Noreia (goddess)

Noreia was formerly the epithet of a pre-Roman, possibly Celtic mother goddess , known from dedicatory inscriptions from the Roman Empire . Since an etymology of the name has not yet succeeded, a pre-Celtic / Illyrian deity was even adopted. But since there are no private persons among the admirers of the Noreia and no one who could be described in any way as a native Noriker, Noreia is more likely to be a Roman new creation.

Dedication inscription, Ulrichsberg church portal

Dedicatory inscriptions

A sacred grove in honor of the goddess in the municipality of Frög

In the former Roman province of Noricum , in the area of today's Carinthia , Styria and Slovenia , numerous dedicatory inscriptions with the name of Noreia have been found.

CIL 000003 III, 4806 Hohenstein: Noreiae / Aug (ustae) sacr (um) / Q (uintus) Fabius / Modestus / domo Roma / dec (urio) al (ae) I Aug (ustae) / Thracum / phialam / argent (eam) p (ondo) II | (quadrantem) / embl (emata) Noreiae / aurea / uncias duas / d (onum) d (edit)
CIL 000003 III, 4809 Hohenstein: Isidi Norei (ae) / v (otum) s (olvit) l (ibens) m (erito) / pro salute / Q (uinti) Septuei / Clementis / con (ductoris) fer (rariarum) N ( oricarum) P (annoniarum) D (almatarum) / et Ti (beri) Cl (audi) Heraclae / et Cn (aei) Octa (vi) Secundi / pro (curatorum) fer (rariarum) Q (uintus) Septueius / Valens pro ( curator) ferr (ariarum)
CIL 000003 III, 4810 Ulrichsberg: Noreiae Isidi fecit / A (ulus) Trebonius [3] / proc (urator)
CIL 000003 III, 5123 Trojane ( Atrans ): Norei (a) e / August (ae) et / Honori / stat (ionis) Atrant (inae) / Bellicus et / Eutyches / | (contra) sc (riptores) stat (ionis) / eiusdem / ex voto
CIL 000003 III, 5188 Celje ( Celeia ): I (ovi) O (ptimo) M (aximo) et Cel (eiae) / et Noreiae / Sanct (a) e Rufi (us) / Senilis b (ene) f (iciarius) co (n) s (ularis) / pro se et suis / v (otum) s (olvit) l (ibens) m (erito)
CIL 000003 III, 5193 Celje ( Celeia ): Marti / Herculi / Victori / ae / Noreiae
CIL 000003 III, 5300 Črešnjevec : [Victoriae (?)] / [A] ug (ustae?) E [t] / [N] oreiae Re [g (inae)] / [e] t Britan (n) ia [e] / [pr] ovi (n) c (iae) L (ucius) Sep [t (imius)] / [T] ertinu [s] / [b (ene) f (iciarius?)] l (egionis) II Ita [ l (icae)] P (iae) [F (idelis)] / [e] x vot [o pos (uit?)]

Adoration

Noreia's name is associated with the Celtic tribe of the Noriker , in whose settlement area their inscriptions were found. The suffix -eia speaks for an original tribal and / or settlement name and not for a god name. At the earliest under Vespasian, Noreia was associated with Isis, probably as an address of political loyalty - later this equation was adopted by the iron mine administration, perhaps because of Isis' special function as the patron goddess of mining . She was officially worshiped by the Romans. That she is a purely Celtic deity, who was only equated " by the Romans " with the Egyptian goddess Isis , is an untenable thesis. In Roman times, " Isis- Noreia" was supposedly regarded as the mistress of fate, happiness in life, fertility, mountain blessings and the healing power of water in particular.

Sanctuaries are attested by inscriptions in Hohenstein im Glantal and on the Ulrichsberg . With Noreia two localities in the urban area of Virunum were designated (one 27 miles away, the other 40 miles). Inscriptions about this goddess can also be found from these areas. The fact that Noreia is a “common Norse goddess” is based on the assertion that “during the excavations in Salzburg Cathedral, an altar dedicated to Isis Noreia was found as a Spolie”. Such a monument is not known in the databases, inscriptions, museum reports, excavation and finds reports - apart from the fact that Spolia stones were verifiably transported to the Salzburg Cathedral from places miles away. It is also incomprehensible why it can also be concluded from Salzburg as "common Norwegian". Cybele statues (see also Sirona ), such as B. those of the so-called "Kuhdirn" from Wutschein (municipality Magdalensberg, Carinthia ) were equated with Noreia without any evidence.

In Frauenberg near Leibnitz , 500 m from Seggau Castle , there is the largest shrine of Isis-Noreia outside of Egypt (or outside of any other country, because Noreia was never worshiped in Egypt or other countries ...) The goddess Noreia , an earth goddess (source missing), comparable to Artemis or the "Divine Mother" (and comparable to many things) was used from 1500 BC onwards. (Source missing) venerated in a temple on Frauenberg. (Source missing) Noreia was not only a mother goddess (source missing) or national goddess (source missing), but also protector (?) Of the extensive mining industry. This is often falsely justified by the fact that "she - like all Celtic gods - is to be addressed as a multiple functional numen " - but the indication "Protector of the mining industry" - see above - results from the equation with the oriental Isis, which only appeared in the late Roman Time came.

literature

Helmut Birkhan : Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. 2nd corrected and enlarged edition. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-7001-2609-3 .
Gabriele Russwurm-Biro: Dehio Carinthia . Third, expanded and improved edition 2001, Verlag Anton Schroll & Co, Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-7031-0712-X , p. 310.
Franz Glaser: The lost consecration gift from the goddess Noreia. In: Stranger Times. Festschrift Jürgen Borchhardt. Vienna 1996, 275ff.
Bernhard Maier : Lexicon of Celtic Religion and Culture (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 466). Kröner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-520-46601-5 .
Marjeta Šašel Kos: Pre-Roman Divinities of the Eastern Alps and Adriatic. Narodni Muzej Slovenije, Ljubljana 1999, ISBN 961-6169-11-4 , pp. 33-39.

Web links

Commons : Noreia - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Entry on Noreia (goddess) in the Austria Forum (in the AEIOU Austria Lexicon )
Noreia inscriptions in the Heidelberg Epigraphic Database

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Bernhard Maier: Lexicon of the Celtic religion and culture . P. 252.
^ Cults in Noricum, using the example of the Noreia sanctuary in Hohenstein. In: www2.rgzm.de. Retrieved March 2, 2004 .
↑ Patricia De Bernardo stamp: On the Celtic named tribes in the vicinity of the upper Danube region p. 92.
↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 348.
↑ Assertion without source analysis in Helmut Birkhan: Kelten. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 485 f.
↑ Celts and Romans - There the impression is given that Hermann Vetters is the author. However, it has nothing to do with these false statements, which can be traced back to a person on the association's board who draws with “Asta” and also writes on www.artedea.net. In: religionen.at. Retrieved May 2, 2003 .

[BM-1] Bernhard Maier: Lexicon of the Celtic religion and culture . P. 252.

[2] Cults in Noricum, using the example of the Noreia sanctuary in Hohenstein. In: www2.rgzm.de. Retrieved March 2, 2004 .

[3] Patricia De Bernardo stamp: On the Celtic named tribes in the vicinity of the upper Danube region p. 92.

[4] Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 348.

[5] Assertion without source analysis in Helmut Birkhan: Kelten. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 485 f.

[6] Celts and Romans - There the impression is given that Hermann Vetters is the author. However, it has nothing to do with these false statements, which can be traced back to a person on the association's board who draws with “Asta” and also writes on www.artedea.net. In: religionen.at. Retrieved May 2, 2003 .