Justification by Conflation

 I posed the following request on the Facebook group:

We celebrate Diana's feast on the ides of August (13 - 15). There is evidence in the historical record of this observance- the festival of Diana Nemorensis. I've seen others celebrate this date as Hecate's feast. Why? We celebrate Hecate's feast in November. With no sarcasm intended, will someone please refer me to evidence in the historical record of the ides of August being celebrated as Hecate's feast? I would like to have actual references. Thanks!

I also sent the request to a friend who is celebrating a feast of Hekate on the ides of August, and his response was a Sorita d'este video on the justification for the idea of celebrating Hekate on that date.

In this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVGjZwSgP5Q)  she talks almost exclusively about the Italian Nemoralia and says that since Diana, Artemis and Hekate had similar attributes she assumes that one may also honor Hekate on this date. This video is justification by conflation. Sorita assumes that because Hekate and Diana share attributes that it's ok to call it a festival of Hekate when it's actually a festival of Diana. But then she goes on to say that each deity is distinct... So how can this be justified?

You don't call on the Maiden at a festival of the Crone. You don't call the Mother at the festival of the Maiden. We call Diana, Hecate and Proserpine, but not interchangeably- each has different aspects and a different function. Each has their own festival and their own place in the cycle of the year. In my Nemoralia celebration a token is given to Hekate and to Proserpine, but the focus is on Diana. Just as at the feast of Hekate, Proserpine and Diana are given tokens and at the feast of Proserpine, Diana and Hekate are recognized. Again, the focus stays where it should be.

Conflation and assumption that Italic practices are all Greek in origin are two of my biggest pet-peeves. The Nemoralia is a pre-Roman Italic festival, not a Greek festival. It is tied to the location. It's not like every lake in Italy or Greece was circled by women who left offerings. It's a festival of place. The only reason the date was later adopted at Rome was political- Aricia was a competitor politically and financially.

Sorita also assumes that the torches are the main aspect of the festival and that because Hecate is depicted with torches that this is justification for her to be celebrated as well. The torches were not the focus of this festival, the torches were the means by which people left the city and went to the lake at night. The offerings were mostly votive or perishable in nature. There is no evidence that anything was floated on the lake until Nero put a ship on it. 

If there is historical evidence of Hekate being celebrated on this date, I'd be glad to know it. So far, I have seen no evidence that this was ever an historical practice- not in the Chaldean Oracles, or even the Hellenic recon calendars. The closest is the _monthly_ honoring or kourotrophos on the 16th, which was done every month, not just in August. 

This video really struck a nerve with me. It's rare enough to have a pre-Roman Italic feast make it past Roman syncretism and Greek syncretism, but again as this is a Festival specific to a place, it is not Greek in origin or Roman in origin. And here comes someone who ignores all but one aspect of Hekate, ignores her historical times of worship, has said Hekate is all the Goddess you need, and then proceeds to interject Her where She never was in the first place.

I am more than willing to say "I'm wrong, thanks for the info." I love new info, especially when it broadens my understanding, not only when it matches my currently held beliefs. I don't think people believe that others are capable of this. I'm a Libra who loves debate, who loves to learn. If you have facts, please present them!

The best source of fact based information I have seen about this feast is Roman Religion and the Cult of Diana at Aricia. I've talked about it on the blog before. It's expensive, but google books has a nice preview of it.

Etruscan Birth Goddess?!?

A few friends shared an article today about a recent find from an archaeological dig in Italy. The piece of pottery found is unique because it is from an Etruscan site which was a residence, a home, not a burial chamber, and depicts a woman giving birth. It also dates to 600 BCE. Totally worth the read! Highlights:

Poggio Colla is one of the few sites offering insight of the Etruscan life in a non-funerary context. It spans most of Etruscan history, being occupied from the seventh to the second century B.C.
Centering on the acropolis, a roughly rectangular plateau, the site was also home to a sanctuary: numerous votive deposits indicate that for some part of its history, it was a sacred spot to a divinity or divinities.

The abundance of weaving tools and a stunning deposit of gold jewelry discovered in previous excavations, have suggested that the patron divinity may have been female.

In this view, the ancient depiction of childbirth becomes even more interesting, according to Greg Warden, professor and associate dean for academic affairs at the Meadows School of the Arts at SMU and a director of the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project.


"Might it have some connection to the cult, to the kind of worship that went on at the hilltop sanctuary?," Warden wondered.
Perkins speculated that the woman giving birth could be a representation of an Etruscan goddess, suggesting that Poggio Colla was the location of a cult-site for an Etruscan fertility goddess.

