Ma (goddess)
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Ma was a local goddess at Comana in
Cappadocia Cappadocia (; , from ) is a historical region in Central Anatolia region, Turkey. It is largely in the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Today, the touristic Cappadocia Region is located in Nevşehir ...
. Her name Ma means "Mother", and she also had the epithets "Invincible" and "Bringer of Victory".Jeroen Poblome:
Exempli Gratia: Sagalassos, Marc Waelkens and Interdisciplinary ..., Volym 69
'


History

Ma has been interpreted as a
mother goddess A mother goddess is a major goddess characterized as a mother or progenitor, either as an embodiment of motherhood and fertility or fulfilling the cosmological role of a creator- and/or destroyer-figure, typically associated the Earth, sky, ...
, but at the same time as a warrior goddess, as her name and epithets indicate both. She was associated with the transition of adulthood of both genders, and sacred sex rituals were practiced during her biennial festivals. Ma was also seen as a moon goddess, being associated with the Anatolia moon god Mēn, with a temple estate dedicated to Mēn Pharnakou and
Selene In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Selene (; , meaning "Moon")''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη is the goddess and personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene (), she is traditionally the daughter ...
at Ameria, near Cabira, in the
Kingdom of Pontus Pontus ( ) was a Hellenistic kingdom centered in the historical region of Pontus in modern-day Turkey, and ruled by the Mithridatic dynasty of Persian origin, which may have been directly related to Darius the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty. ...
, being an attempt to counter-balance the influence of the Moon goddess Ma of Comana. Ma has been identified with a number of other deities, indicating her function. She has been compared to
Cybele Cybele ( ; Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya, Kubeleya'' "Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian: ''Kuvava''; ''Kybélē'', ''Kybēbē'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother goddess; she may have a possible forerunner in the earliest ...
and Bellona. The ancient Greeks compared Ma to the goddess Enyo and
Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...
Nicephorus.
Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...
likened her with
Semele Semele (; ), or Thyone (; ) in Greek mythology, was the youngest daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia (Greek goddess), Harmonia, and the mother of Dionysus by Zeus in one of his many origin myths. Certain elements of the cult of Dionysus and Semele ...
and Athena. Ma was introduced and worshiped in
Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
together with other foreign deities. Ma-Enyo, a fusion between the Anatolian goddess Ma and the Greek Goddess, Enyo, was considered the great west Asian nature-goddess, with Comana's temple and its fame in ancient times as the place where the rites of this, a variety of the nature goddess, were celebrated with much solemnity.


Cult

Ma is described as a local Anatolian goddess, with her cult centered around her temple at Komana in Cappadocia. Her temple in Comana is described by
Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...
.Strabo, ''Geography''
12.2.3
/ref>


See also

* Mah *
Men (deity) ''Mēn'' (Ancient Greek, Greek: "month; Moon", presumably influenced by Avestan ''måŋha'') was a Lunar deity, lunar god worshipped in the western interior parts of Classical Anatolia, Anatolia. He is attested in various localized variants, suc ...


Notes


References

*Yulia Ustinova, ''The Supreme Gods of the Bosporan Kingdom: Celestial Aphrodite and the Most High God'' (1999)
p. 138
*
Robin Lane Fox Robin James Lane Fox, (born 5 October 1946) is an English classicist, ancient historian, and gardening writer known for his works on Alexander the Great. Lane Fox is an Emeritus Fellow of New College, Oxford and Reader in Ancient History, ...
, ''Pagans and Christians'' (1988), p. 536. *George Perrot, 'History of Art in Phrygia, Lydia, Caria and Lycia'' (2007)
p. 30
{{Authority control Ancient Cappadocia Ancient Anatolia Phrygian goddesses Cybele War goddesses Mother goddesses