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Sulis, She-Who-Brings-Forth.
SWLYS
Alternate meanings: Eye-of-the-Sun, Goddess-of-the-Gap.
[to Whom the thirteenth day of December, day 347, is dedicated]

Geography/Culture: Celtic: Romano-British. Her Shrine is at Bath (known to the Romans as Aquae Sulis 'The-waters-of-the-Gap'). The Romans reached Bath in AD 43.
Linguistic Note: Suilis, 'swine, pig or sow', from the root su, to produce; as in Sanskrit su, 'to generate, to bring forth;' from the prolific nature of the sow. Related English words: swine, sow, soil (as in dirt). Alternatively: "In both Welsh and old Irish, suil or sulis means an 'eye, gap or orifice'. . . The term sulis is likely a native word which describes the nature of the springs, and so creates a natural name for the presiding Goddess."
Description: Goddess of {perhaps the sun}, inspiration, prophesy, cursing, healing, wisdom and death; She Who is Bountiful, as is a sow of piglets; Enchantress; Matron of the arts and crafts; She Who presides over healing waters and thermal-springs.
Invocations, Pleas, Hymns and Other Homage to HER: Sulis.
To Whom Sacred: owl; sow; bear; cauldron (the steaming cauldron of earth); fire (perpetual at Her shrine).
Iconography: in statuary and bas-reliefs depicted as a matronly woman wearing heavy garments, with a hat made of a bear's head, Her foot resting on an owl.
Male Associates: son, or protected hero: Bladud, mythical king of Britain, perhaps a sun god.

Source: Monaghan BGH 277; CM.PM 34; Stewart WGMAS 6, 25.
Nemetona, Goddess-of-the-Wood.
N]M]TON1

Geography/Culture: Celtic: Gauls and Romano-British. She is associated with Bath.
Description: Goddess of the sacred grove.
To Whom Sacred: ram; sceptre.
Iconography: She is depicted as a seated queen holding a sceptre, surrounded by three hooded figures.
Male Associates: consort, Loucetio-Marti, Mars-the-lightning-God. Variant, Mars-Lucetius.

Source: BGH/216; CM.PM/49; Steward WGMAS 26.
Sulevia, {She-Who-Brings-Forth}.

SWL]VY1

Geography/Culture: Roman?
Linguistic Note: {meaning taken from Her names' apparent etymological relationship to suilis, see above.}


Suleviae, {Those-Who-Bring-Forth}.
SWL]VYI

Geography/Culture: Celtic: the Continent and Britain. Probably. Roman times.

Source: Steward WGMAS 39
worked on: November, May 1995; July 1991; July 1990.
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