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Samara
A Gaulish Goddess: She who is Restful
Samara is a hypothetical Gaulish goddess reconstructed from the river Sum, the river Sambre and the region of the Somme. Originally the names of these rivers were Samara, as was the name of Amiens (Samarobriva) and it's hypothesized that the goddess of these places was also Samara, a goddess of calm waters. |
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Gaul: She who is Restful
Samara is a hypothetical deity, based on the anceint names of the Sum (which raises close to Fonsommes and discharges at the bay of the Somme [it is the same goddess/river that lends her name to the Somme]) and the Sambre (whose source is close to Nouvion and which eventually flows into the Meuse. The ancient names of both rivers was Samara as is evidenced from the ancient name of Amiens, Samarobriva (the bridge briva across the Samara).
Assuming that the river was named after a goddess, or a goddess became associated with the river (as was common Celtic practice), then the goddess' name can be derived from the reconstructed proto-Celtic root *sāmo- (rest) and the feminine ending a- giving 'She who is Restful' or possibly, in a river context 'She who is Quiescent' suggesting 'calm waters' in the sense of 'not flooding'.
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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