Tellus
Publié le 22/02/2012
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(Terra Mater) Roman A goddess of
fecundity, or the ability to produce young. People
sought her protection and help even before they
developed formalized religion in Italy. Many scholars
see Tellus as an equivalent of the Greek Gaia, the
Earth Mother. Tellus means "Earth," as the name
of the third planet from the Sun, though the word
"Terra" in her alternative name refers to soil or land.
Tellus was also the divinity who watched over wedding
ceremonies and whose goodwill couples sought
before their marriages.
On April 15, people gathered to sacrifice a pregnant
cow to Tellus. They cut the unborn calf from its
mother and burned it, too. In this ceremony, people
sought protection of their own fertility.
Romans seem to have worshiped Tellus in conjunction
with the goddesses Ceres and Flora, both
Roman goddesses of fertility, though Tellus is more
ancient. All three were feared as goddesses of the
dead, Tellus as their queen. This image seems to have
evolved from people's understanding that death was
the opposite of birth and the belief the goddess of
one function must have an influence over the other.
On December 13, people honored Tellus, Ceres, and
Flora together.
Liens utiles
- Hadrien chapitre "tellus stabilita"
- Tellus - mythologie.
- Gaia (Gaea, Ge; Earth) Greek The personification of the Earth Mother in Greek mythology; known to the Romans as Tellus.
- Mémoires d'Hadrien "Construire c'est collaborer avec la terre"- Extrait de Tellus Stabilita.
- TELLUS