Editing Sirona (goddess)

{{Short description|Celtic goddess of healing}}
[[File:Autel à Sirona - Musée d'Aquitaine - 60.1.19.JPG|thumb|Inscription to Sirona, found in [[Bordeaux]] ([[France]])]]
In [[Celtic polytheism]], '''Sirona''' was a [[goddess]] worshipped predominantly in East Central [[Gaul]] and along the Danubian [[Limes (Roman Empire)|limes]]. A healing deity, she was associated with healing springs; her attributes were [[snakes]] and [[egg (biology)|eggs]]. She was sometimes depicted with Apollo [[Grannus]] or Apollo [[Borvo]].  She was particularly worshipped by the [[Treveri]] in the [[Moselle Valley]].

==Sirona's name==
The name of the goddess was written in various ways: ''Sirona'', ''Đirona'', ''Ꟈirona'', ''Thirona'',<ref>62-63 of Jufer, N.; Luginbühl, T. (2001) ''Répertoire des dieux gaulois''. Paris, Editions Errance. {{ISBN|2-87772-200-7}}</ref> indicating some difficulty in capturing the initial sound in the Latin alphabet. The symbol Đ is used here to represent the ''[[Gaulish language#Orthography|tau gallicum]]'', an additional letter used in [[Gaulish language|Gaulish]] representing the cluster ''ts'' which was interchangeable with ''st''- in word-initial position<ref>Eska, J. F.  (1998). Tau Gallicum. ''Studia Celtica'' 32 pp. 115-127</ref><ref>Mees, B. (2002). On Gaulish tau. ''Studia Celtica'' 36, pp. 21-26.</ref> and it is not a form of the letter "D".
The [[Root (linguistics)|root]] is a long vowel [[Gaulish language|Gaulish]] variant of [[proto-Celtic]] ''*ster-'' (''*h<sub>2</sub>ster'') meaning ‘star’.<ref>Markey, T.L. (2001). 'Ingvaeonic' *''sterir'' 'star' and astral priests. ''NOWELE'' 39 pp. 85-113.</ref> The same root is found in [[Irish language|Old Irish]] as ''ser'', [[Welsh Language|Welsh]] ''seren'', [[Cornish language|Middle Cornish]] ''sterenn'' and [[Breton language|Breton]] ''steren(n)''.<ref>Delamarre, X. (2003 :282). ''Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise'' (2nd ed.). Paris: Editions Errance. {{ISBN|2-87772-237-6}}</ref>
The name ''Đirona'' consists of a long-vowel, ''o''-grade stem ''tsīro-'' derived from the root ''*ster-'' and a ''-no-'' suffix forming [[adjective]]s indicating [[Appurtenance|"a belonging"]] in many Indo-European languages.<ref>Page 57 of ''The Oxford introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European world'' by J. P. Mallory, Douglas Q. Adams. Oxford University Press (2006)</ref> Alternatively it may be an augmentative -on- suffix found in many Celtic divine names and epithets. To this is suffixed the Gaulish feminine singular ''-a'', the usual feminine variant of o-stem adjectives and nouns.<ref>Hamp, E.P. (1994). Incidence of Gaulish divine names in -on-. ''Studia Celtica Japonica'' NS 4, pp. 71-72.</ref> So *''Tsīrona'' would seem to have meant ‘stellar’ or ‘astral’.

==Evidence for Sirona==
[[File:Sironadist.png|thumb|upright=2|Map showing the distribution of Sirona inscriptions and representations]]
The evidence for Sirona is both epigraphic (inscriptions) and representational (sculptures and statues). As the map shows, it is primarily concentrated in east-central [[Gaul]], up to the Germanic lines, and along the Danubian limes as far east as Budapest. A few outliers are seen in Aquitaine, Brittany, and one in Italy. There are no Sirona finds in [[Britannia]], [[Hispania]], or in any of the other [[Roman provinces]].

===Inscriptions===
Some inscriptions, such as those at [[Bordeaux]] {{CIL|13|00582}}, [[Corseul]] {{CIL|13|03143}}, the three from [[Ihn (Wallerfangen)|Ihn]] in [[Saarland]], Germany {{AE|1994|1256}}, {{AE|1994|1257}}, {{AE|1991|1248}}, [[Mainz]] {{CIL|13|06753}}, [[Mühlburg]] in [[Baden-Württemberg]] {{CIL|13|06327}} and [[Trier]] (CIL 13, 03662) are to the goddess Sirona alone, ''deae Đironae''.

