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Lupa, She-Wolf.
LWP1
Alternate meanings: Courtesan.
[to Whom the twenty-seventh day of August, day 239, is dedicated]

Geography/Culture: Greek: Pelopones > Etruria > Rome.
Description: Orgiastic Goddess of the moon, fertility and material wealth; [Protectress of courtesans].
To Whom Sacred: the fig-tree ruminal (which stood outside Her cave); she-wolf; goat (emblem of fertility) sacrifice; dog (emblem of fertility) sacrifice; Lupercal cave (on the Palatine where She suckled Her foster sons).
Festival: 15 February -- the Lupercalia, said to have been established by Romulous and Remus or by Evander, but probably more ancient than Rome itself. On this day the Luperci, priests of Lupercus {or perhaps Hers}, sacrificed goats and a dog at the Lupercal, smeared the blood on the foreheads of two noble youths, wiped it off with wool dipped in milk, and the youths laughed loudly. The priests then ate, dressed themselves in patches of the cut up goat skins and, running round the boundaries of the Palatine precincts, struck anyone they met with whips made from strips of the remaining skins. Women so struck became especially fertile and could look forward to an easy birth. The ceremony purified the land for the New Year. February being the last month, and from this underlying concept (februare, to clease) the month took its name.
Male Associates: Foster sons: Romulous and Remus. Male associate: Perhaps Lupercus, a fertility god (equated with Faunus or Inuus or Pan).

Source: Funk & Wagnall SDFML 654; New Larousse EM 213, 214-215.
Acca-Larentia, Lady-Mother.
1K1-L*R]NTY*

Geography/Culture: Etruscan, Roman.
Linguistic Note: acca reminds me of Finnish Akko . Could the name be related to Swedish Akka,----?
Description: Goddess of the earth's fertility, crops, city-lands and wealth.
To Whom Sacred: grain; wolf.
Festival: 23 December -- Larentalia, a festival establised in Her honour after She left a fortune (inherited from Tarrutius whom She had been obliged to couple with? marry? by Hercules) to the Roman people.
Male Associates: She bore 11 sons perhaps by lover Heracles, ----, (or some say by consort: Faustulus, ----, a shepherd), and adopted Remus and Romulous. After the death of Remus, Romulous with the remaining 11 brothers founded the college of the 12 Frates Arvales, priests of Dea-Dia, {Goddess-of-the-Day}.


Acco, She-Who-Fashions.
1KO

Geography/Culture: Greek: Peloponnese.
Description: White Goddess {of evolution}, the moon and agriculture.
In patriachal times She became a bug-bear Who devoured children.
Source: Graves GMv2 index; Graves WG 138.


Dea-Dia, {Goddess-of-the-Day}.
D]1-DE1

Geography/Culture: Italy: Roman. Worshipped in 725 BC. Probably much more ancient.
Description: Goddess of rural life; fertility of the fields, harvest.
The felling of trees, breaking of branches or use of iron in Her grove was not allowed.
To Whom Sacred: corn; fruits; incense.
Festival: Three days in May -- when Her priests, the twelve Arval Brothers, Frates Arvales, offered sacrifice to Dea-Dia, {Goddess-of-the-Day}, at Her sacred grove near Rome, for the fertility of the fields. They used a litany called the Carmen Arvale written in the Saturnian meter. {Perhaps this fact aligns Her with Ops.}
January 3rd -- the Frates Arvales offer sacrifice and vows to Her on behalf of the imperial family.

Source: New Larousse EM.
Lara, Progenitrix.
L*R*

Geography/Culture: Roman.
Linguistic Note: Derived word: tutelary 'having the position of protector'.
Description: Goddess of the dead.
To Whom Sacred: the tongue (it is said that Her tongue was cut out by Zeus {surely Jupiter was meant} when he became tired of hearing Her talk.
Festival: perhaps the Larentalia instituted in honour of Acca-Larentia, Lady-Mother, above.
Male Associates: sons, the Lares, ----, (fertility Gods of the home, two in number, who also guarded people), and the Manes, Spirits, alternatively Keres, ----, (good spirits of the dead), by consort: Hermes {though surely Mercury is meant}.

Source: New Larousse EM 213.
Mania, {Queen-of-Spirits}.
M*NY1

Geography/Culture: Roman.
Linguistic Note: Derived English word: mania.
Description: Goddess of the dead; Mother or Grandmother of ghosts; She Who became an ogress, or bogey, Frightener of children.
To Whom Sacred: maniae, grotesqe figurines which represented the dead; woollen dolls which were hung on doors in honour of the Lares were also called Maniae.
Festival: She took part in the Compitalia and Feralia (18 to 21 February) when the Manes, Spirits, return to earth.
Male Associates: She is also called mother of the Lares and Manes, Spirits, see Lara, Progenitrix, above.
Source: New Larousse EM 213; Walker WEMS 147.


worked on: August, July, June 1995; August 1991.
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