Feronia actually pre-dates Rome. Worship of this goddess is thought to have Sabine or Etruscan roots. A number of godly "oversights" have been attributed to Feronia, she seems to have picked 'em up like moss over the centuries. Freedom from bondage (slaves regarded Feronia as a goddess of freedom, and believed that sitting on a holy stone in one of her sanctuaries would set them free); protector of freedmen and freedwomen; fertility and abundance; springs and groves; harvest goddess; agriculture and fire; magic; a witch goddess with the power to walk over red hot materials all came within her purview. There's also a myth connecting Feronia to Rome's legendary founders, the twins Romulus and Remus. The story goes that a wolf suckled the twin babies. Wolves are the sacred animals of Mars, the twins’ divine father. Wolves were associated with Italian deities: Faunus, Sylvanus, Diana, and.... Feronia.
Here's a thought: was the Statue of Liberty in reality a representation of, or an image inspired by, the myth of Feronia? Some say it's quite possible that sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi had an ancient goddess in mind when designing his now iconic sculpture.
THanks for the nice post. I had always thought the points radiating from Lady Liberty's head were taken from the statue of Jupiter in ancient Rome, that same Rome that so influences so much of America's constitution and politics?
ReplyDeleteSounds not unlike Semiramis.
ReplyDeleteDavid Macadam~ Hi! :-)
ReplyDeleteYou could well be right, David. I consulted Wikipedia's page on the Statue of Liberty, and they say, as to the head-gear
"The seven rays form a halo or aureole. They evoke the sun, the seven seas, and the seven continents, and represent another means, besides the torch, whereby Liberty enlightens the world.
Yes, Rome, for good or ill, has patterned so much - here and in Britain - right down to the urge for Empire. ;-)
I guess the sculptor used a mix of different inspirations and symbols, mainly from the ancient world, their sources fast disappearing into the mists of time.
James Higham ~~ Had to look her up, the name is familiar, the story isn't.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be a bit surprised if certain elements of both stories have become entangled, accidentally or deliberately, along with other myths and legends, over the centuries. an ancient variety of Chinese Whispers.
:-)
Freedom...liberty...imagine...the following may be appropriate:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W86jlvrG54o
Have a tissue ready...
“Varro identified Feronia with ‘Libertas’, the goddess who personified Liberty. According to Servius, Feronia was a tutelary goddess of freedmen (‘dea libertorum’). A stone at the Terracina shrine was inscribed ‘let deserving slaves sit down so that they may stand up free.’ Livy notes that in 217 BC freedwomen collected money as a gift for Feronia. Some sources state that slaves were set free at her temple near Ternacia.”
ReplyDeleteFrom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feronia_%28mythology%29
“Feronia also served as a goddess of travellers, fire, and waters.”
“In ancient Roman religion, Feronia was a goddess broadly associated with fertility and abundance. She was especially honored among plebeians and freedmen. Her festival, the Feroniae, was November 13, during the ‘Ludi Plebeii’ (‘Plebeian Games’), in conjunction with Fortuna Primigenia; both were goddesses of Praeneste.” (From the same source)
Fortuna Primigenia was a goddess of slaves and freedmen...
Was she related to the wolf?? Interesting question...
mike ~~ Oh! .............
ReplyDeleteYes tissues are essential for that one, and when the tears eventually dry - try to subdue the urge to run outside and vent rising anger.
Thanks, Mike.
Chomp ~~ Thanks for those additional pieces of information.
ReplyDeleteThe freedom aspect of Feronia does seem to be the constant and strongest element. I'd not be surprised if others things attributed to her, such as harvest goddess, were mixed in simply because of the time of year the festival was held.