Abundantia, Goddess

Goddess Abundantia

 

The Roman goddess Abundantia brings prosperity and abundance

In Roman mythology, the Roman goddess Abundantia was the personification of abundance. A cult in the form of temples or altars is not attested. However, she was frequently depicted on coins of the Roman Empire as a symbol of general prosperity, abundance of goods and their free availability. While she is wearing mostly a cornucopia showing valuable gifts which she pours out of her horn. Sometimes she keeps ears in the other hand. In just a few, late Roman coins, the Roman goddess Abundantia occurs also as image which scatters coins among the people.

 

Abundantia is the symbol of well-being and success

 In Medieval mythology, Abundantia is still present. Now she is Lady Abundantia, in old French called Dame Habonde. According to this legend, Abundantia is a kind of being that brings prosperity and abundance, when she enjoys together with her night ladies food and drinks, which have ben offered to them at night. Abundantia is thus both a Roman and a Nordic goddess of prosperity, success and abundance. The legend says that she helps all who seek her help to gain gold and wealth. And Abundantia always carries a cornucopia full of gold coins, which she lets drop behind her on the way, where ever she goes. A sign for her assistance are coins found in the most amazing places. But Abundantia brings more than just pocket money! She also gives prosperity and abundance!

 

The benefactress on coins

 

On the right, Abundantia faces Emperor Traian.

(Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons)

 

Abundantia coin

Abundantia did not need temples or altars, but the Roman goddess of prosperity and wealth was abundantly present on her own symbols – on coins. In her the difference between religion and mythology are blurred. While Abundantia is represented always as a beautiful woman, in one hand a cornucopia and in the other hand corn ears, she wears a wreath of flowers. On later Roman coinage Abundantia distributes coins among the people. According to the legend the Roman goddess visited the houses at night to bring prosperity to the people. Abundantia is a goddess who is especially kind to women, supports them and helps them to achieve and maintain leadership for inner wealth. Yet, she also looks after financial institutes. Warsaw has set her a monument in the famous Wilanów Palace Road. She holds a cornucopia as a symbol of abundance, food, and good harvest.

 

 

The Roman goddesses and gods - an introduction

The Pantheon of Roman gods and the Greek gods with their description

 

Roman Name of the Roman goddesses and gods	Roman Name of the Greek goddesses and gods	Description
Apollo	Apollo	god of the Sun, poetry, music, Oracle
Bacchus	Dyonisos	god of wine
Ceres	Demeter	goddess of agriculture
Cupid	Eros	god of love
Artemis	Diana	goddess of the hunt
Fauna	Maia	goddess of animals
Flora	Chloris	goddess of flowers and spring
Fortuna	Tyche	goddess of happiness
Janus		god of the beginning and the end
Juno	Hera	the goddess of marriage
Jupiter	Zeus	god of heaven and king of the gods
Mars	Ares	god of war
Mercury	Hermes	Messenger of the gods and God of finances, poets and writers
Minerva	Pallas Athena	goddess of wisdom
Neptune	Poseidon	god of sea
Pluto	Hades	god of the underworld and death
Saturn	Kronos	god of time, harvest and agriculture
Venus	Aphrodite	goddess of love and beauty
Vesta	Hestia	goddess of the heart, the home and the Roman State
Vulcanus	Hephaestus	god of fire and the forge

 

Ever more new-Roman deities

The Roman goddess Vesta was borrowed from the Greek, and corresponded to Hestia, the goddess of the hearth fire. She was worshipped in the Temple of Vesta in the Forum. Their circular Temple corresponded to the ancient italic round hut. The eternal flame, which was guarded by six vestal virgins, burned in the temple with 20 columns. She lived in a neighboring House and their "service" took 30 years. The Roman virgins to guard the Temple had to live as virgins. If one of them fell, she was walled up alive. And if one did not pay attention and let the external fire extinguish, she was scourged to death by the Pontiff Maximus. However, when a criminal who had been sentenced to death, on his way to the execution met a vestal virgin, he was pardoned. Vestal virgins were so highly regarded that even Senators made place for them when they met in the street. The Roman rulers deposited their testaments in the Temple of Vesta.

Examples of how Romans paid homage to their gods

Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, was worshipped when a famine in Rome broke out in the year 496 BC. To her together with Liber (gr. Dionysos) and Libera (gr. Persephone) a temple was donated. Mars was the God of war and thus the God of the soldiers and the military. The month of March was dedicated to him, because he was originally the old Latin god of agriculture and of spring. On March 1, the Roman Mars priests who came from twelve noble families, held their celebrations in honor of Mars. The farmers went with a bull, a pig and a sheep goat across the fields and sacrificed the animals to the deity of Mars. Mercury was the God of traders, poets and writers. At the Circus Maximus, who was at the same time also the Corn Exchange of Rome, he had his temple. Here was also the seat of the panel of the Roman merchants (mercuriales).

Venus is the goddess of love and beauty. She is the mother of Aeneas and thus the ancestress of the family of the Iulier which they worshipped as Generix. She was also the Roman goddess of the garden for the farmers. Neptune as God of the water was the Greek Poseidon in the Roman pantheon. Apollo, initially considered as a healing god, later became the god of arts, divination, the exiles and the displaced persons. In the Roman Empire, he was also Sol, the Sun God of the Romans. His sister was Diane, who was the Greek god artemis, a goddess of the hunt.

Roman gods

In addition to the old and new gods, Romans worshipped further divine beings, the Lares, Penates and Manes. The Lares were the gods of the house and the spirits of the deceased who looked after the house. They even remained when a Roman family left their house. The Penates were the gods of the inhabitants of the houses. You were dependent on their health and prosperity. Her name is derived from the Latin word penus meaning supplies. The Penates accompanied the families, but alsoe the State had his Penates. The Manes were the souls of the dead, which were worshipped by the Romans. They were not only worshipped, even a Festival was celebrated to their honour on 21 February (feralia). Marriage was forbidden on that day, the temples were closed and Roman officials were not allowed to wear official clothing. The Manes are often mentioned under the symbol DM - dis manibus - on Roman gravestones manibus.