More usually, Sirona is paired with Apollo, as in this inscription from [[Graux, Belgium|Graux]] {{CIL|13|04661}} in the [[Vosges Mountains|Vosges mountains]]:

:''Apollini et Si/ronae / Biturix Iulii f(ilius) / d(edit)''

or this inscription from [[Luxeuil-les-Bains]] in [[Franche-Comté]] {{CIL|13|05424}}:

:''Apollini / et Sironae / idem / Taurus''

When paired with Sirona, Apollo is often assimilated with a [[Gaulish]] deity, such as Apollo [[Borvo]] or Apollo [[Grannus]]. An example from [[Sarmizegetusa (commune)|Sarmizegetusa]] in [[Dacia]] {{AE|1983|00828}}:

:''Apollini / Granno et / Sironae / C(aius) Sempronius / Urbanus / proc(urator) Aug(usti)''

and another from [[Augsburg]] {{AE|1992|01304}} where Sirona is given the epithet ''sancta'' (holy) and is identified with Diana:

:''Apollini / Granno / Dianae / [s]anct(a)e Siron(a)e / [p]ro sal(ute) sua / suorumq(ue) / omn(ium) / Iulia Matrona''

A dedication from [[Großbottwar]] in [[Baden-Württemberg]] {{CIL|13|06458}} can be precisely dated to the year 201 CE by mention of the [[List of late imperial Roman consuls|two consuls]], L. Annius Fabianus and M. Nonius Arrius Mucianus:

:''In h(onorem) d(omus) d(ivinae) Apo[lli]ni et Sironae / aedem cum signis C(aius) Longinius / Speratus vet(eranus) leg(ionis) XXII Pr(imigeniae) P(iae) F(idelis) et Iunia Deva coniunx et Lon/gini Pacatus Martinula Hila/ritas Speratianus fili(i) in / suo posuerunt v(otum) s(olverunt) l(ibentes) l(aeti) m(erito) / Muciano et Fabiano co(n)s(ulibus)''

===Depictions===

At the sulphur springs of [[Alzey]] in [[Rhineland-Palatinate]], Germany, a stone bas-relief shows Sirona wearing a long gown and carrying a [[patera]] in her right hand and a [[sceptre]] in her left. The identification as Sirona is assured by a dedication ({{AE|1933|00140}}) to Apollo and Sirona.

The richly furnished spring sanctuary of [[Hochscheid]] (Cueppers 1990; Weisgerber 1975) was decorated with statues of Sirona and Apollo, again confirmed by an inscription {{AE|1941|00089}} ''Deo Apolli/ni et sanc/t(a)e Siron(a)e ...'' (to Apollo and holy Sirona ...). The statue of Sirona shows her carrying a bowl of eggs (Green 1986 p.&nbsp;162) and holding a long snake coiled around her lower arm (a link to the iconography of the Greek healing goddess [[Hygeia]], daughter of [[Asklepios]]). She wears a long gown and has a star-shaped diadem on her head (a link with the meaning of the name Sirona).

A bronze statue from [[Mâlain]] in the [[Côte-d'Or|Côte d'Or]] and dating to around 280 CE (Deyts & Roussel 1994; Deyts 1998) shows Sirona naked to the waist and holding a snake draped over her left arm, together with a very classical Apollo with [[lyre]]. The inscription ( ILingons-M, 00002) is ''Thiron(a) et Apollo''.

A stone with an engraved bust of Sirona from [[Saint-Avold]], now in the Musée de Metz, bears an inscription ({{CIL|13|04498}}):
:''Deae Đironae/ Maior Ma/giati filius / v(otum) s(olvit) l(ibens) m(erito)''.

At [[Vienne-en-Val]] in the [[Loiret]], a square stone pillar depicts Sirona, Apollo, [[Minerva]] and [[Hercules]] (Debal 1973).  Sirona wears a long dress and a diadem, from which falls a veil. Her left hand holds a [[cornucopia]] and in her right is a [[patera]] which she is offering to a coiled snake. Again there is a similarity with [[Hygeia]], who also carries a snake. Indeed, when a statue has no inscription, it is not clear whether Sirona or Hygeia is depicted, a syncretism demonstrated by the inscription at [[Vienna|Wein]] ({{AE|1957|00114}}) which includes Sirona and [[Aesculapius]], the Roman form of Asklepios:
:''[I(ovi)] O(ptimo) M(aximo) / Apollini / et Sirona[e] / [Ae]sculap[io] / P(ublius) Ael(ius) Luciu/s |(centurio) leg(ionis) X v(otum) s(olvit) / l(ibens) l(aetus) m(erito)''

A different aspect of Sirona is shown at Sainte-Fontaine, where Sirona holds fruit and corn (Green 1986 p.&nbsp;161).

===Temples===

Several temples to Sirona are known. Often these were of the Gallo-Roman [[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#fanum|fanum]] type, an inner [cella] with an outer walkway or [[pronaos]], and were constructed around thermal springs or wells, as at [[Augst]] (Bakker 1990) and [[Nierstein#Culture and sightseeing|Oppenheim-Nierstein]] (Cüppers 1990).

At [[Budapest]] (in antiquity, [[Aquincum]]) a healing shrine at the spring which fed the [[Roman aqueduct|aqueduct]] was dedicated to Apollo (presumably Grannus) and Sirona ({{AE|1982|0806}})

:''Apolini /et/Serana(e)/ T(itus)Iul(ius) MER/CATOR D(e)C(urio)/V[1]LM''

It was established by the emperor [[Caracalla]] when he visited [[Pannonia]], although [[Dio Cassius]] says (Roman Histories, 78.15) that the emperor

:''received no help from Apollo Grannus, nor yet from Aesculapius or Serapis, in spite of his many supplications and his unwearying persistence''.

