Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Epona

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epona)

Deity Name
Epona, “The Great Mare”, “Divine Mare”, “Mare Goddess”
Pantheon
The Goddess Epona, while traditionally stemming from Gallic origins is generally perceived as Gallo-Roman in nature.
Native Origins
The native origins of Epona are Gallic origins, although she is one of the only goddess to be completely incorporated into the Roman pantheon when they expanded in to Gaul and beyond.
Correspondences
Day of the week
While no specific references could be found to a day on which Epona would be honored if one was to take into account the associations of agriculture, creativity, fortune, hope, protection and banishment of negativity than Saturday would be an appropriate day.   Thursday is another viable option as it is associated with harvest, riches and fealty.
Flowers and Herbs
Flowers and herbs associates with the goddess Epona are: Roses, coltsfoot, purslane, vervain, and grain.
Fragrances and Incenses
Some of the incenses that could be used in working with the Goddess Epona are: rose, sandalwood, sweet grass, and null.
Crystals and Gemstones
There are many crystals said to be associated with the goddess Epona.  Some of these stones are: cat’s eye, ruby, azurite, obsidian, moonstone, obsidian, carnelian, chrysophase, shiva lingham, smokey quartz, rose quartz, bloodstone, unakite, rhodonite, and garnet.
Foods
Given her association with horses, harvests and fertility it makes sense that food involving grains, carrots, and apples would be appropriate to the goddess.
Sabbats
The goddess Epona, as a goddess of harvests would be called upon during the Autumnal Equinox.
Metals
While I couldn’t find any references to metals it would seem logical that given the time period in which Epona came to be so popular that Iron would be an appropriate metal.  Epona is associated with wealth also so gold might be another viable option as it is something we have come to associate as a symbol of wealth and power.
Aspects
Epona is a goddess of many areas, she is said to be a goddess of Fertility, abundance, the moon, creativity, and freedom.  Epona is also a Protector of horses and things to do with them.  Finally, there are some references that link Epona to the underworld.
Favored Offerings
Given Roman connections favored offerings could involve wine and mola salsa (salt and flour cakes), as well as roses and grains.
Myth & Legend
There are actually no surviving myths about Epona and so we are left with evidence of her worship in various different aspects throughout Celtic and Roman world and she has even been linked to the Welsh goddess Rhiannon.  There are some brief mentions of her within the works of Juvenal, Apuleius, Minucius Felix, Prudentius and Fulgentius but little else remains.  Juvenal writes of Lateranus who refused to offer sacrifice to any deity other than Epona while working in the stables.  Apuleius mentioned a shrine to Epona found within a stable in his work “The Golden Ass” as does Minucius in “The Octavius”.  About the only surviving story of Epona is that of her birth.  It is said that a man by the name of Phoulonios Stellos was entirely uninterested in women and instead mated with a mare.  The product of this union was that the mare birthed a human daughter whom she named Epona.

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