Senua
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Senua was a Celtic goddess worshipped in Roman Britain. She was unknown until a cache of 26 votive offerings to her were discovered in 2002 in an undisclosed field near Baldock in Hertfordshire by metal detectorist Alan Meek Picture of Alan Meek. Her imagery shows evidence of syncretism between a pre-Roman goddess with the Roman Minerva (for a parallel, cf. Sulis Minerva, the Romano-British goddess worshipped at Bath).
Senua's shrine may have been a ritual spring, into which offerings were thrown, surrounded by a complex of buildings including workshops and accommodation for pilgrims. It was certainly no humble crossroads shrine. The dedicatory artifacts were subsequently buried together at the Baldock site, perhaps intended for temporary safe-keeping, in the late 3rd or 4th century CE.[1]
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[edit] Offerings to Senua
The offerings to Senua include silver plaques with gold highlights, seven gold plaques and a superb set of jewellery, including a brooch and cloak clasps. The plaques still have the metal tabs which allowed them to be set upright, and are so thin that they would then have shivered and glittered in any draught. Some votive plaques were punched out in tiny holes, some incised. The jewellery incorporated older gems and glass beads, including a superb carved cameo of a lion trampling an ox skull which was already old and worn before it was set into the brooch. All of the jewellery shared intricate decoration in minutely coiled wire, and the set may have been specially made as an offering. An exhibit of offerings to Senua may be seen in Room 49 of the British Museum, labelled "Near Baldock Hoard".[2]
[edit] Inscriptions
The Baldock horde includes at least five inscriptions. One example reads,
- DEAE SENVA[...../ FIRMANVS[...../ V[SLM]
- "To the goddess Senua[.....] Firmanus [.....] willingly fulfilled his vow."[2]
Another inscription found on a votive offering of jewellery was left by a man named Servandus of Spain:
- "Servandus Hispani willingly fulfilled his vow to the goddess".[3]
[edit] Iconography
The silver figurine portrays Senua as a graceful woman with hair coiled in a bun. The breast, arms and face of the goddess rotted away in the soil centuries ago.
At least twelve of the votive plaques show classical images of Minerva, with spear, shield and owl; the five of these that carried an inscription were dedicated to Senua rather than Minerva.[2]
[edit] Name and etymology
Senua's name appears in various forms on the votive plaques, namely Senuna, Sena, and Senua.[2] Conceivably it might be related to the Proto-Celtic *seno- 'old'.[4]
Some commentators have drawn a parallel between the goddess's name and that of the river Senua mentioned in the Ravenna Cosmography. This river was located somewhere in southern Britain. Thomas G. Ikins suggests an identification with the River Alde, speculating that the river-name *sen- might have been translated to Anglo-Saxon ald.[5]
[edit] Modern worship
The discovery of offerings to Senua has inspired various practitioners of modern Neopaganism in the United States and Britain.[6]
[edit] Sources
- ^ "A New Goddess for Roman Britain: The 'Near Baldock' Hoard" from the British Museum's Department of Prehistory & Europe.
- ^ a b c d Dr. Ralph Jackson, Roman curator at the British Museum. "A New Treasure and a New Goddess for Roman Britain". (Google cached version)
- ^ The Guardian. September 1, 2003. "Senua, Britain's unknown goddess unearthed" by Maev Kennedy, arts and heritage correspondent.
- ^ Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, University of Wales. "Proto-Celtic-English lexicon" (See also this page for background and disclaimers.)
- ^ Thomas G. Ikins. "The Roman Map of Britain: Senua River Alde Suffolk"
- ^ Senua today from Senua.info
[edit] External links
- Senua.info includes photographs, an article by Alan Meek, historical background, and modern Neopagan rituals.
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