Two inscriptions describe the establishment of temples to Sirona. From [[Ihn-Niedaltdorf]] an inscription ({{CIL|13|04235}}) records the donation of a building and its furnishings at the dedicant's expense:

:''De[ae Sirona]e / aedem [cum suis or]na/mentis M[3] v(otum) s(olvit) l(ibens) l(aetus) m(erito)''

At [[Wiesbaden]] in [[Hesse]] (in antiquity, [[Aquae Mattiacorum]]) an inscription ({{CIL|13|07570}}) records the restoration of a temple by a ''curator'' at his own expense:

:''Sironae / C(aius) Iuli(us) Restitutus / c(urator) templ(i) d(e) s(uo) p(osuit)''

It seems possible that another [[Wiesbaden]] inscription ({{CIL|13|07565}}) that the wife of military commander Porcius Rufianus from [[Mainz]] dedicated to an otherwise unknown goddess ""Diana Mattiaca"" for the healing of her daughter Porcia Rufiana, also refers to Sirona:<ref>Schmid, A., Schmid, R., Möhn, A., Die Römer an Rhein und Main (Frankfurt: Societäts-Verlag, revised edition 2006)</ref>

:''Antonia Postuma / T(iti) Porci Rufiani leg(ati) / [l]eg(ionis) XXII P(rimigeniae) P(iae) F(idelis) [pro sa]lu/te Porciae Rufianae / filiae suae Dianae Mat/tiacae [ex] voto / signum posu[it]''

An elaborate shrine and temple complex at Hochscheid (Cüppers 1990) has already been mentioned. It was built in the second century CE around a spring, which filled a cistern in the temple. The remote location is thought to have been a pilgrimage site (Weisgerber 1975). It was destroyed in the third century, probably during the Germanic incursions of 250-270, and was never rebuilt.

==See also==
* [[116 Sirona]], an [[asteroid]] named in her honour

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Année Epigraphique (AE), yearly volumes.
* ''[[Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum]]'' (CIL) vol XIII, Inscriptiones trium Galliarum et Germaniarum
* Cüppers, H. (ed) (1990). ''Die Römer in Rheinland-Pfalz''. Theiss. {{ISBN|3-8062-0308-3}}
* Delamarre, X. (2003). ''Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise'' (2nd ed.). Paris: Editions Errance. {{ISBN|2-87772-237-6}}
* Debal, J. (1983) Vienne-en-Val, Divinites et sanctuaires. ''Bulletin de la Société Archéologique et Historique de l'Orléanais'', '''42'''
* Deyts, S; Roussel, L. (1994) Mâlain, fouilles de Mediolanum: découverte, en juillet 1993, d'un buste de divinité de l'eau dans son contexte. ''Revue archéologique de l'Est et du Centre-Est - Dijon'', '''45''' pp.&nbsp;503–509
* Deyts, S. (1998). ''A la rencontre des dieux gaulois, un défi à César''. Paris: Réunion des Musées Nationaux.
* Dio Cassius, ''Roman Histories''. Earnest Cary (trans), Loeb Classical Library. [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/78*.html Available online]
* Eska, J. F.  (1998). Tau Gallicum. ''Studia Celtica'' 32 pp.&nbsp;115–127
* Green, M. (1986). ''Gods of the Celts''. Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing Limited. {{ISBN|0-7509-1581-1}}. (Page numbering in reference above is to the 1986 edition, not the 2004 edition, {{ISBN|0-7509-3479-4}})
* Hamp, E.P. (1994). Incidence of Gaulish divine names in -on-. ''Studia Celtica Japonica'' NS 4, pp.&nbsp;71–72.
* Jufer, N.; Luginbühl, T. (2001) ''Répertoire des dieux gaulois''. Paris, Editions Errance. {{ISBN|2-87772-200-7}}
* Markey, T.L. (2001). 'Ingvaeonic' *''sterir'' 'star' and astral priests. ''NOWELE'' 39 pp.&nbsp;85–113.
* Mees, B. (2002). On Gaulish tau. ''Studia Celtica'' 36, pp.&nbsp;21–26.
* Weisgerber, G. (1975). ''Das Pilgerheiligtum des Apollo und der Sirona von Hochscheid im Hunsruck''. Bonn: Rudolf Habelt Press.

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|Sirona}}
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* [http://www.altiaia.de/frauennetz/fr2000-2.htm Alzey sculpture] (in German, illustrated) - includes an unreferenced woodcut of a temple to Apollo and Sirona
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020808115543/http://jfbradu.free.fr/celtes/vienne/03cadre-pilier1.htm Vienne-en-Val sculptures] (in French, illustrated).

{{Celtic mythology (ancient)}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gaulish goddesses]]
[[Category:Health goddesses]]
[[Category:Water goddesses]]
[[Category:Snake goddesses]]

[[ca:Mitologia celta#Déus]]