‘the red-glimmering one.’ She would then personify warming, homely firelight and as such would be comparable to the Roman Vesta and the Greek Hestia.^{[citation needed]} However, this etymology is at variance with the attributes of Rosmerta in iconography.

[edit] See also

• Visucia

[edit] References