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Andarta
A Gaulish goddess: She who is Most Bear-like
This deity is known from two inscriptions found in the South of France and is probably a warrior deity, though this is uncertain. |
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Gaul: She who is Most Bear-like
An obscure continental Goddess known from inscriptions in Berne and in the south of France, namely Die, Luc-en-Diois and Sainte-Croix in the Drôme region and Cheylard in the Lozère. A fertility goddess and Patroness of the Vocontii tribe, she may have been a counterpart or Aspect of Artio.
Having no attributes or other information from which to determine this goddess' nature and attributes we are left with interpreting the meaning of her name. This can be derived from the reconstructed proto-Celtic lexical elements of *an(a)- (intensive), *de (pronoun), *arto- (bear) and the feminine ending -a. Thus Andarta is 'She who is Most Bear-like'. Though whether she was a warrior goddess, a huntress or a local guardian deity may never be known. However, as many other 'bear' deities were warrior deities it's likely that Andarta also served this function.
If you would like to try the foods of the time of the ancient Celts, then why not have a look at the ancient recipes section of this site. For the foods of the time when some of these tales were written down, take a look at the Medieval recipes section of the site and, in particular, the recipes from The Forme of Cury.
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