"She would represent a new Etruscan myth, as we know of no Etruscan goddess who gives birth in Etruscan mythology," Perkins said.

A few observations:

Of course they haven't found representations of women giving birth at burial sites. Those sites were set up as houses for the dead supplied with things as if they were still living. Very pyramid-like.

This doesn't necessarily imply an unknown Goddess. The shard could be from a votive piece, buried at the site of the temple asking for a healthy birth.

We know little of Etruscan lore, but what is out there labels Uni the Mother Goddess and the one to petition for Fertility. She is syncretized with Juno, aka Iuno. Iuno... Uni... Hmmm... Also, like Iuno/Hera, Uni is related to the hero the Romans call Heracles and alleged to be his Mother, not his step-mother. There is art depicting the relationship too.  So yeah, we might know of an Etruscan Goddess who gives birth ;)

Here's an interesting article on Uni, tho nothing is cited.

A link within the article above leads to a story from 2010 about the discovery of an Etruscan home, not a burial site. Also, religious sites have been discovered, including temples. Looks like the Etruscans are revealing their whereabouts as well!

Manic Panic (adult content)

Everyone has panicked at one time or another; "Oh no! I think I left my homework in my room!" or "I forgot the files for that presentation!" But panic attacks are an entirely different thing. They can come on without warning and without an obvious reason. I've been to the hospital for what was determined to be a panic attack. Thankfully, I have been able to use EFT (emotional freedom technique) to relieve panic when it does happen and to preempt them entirely. I like EFT, it's one size fits all acupressure and it's a good focus. If nothing else, you're directing healing energy to yourself and being positive.

Is there an Italian remedy for panic? Italians don't have panic disorders. That's why it was such a big deal on The Sopranos lol kidding. Anyone can have a panic disorder, doesn't matter what your cultural background it. Herbs help: Chamomile, lavender, wine, garlic. But when faced with Panic, it's not a bad idea to have a relationship established with the God of fear itself, Pan. The word panic comes from his name. The word "pan" might mean "all" now, but at some point, the word meant something more like "rustic."

Who's your daddy?

Pan's father is none other than Hermes. The identity of Pan's mother changes with the folklore. A Dryad? a Naiad? Is this a metaphor? Hermes + woodland = rustic ram deity? Does Pan = Hermes? Is Pan the "pagan" version of Him? Pan is a deity of the fertility of the flocks and herds and of the woods. We've talked here before about Mercury, Hermes, et al as fertility deities (and it is said He is also a deity of herds and herders). Pan and Dionysus are pals, according to the mythology. In the same body of lore, Hermes carries Dionysus to hide him from Hera.

I find it fascinating that Pan is also associated with Priapus, who we have talked about before, specifically as the sexual side of Mercury. 

We like to go back and forth here on the blog between Italic, Roman, and Greek deities and lore, so let's add to the fun (or confusion, whichever you'd like to call it) and talk about the Italian and Roman syncretic versions of Pan: There is Inuus and Faunus and Silvanus. Faunus is most often associated directly with Pan. Inuus might very well be an epithet of Faunus:

...named from his habit of intercourse with animals, based on the etymology of ineundum, "a going in, penetration," from inire, "to enter" in the sexual sense...

 There's actually a pretty nifty article on wiki about how Inuus is the inspiration for Lupercalia!

Faunus is said to be one of the indigenous deities of Italy, as is his counterpart Fauna. She is also said to be Bona Dea. He is thought to have once been a mortal who was consulted as an oracle after he passed. For his continued service, he was apotheosized. Funny, Pan is thought to be a deity of Prophecy too.

I'm going to leave off here as it's getting late. There is more to come! I haven't even gotten to the part about actual panic! Pantastic!

Salute!

This is a bonus blog, mostly because it's a quickie and I feel like it might make up a bit for the past 2 days with nothing much to share:

When someone sneezes, the typical response is "bless you!" In Italian, they say "Salute!" meaning "to your health." Take a gander here:

The name on the coin: Salus Publica. The Goddess of personal and public health. She was oft conflated with Hygeia and had various temples in Rome and sanctuaries in which she was honored. You may consult a variety of sources on this for more information, including this page of numismatic niftyness (Roman coins!).

So when I say "Salute," I'm saying "Goddess Bless you!" Italians continue to invoke the old ways as a matter of course, even when they don't even know they're doing it ;)