In
ancient Celtic religion, Sulevia was a goddess worshipped in
Gaul,
Britain, and
Galicia
Galicia may refer to:
Geographic regions
* Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain
** Gallaecia, a Roman province
** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia
** The medieval King ...
, very often in the plural forms Suleviae or (dative) Sule(v)is. Dedications to Sulevia(e) are attested in about forty inscriptions, distributed quite widely in the Celtic world, but with particular concentrations in
Noricum, among the
Helvetii
The Helvetii ( , Gaulish: *''Heluētī''), anglicized as Helvetians, were a Celts, Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their Switzerland in the Roman era, contact with the Roman Republic in the ...
, along the
Rhine, and also in
Rome. Jufer and Luginbühl distinguish the Suleviae from another group of plural
Celtic goddesses, the
Matres, and interpret the name Suleviae as meaning "those who govern well".
[Nicole Jufer & Thierry Luginbühl (2001). ''Les dieux gaulois : répertoire des noms de divinités celtiques connus par l'épigraphie, les textes antiques et la toponymie.'' Editions Errance, Paris. pp.15,64. In the original: ''"Celles qui gouvernent bien"''.] In the same vein,
Patrizia de Bernardo Stempel connects Suleviae with
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
''hylyw'' 'leading (well)' and
Breton
Breton most often refers to:
*anything associated with Brittany, and generally
** Breton people
** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany
** Breton (horse), a breed
**Ga ...
''helevez'' 'good behaviour'.
Epigraphy
The Suleviae have been identified in one inscription with the
Junones, but mostly with the Matres, for example on an inscription from
Roman Colchester, as well as on most of the inscriptions from Rome. The Colchester inscription reads:
::::MATRIBVS SVLEVIS SIMILIS ATTI F CI CANT VSLM
::(Translated: ''To the Sulevi mothers, Similis the son of Attius, of the
Civitas Cantiacorum, willingly and deservedly fulfills his vow.'')
In another inscription, the dative singular ''Suleviae Idennicae'' is attested in conjunction with Roman goddess Minerva.
Relation to other deities
Van Andringa interprets the Suleviae as "native domestic divinities honoured at all social levels".
[William van Andringa (2002). ''La religion en Gaule romaine: piété et politique (Ier-IIIe siècle apr. J.-C.'' Editions Errance, Paris p. 275. In the original: ''"divinités domestiques indigènes honorés dans tous les milieux sociaux"''.] For the theory that the Suleviae were a
triune version of Sulis Minerva, see
Sulis. This theory is disputed by some researchers who find no direct links with Sulis, and suggest instead that the similarity in names is coincidental.
Another theory connects the Suleviae with the
Xulsigiae, known from a site at
Trier;
[Edith Mary Wightman (1970). ''Roman Trier and the Treveri.'' Rupert Hart-Davis, London.] but this suggestion has also been contested.
See also
*
Triple Goddess
A triple deity is a deity with three apparent forms that function as a singular whole. Such deities may sometimes be referred to as threefold, tripled, triplicate, tripartite, triune, triadic, or as a trinity. The number three has a long history ...
References
Celtic goddesses
Gaulish goddesses
Gallaecian goddesses
Goddesses of the ancient Britons
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