Editing Angitia

{{For |the synonym of the moth genus |Angitia (moth){{!}}''Angitia'' (moth)}}
[[File:Dea Angizia Museo Arte Sacra Marsica.jpg|thumb|Terracotta statue believed to depict Angitia, in [[Marsica]], Italy]]
'''Angitia''' was a [[List of Roman deities|goddess]] among the [[Marsi]], the [[Paeligni]] and other [[Osco-Umbrian languages|Oscan-Umbrian]] peoples of central [[Italy]]. She was associated in antiquity with [[snake-charmer]]s who claimed her as their ancestor.<ref>[[Emma Dench]], ''From Barbarians to New Men: Greek, Roman, and Modern Perceptions of Peoples from the Central Apennines'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995), pp. 24, 159.</ref> [[Roman mythology|Roman interpretations]] probably obscure her Marsian significance.<ref>Dench, ''From Barbarians to New Men'', p. 154.</ref>

Angitia's myths vary. According to [[Gnaeus Gellius]] (late 2nd century BC),<ref>As recorded by [[Gaius Julius Solinus|Solinus]] 2.28.</ref> Angitia was one of the three daughters of [[Aeëtes]], along with [[Medea]] and [[Circe]], two of the most famed sorceresses of [[Greek myth]]. Circe, as widely known from the ''[[Odyssey]]'', practiced transforming spells; Medea ended up in Italy, where her son ruled over the Marsi. Angitia lived in the area around the [[Fucine lake]] and specialized in curing [[snakebite]]s.<ref>Dench, ''From Barbarians to New Men'', p. 99.</ref>

Angitia is attested by [[inscription]]s in the territory of the Marsi and elsewhere in the [[Apennines#Central Apennines|Central Apennines]]. She is named in three inscriptions from [[Luco dei Marsi]], in antiquity known as ''[[Lucus Angitiae]]'', "Sacred Grove of Angitia." The earliest is a dedication to the goddess "on behalf of the Marsic [[Roman legion|legions]],"<ref>''[[Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum|CIL]]'' I<sup>2</sup>.5 = ''[[ILLRP]]'' 7 = Ve. 228a (Marsic Latin).</ref> dating to the late 4th century BC.<ref>Dench, ''From Barbarians to New Men'', p. 159.</ref> The name also appears on a dedicatory [[cippus]] from [[Civita d'Antino]], in the [[Umbrian language|Umbrian]] [[Iguvine Tablets]], and in inscriptions in the territories of the [[Paeligni]], [[Vestini]], and [[Sabines]].<ref>Dench, ''From Barbarians to New Men'', pp. 159–160.</ref> She is mentioned along with [[Angerona]] in one inscription,<ref>Orelli, p. 87, no. 116; p. 335, no. 1846</ref> and in another her name appears in the plural.<ref>Dench, ''From Barbarians to New Men'', p. 164.</ref> Another indicates that she had a temple and a treasury.<ref>Orelli, p.87, no. 115</ref> The Romans derived her name from ''anguis'', "serpent," hence the form ''Anguitia''.<ref>Dench, ''From Barbarians to New Men'', p.159.</ref>

As snakes were often associated with the healing arts in antiquity (see, for instance, [[rod of Asclepius]]), Angitia is believed to have been mainly a goddess of [[thaumaturgy]].  She had powers of witchcraft, magic and medicine being regarded as complementary in the ancient world, and was a master in the art of miraculous and herbal healing, especially when it came to snakebites. She was also attributed with a wide range of powers over snakes, including the power to kill snakes with a touch.

According to the account given by [[Maurus Servius Honoratus|Servius]], Angitia was of Greek origin, for Arigitia was the name given by the [[Marrubians]] to [[Medea]], who after having left [[Colchis]] came to Italy with [[Jason]] and taught the people the above-mentioned remedies. [[Silius Italicus]] identifies her as Medea.

==See also==
*[[Bona Dea]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DGRBM|author=LS|title=Angitia|volume=1|page=178|url=http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/acl3129.0001.001/193}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}

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[[Category:Health deities]]
[[Category:Health goddesses]]
[[Category:Italic goddesses]]
[[Category:Magic goddesses]]
[[Category:Marsi]]
[[Category:Roman goddesses]]
[[Category:Snake goddesses]]
[[Category:Witchcraft in folklore and mythology]]
[[Category:Witchcraft in Italy]]