Nehalennia
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- This article is about the mythological Nehallenia. For the Sailor Moon character, see Dead Moon Circus.
Nehalennia (spelled variously) is a Celtic or other pre-Germanic goddess whose worship was protected by the Romans in the second century and third century C.E. in the territory of what is now the province of Zeeland in The Netherlands. She was a local goddess whose main function appeared to be the protection of travelers, especially seagoing travelers. Most of what is known about her comes from the remains of offering stones which have been dredged up from the Oosterschelde since 1970. Two more Nehalennia offering stones have also been found in Germany, at Cologne.
The offering stones found depict her sitting down with a basket of apples, and a dog at her side, sometimes with a scepter in her hands. In some depictions she rests her foot on a ship, or holds a ship's oar.
It is unknown when the worship of Nehallenia started or ended, but it is generally accepted that her cult was at its peak in the second and third century C.E., at which time there were at least two and possibly three temples located in the area of what is now Zeeland. At the time this was an important link for the trade between the Rhine area and Britain.
Most of the offering stones dredged from the coastal waters around Walcheren were offered to the goddess by merchants returning from a trip to Britain, as appreciation for a safe journey. Some contained the Latin inscription "VSLM", meaning "Votum Solvit Libens Merito", indicating the completion of a vow, possibly one made in return for a safe passage.
In August 2005, a replica of the Nehelennia temple near the lost town of Ganuenta was opened in Colijnsplaat[1].
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[edit] Etymology
Unknown is whether Nehalennia is a Celtic or Germanic name or neither. Other Indo-European peoples might have inhabited the area around the second century B.C.E., giving a latest start date to her cult. It is also possible that the name is not of Indo-European origin. Roman writers identified indigenous people at will or for political reasons as Celtic or German, mostly regarding the Rhine as a natural division. Modern archeological methods revealed Celtic cultural findings on sites where Romans described people to be Germanic, or the reverse occurred, but leaves us without a clou about the language actually spoken. As well should be recognized Nehalennia is just a Latin transcription of a foreign language and would probably have lost much of its local vocalization.
The name might originate from a combination of Proto-Celtic, Proto-Germanic or otherwise Indo-European roots or stems. It should be realized that at least the Celtic and Germanic tribes shared a common heritage in language as well as ancient religion and where culturally intertwined, retaining however some noteworthy differences.
The name can be split up in several short syllable combinations to correspond with recognizable roots or stems. Proposable are the PIE roots *nek (death, to bring) or *nebh (sky/cloud), leaving suffix "ennia" open to investigation.
To the Indo-European root *nek corresponds a reconstructed proto-celtic equivalent stem *nek-e/o- (to kill). Notwithstanding references towards the afterworld at the votive statues digged up, so far this explanation doesn't make sense for the fertility attributes ascribed to the divinity.
Leaving its first two syllables together, the composite “Nehal” could yield both a Germanic and a Celtic explanation.
A Germanic etymology towards “Nehal” could be proposed departing from stem *nihw-ela- (*nigw-ela-), meaning "to destroy." In modern Dutch for instance this stem survives in “vernielen,” meaning the same. This explanation would fit the funerary motives and symbols on the altar and offers identification with the female triple-goddesses of Indo-European tradition (see also Moirae, Norns) or, more precisely, to the incarnation of the future like the Nordic Skuld, as Valkyrie being the only Norn dedicated to recruting fallen heros on Hellhoundback for the future battle of Ragnarok.
Far less is known about Proto-Celtic. The same applies to Celtic mythology. In case of a Celtic origin, however, we find a clou at hand with proto Indo-European (PIE) *nebh- (sky/cloud). One argument in favor could be the popularity of Celtic names of divinities derived from this root, like Abnoba, a local female deity whose worship was within the Black Forest and dedicated to a river and forests, that originates from a Celtic dialect containing root *nob (wetness), derived directly from the PIE root. Another argument would be the wider development of this PIE root towards occurrences in known Celtic languages meaning Sky (being "nem" in Old Irish; "nef" in Welsh, Cornish en Bretons) and “Cloud” (Old Irish: nēl, gen. niuil m ; Welsh niwl, nifwl; Cornish niul). Notable is the typical Celtic evolution of strong dentals towards aspired consonants. “Nehal” then would correspond neatly to modern Dutch “nevel”, Latin "nebula" etc., thus sharing words having high international cultural significance and a notable IE history. Compare also mythological names derived from the same PIE root, like Niflheim, the vaguely defined but widely renowned Nibelungen pedigree and the Dutch river Nabalia mentioned by Tacitus for being picked as location for signing the peace between Batavians and Romans after finishing the Batavian rebellion. Consider rivers in general relate to the cult of a river-godesses in most of Europe.
In its meaning related to *nebh, “Nehal” must have had for sure a second association in pagan times to more destructive forces, like those depicted by the underworld. This double nature of meaning would reflect an ancient pagan, Indo-European mind already waning in historical times. In Latin, much better known than its Germanic and Celtic contemporary counterparts, some of this heritage could have been preserved in the duality between the words “nebula” (mist, fog, vapor) and “nebulo” (scoundrel, villain, roughneck). If the local Celtic dialect (Celtic being related closer to Latin than to Germanic) would have retained this negative synonym, the previous explanation of “Nehal” from Proto-Germanic *nihw-ela- (to distroy) would find a Celtic equivalent. Even, being unknown any PIE-equivalent to this Proto-Germanic stem, this stem could have been adopted directly into the Germanic world from Celtic, thus yielding a similar Celtic etymology with a notion that Nehalennia indeed figured as an incarnation of fertility (goddess of water and fruits) als well as a divinity of death (Valkyr).
Finally, suffix -ennia may be of any latinized foreign origin or may not have any hidden meaning at all. Similarity with the Irish mothergod and queen of fairies Anu - including myths relating her to sons able to change back and forward to hounds thus explaining the hound-motive as a reference to motherhood - remains equally speculative.
[edit] Trivia
Asteroid 2462, or 6578 P-L, is named Nehalennia after the goddess.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Van der Velde, Koert (August 13 2005). Zeeuwse godin weer thuis. Trouw (Dutch newspaper), p. 8–9.
