Geography/Culture: Roman. She appears in the time of Hadrian. (azov 1983 Roma 41.52n x 12.37e).
Linguistic Note: Latin, tellus, (stem tellur-), 'earth, ground, surface, support'. Allied to Irish talamh, Old Irish talam, 'earth', Sanskrit tala-m, 'surface'. Related English words: telluric (belonging to earth), tellurium (a rare metal).
Description: Goddess of earth, rich in children; She Who produces all the means of existence; Overseer of vegetable and human fecundity and reproduction; Protrectress of the soil's fruitfulness and all the states through which the sown seed passes; She Who is invoked during marriages to bless the off-spring; Oath-keeper; She Who hears all that is spoken on Her surface; Motherly Goddess to Whose kindly bosom the living return at death; She to Whom brides offered sacrifice when they first entered their husband's house.
To Whom Sacred: black hog and black sow sacrifice (on the second night of the Secular Games); soil; {tellurium}.
Iconography: She is represented as a dignified Matron seated between two attendants, (the spirits of air and water), surrounded by plant life. She holds two children in Her arms. On Her lap are fruits, at Her feet cattle.
Festival: April 15th, Fordicidia. August 21st, a harvest festival. December 13th Consualia, Her sacrificial date.
Male Associates: early male complement, Telluno, T]LWNO, ----; later She was associated with Jupiter, IWPYT6, ----.

Titles/Variants, etc:
• Also called Bona-Dea, Good-Goddess, Who is linked with Fauna, She-Who-is-Propitious.
• In later times She was confused with Ceres, Creatress.
• She was identified with Greek Gaia, Earth.
• And identified with Gilva, GYLV1, ----, a North African Goddess within the province of Roman occupation.
• She was also identified with Magna-Mater, Great-Mother, after Cybele, She-with-the-Axe, came to Rome.
• Ops, Fruitfulness, is probably an aspect of Her.
• Short form: Tellus, The-World.
• Also called: Terra-Mater, Earth-Mother, below.
• The early form of Vesta, Sacred-Fire, was associated with Tellus-Mater, Earth-Mother.

Geography/Culture: Roman.
Linguistic Note: Latin: terra, 'earth, the dry element'. Related English words: terrace, terrain, terrier (dog), territory, terra cotta, terrarium. Apparently not 'terror', etc., unless via terrere, 'to frighten', originally 'to tremble', as something earth does).

Titles/Variants, etc:
• She is sometimes identified with Fauna, She-Who-is-Propitious.
• Short form Terra.
• Epithet or title Titaea, ----, through Her identification with Gaia, Earth.