Hludana
Hludana (or Dea Hludana) is a Germanic goddess attested in five ancient Latin inscriptions from the Rhineland and Frisia, all dating from 197–235 AD.[citation needed]
Three of these inscriptions come from the lower Rhine (CIL XIII, 8611; CIL XIII, 8723; CIL XIII, 8661), one from Münstereifel (CIL XIII, 7944) and one from Beetgum, Frisia (CIL XIII, 8830). The name appears as Hluθena[1][2][3] on the Iversheim inscription from Münstereifel, and as Hlucena on that from Monterberg in the lower Rhine. The name is abbreviated in an inscription from Nijmegen on the lower Rhine ([H]lud.); it appears as Hludana in the inscriptions from Xanten (lower Rhine) and Beetgum. The Beetgum inscription, dedicated by a group of fishermen,[1] originally accompanied a carving of a seated goddess, of which only the bottom can now be seen.[2][4] On etymological grounds, the name Hludana is closely related to Old Greek κλυδων and κλυδωνα (kludoon(a) 'high waves, rough water') and Biblical Euroclydon, meaning a violent north-eastern wind. The linguist Walther Kuhn suggested that it might be derived from Poseidon's spouse Kleito, as mentioned in Plato's dialogues.
There is no proven connection between Hludana and Holda.[citation needed] Jacob Grimm suggested in Deutsche Mythologie that Hludana was to be identified with the Norse earth-goddess Hlóðyn.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Johann Baptist Keune: Hludana.(in German) In: Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft (RE). Vol. VIII, 2, Stuttgart 1893ff., col. 2128 (text).
- ^ a b U. Ph. Boissevain (1888). "De inscriptione Romana apud Frisios reperta". Mnemosyne. 16. Brill: 440. JSTOR 4424810.
- ^ The letter θ, sometimes transliterated as ð, represents the tau gallicum.
- ^ "Photo". © Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum – BBAW. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
