Bona Dea
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| − | Ancient Latin goddess of fertility, of women and thus guardian of the community. In Rome, the cult of Bona Dea was a state cult. The traditional ''dies natalis'' (foundation day) of her temple on the [[Aventine]] was celebrated on the Kalends of May. <ref>Ovid ''Fasti''</ref> The temple had an ''herbarium'' dispensary, where the priestesses dipensed herbs, <ref>Macrobius l.c</ref> | + | Ancient Latin goddess of fertility, of women and thus guardian of the community. In Rome, the cult of Bona Dea was a state cult which excluded men. The traditional ''dies natalis'' (foundation day) of her temple on the [[Aventine]] was celebrated on the Kalends of May. <ref>Ovid ''Fasti''</ref> The temple had an ''herbarium'' dispensary, where the priestesses dipensed herbs, <ref>Macrobius l.c</ref> Her temples were unique in being enclosed by a wall. Snakes were kept inside the temple precincts. Her cult statue was of a sitting woman holding a cornucopia in her left hand and an offering bowl in her right with a snake twined about her arm. |
| + | The other celebration were nocturnal mysteries whose date was recalculated each year, but was always early in the month of December.<ref>Brouwer p.359</ref> These mysteries were celebrated '''pro populo''' and by matrons of the highest class along with the Vestal Virgins. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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Ancient Latin goddess of fertility, of women and thus guardian of the community. In Rome, the cult of Bona Dea was a state cult which excluded men. The traditional dies natalis (foundation day) of her temple on the Aventine was celebrated on the Kalends of May. [1] The temple had an herbarium dispensary, where the priestesses dipensed herbs, [2] Her temples were unique in being enclosed by a wall. Snakes were kept inside the temple precincts. Her cult statue was of a sitting woman holding a cornucopia in her left hand and an offering bowl in her right with a snake twined about her arm. The other celebration were nocturnal mysteries whose date was recalculated each year, but was always early in the month of December.[3] These mysteries were celebrated pro populo and by matrons of the highest class along with the Vestal Virgins.
References
H.H.J. Brouwer "Bona Dea: The Sources and a Description of The Cult"
