Ophiussa, also spelled Ophiusa, is the ancient name given by the

ancient Greeks Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically re ...

to what is now Portuguese territory near the mouth of the river

Tagus The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

. It means Land of Serpents.

The expulsion of the ''Oestrimni''

The 4th century

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

poet Rufius Festus Avienius, writing on geographical subjects in ''Ora Maritima'' ("Seacoasts"), a document inspired by a Greek mariners'

Periplus A periplus (), or periplous, is a manuscript document that lists the ports and coastal landmarks, in order and with approximate intervening distances, that the captain of a vessel could expect to find along a shore. In that sense, the periplus wa ...

, related that the '' Oestriminis'' (''Extreme West'' in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

) was peopled by the ''Oestrimni'', a people who had been living there for a long time; they had to flee their homeland after an invasion of serpents. These people could be linked to the ''Saephe'' ( Saefs) or ''Ophis'' ("People of the Serpents") and the ''Dragani'' ("People of the Dragons"), who came to those lands and built the territorial entity the Greeks termed ''Ophiussa''. The expulsion of the Oestrimni, from ''Ora Maritima:'' The "serpent people" of the semi-mythical Ophiussa in the far west are noted in ancient Greek sources.

Land of the ''Ophi''

The ''Ophi'' people lived mainly in the inland mountains of Northern Portugal (and Galicia). Others say they lived mainly by the estuaries of the rivers

Douro The Douro (, , , ; ; ) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish Soria Province, province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern par ...

and

. The ''Ophi'' worshiped serpents, hence ''Land of Serpents''. There have surfaced a few archeological findings that could be related to this people or culture. Some believe that the

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

sometimes represented as a

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...

, from the original Winged Serpent, or

Wyvern The wyvern ( ), sometimes spelled wivern ( ), is a type of mythical dragon with bipedalism, two legs, two wings, and often a pointed tail. The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools an ...

(the traditional Portuguese ''Serpe Real''), old crest of the crown of the Kings of Portugal and later of the Emperors of Brazil, is linked to local people or to the

Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

who had previously invaded the area and could also have been the influence for the ''Ophi'' cult.

''Ophi'' legend

A legend relates that on the summer

solstice A solstice is the time when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly sun path, excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around 20–22 June and 20–22 December. In many countries ...

a maiden-serpent, a

chthonic In Greek mythology, deities referred to as chthonic () or chthonian () were gods or spirits who inhabited the underworld or existed in or under the earth, and were typically associated with death or fertility. The terms "chthonic" and "chthonian" ...

goddess, reveals hidden treasures to people journeying through forests. This maiden would live in the city of Porto. Festivities related to this goddess occurred during the solstice. During the rest of the year, she would change into a snake living under or among rocks, and shepherds would set aside some milk from their flocks as an offering to her.

Notes

External links

Ora Maritima
(in Latin) at

The Latin Library The Latin Library is a website that collects public domain Latin texts. It is run by William L. Carey, adjunct professor of Latin and Roman Law at George Mason University. The texts have been drawn from different sources, are not intended for rese ...

Culto a la serpiente en el mundo Antiguo
Serpent cult in the Ancient Word (in Spanish)

{{Portugal topics Ancient Portugal Lusitanian mythology Snakes and humans Reptiles of Europe Fauna of Portugal Fauna of Spain Legendary serpents

The expulsion of the ''Oestrimni''

Land of the ''Ophi''

''Ophi'' legend

See also

Notes

External links