Angitia

[Y Ladi Wen]

Hello Mr. Grimassi, I was wondering if you could tell me a little about the Goddess Angitia. So far all i know is that She was a form of Medea who was worshipped by the Marsi as a Goddess of Witchcraft. Thanking you in advance for info that you might send my way. :hahugh:

[raven grimassi]

Hello Mr. Grimassi, I was wondering if you could tell me a little about the Goddess Angitia. So far all i know is that She was a form of Medea who was worshipped by the Marsi as a Goddess of Witchcraft. Thanking you in advance for info that you might send my way. :hahugh:

There is a mention of "Angitia" in connection with Medea, but she appears as Medea's sister, and is said to have taught antidotes against poison and serpent bites. Some sources identify her with the goddess Angerona (guardian of the divine spirit of Rome).

I think it is more relevant, however, to look at the Marsi connection. Here Angitia appears as a snake goddess. In modern times we find remnants of her worship in the veneration of St. Domenico of Cocullo, Italy.

[Y Ladi Wen]

thank you so much Mr. Grimassi for the info. :hahugh: Looking forward to many more discussions with you. Many Blessings.

[Mike Abruzzo]

Angitia is well-known in Abruzzo as Angizia – there is still an ancient village named after Her in the region. She is said to be related to both Circe and Medea – in one late version Medea turns *into* Angizia when she flees to Italy in her dragon-drawn chariot. In some versions the Marsi are called the children of Circe. The Marsi were believed to get their ability to charm snakes and heal snakebite directly from Angizia, and could sometimes be found telling fortunes and selling charms on the streets of Rome. Marsian spells were a popular literary device used by Roman poets. The Romans considered Abruzzo the cradle of Witchcraft in a similar way to how the Greeks viewed Thessaly. Some scholars believe that the rituals of the tribal Marsi were considered "exotic" by the Romans, thus placing them firmly in the Witchcraft category in the Roman mind. Even today Abruzzo is half-jokingly said to be famous for our earthquakes and our Witchcraft. The recent terrible quake in April only confirms this long held belief.

A wonderful and popular 2006 exhibition mounted by the Chieti Museum of Archaeology (FORTUNA E PROSPERITA’. DEE E MAGHE DELL’ABRUZZO ANTICO – Fortune and Prosperity – Goddesses and Magical Women of Ancient Abruzzo) – showed that the Romans thought of Angizia as one with Ceres/Demeter as well as Aphrodite/Venus – statues of these Goddesses were found in one of Angizia’s major sanctuaries, as well as a seated statue of a Goddess believed to be Angizia Herself. Another Goddess thought by the Romans to be a form of Angizia is Bona Dea. Both Goddesses were connected to serpents, healing herbs and magickal women.

There's a lot of information on Angitia/Angizia out there - though much of it is in Italian - but if you dig hard enough it can be found in English as well.

If you read Italian there is a write up on the past exhibition here:

http://www.antiquariatonline.com/news/news.php3?id=362 (http://www.antiquariatonline.com/news/news.php3?id=362)

For more detailed information in English on Angitia/Angizia go here:

http://www.thaliatook.com/OGOD/angitia.html (http://www.thaliatook.com/OGOD/angitia.html)

Hope this helps!

[Y Ladi Wen]

Wow, Mike thanks for the great info :thumbsup:.

[Mike Abruzzo]

You're very welcome - happy to help! If you want to check out some stunning photos of Angizia, as well as the related Goddess statues found in Her sanctuary, and some inspiring shots of the temple complex itself in Luco dei Marsi, check out this link:

http://www.inabruzzo.it/ada/provincia%20l'Aquila/D-M/Luco%20dei%20Marsi%20-%20Angizia/index.html

I always thought the walls of the temple complex looked like serpent scales - I don't know if that was the original intent, but it's certainly how it looks today.

Blessings of the Lady of Serpents and Witchcraft!

[Y Ladi Wen]

:crown: Mike you're the man! I loved the link you provided awesome stuff! i have to agree with you on the temple walls they do seem alot like serpent skin. I also noticed what appears to be a Gorgon like figure in the armrests of the throne i wonder what function did that serve? Any ways thanx again for the link, infoe , and your time.:hahugh:

[Son of Goddess]

Oh, thats a very cool link, thanks Mike! I've been wondering what Her statuary looked like. I myself have become highly interested in Angitia and drawn to Her in the last several months.

The Gorgon faces, most likely, served as a sign of protection, a ward of sorts to those who approached the statue of the Goddess. Typically, gorgon faces were placed on homes, temples, etc... for just such a purpose. You could say they were the gargoyles of Mediterranean Europe, protecting the building from evil and so forth.

[Mike Abruzzo]

There's been much speculation as far as Her actual form - there appears to be several - the sort of staid seated Mother figure, a standing form ala Bona Dea/ Fauna - sometimes holding snakes. And even a possible (I say *possible*!) triple or multi-form since there are Roman literary references to Angitia in plural. This speculation arises due to a very late Roman Neo-Platonist reference by Macrobius that says Bona Dea is Hecate in the Netherworld. Because of the connections between Bona Dea and Angizia sholarly speculation has tried to link up Bona Dea, Angizia and Hecate. I personally think it works - given the strong connections between Angizia, Medea and Circe - Medea and Circe considered relatives (and priestesses) of Hecate. There have even been recent scholarly attempts to create a triple Goddess out of Angizia, Circe and Medea - but this is not widely accepted or even provable.

The Gorgon head is another source of interesting speculation. Because of the serpent connections, and references to the Marsian belief that the Moon periodically sends forth "venoms" like a snake, it's possible that in Her more wrathful or protective aspects Angizia could have had a gorgon form. The image on Her throne could be a late vestige of this. We may never know. Incidents like these make me long for a time machine!

[Y Ladi Wen]

Son of Goddess, thanx for the insight on the Gorgon figure.:thumbsup:

Mike, thanx again for the info. The idea of a Triple Goddess involving Medea, Circe, and Angitia is very interesting. So with that idea being proposed is it safe to say that Medea was maybe more than just a fictional figure in a story? That She was possibly a minor Deity or demi Goddess ?

[Mike Abruzzo]

The idea of a Triple Goddess involving Medea, Circe, and Angitia is very interesting. So with that idea being proposed is it safe to say that Medea was maybe more than just a fictional figure in a story? That She was possibly a minor Deity or demi Goddess ?

Not sure - but possible I suppose if you make a case for Angizia being an actual Goddess and then Roman writers making Her directly related to Medea and Circe - of even being forms of each other. Though Medea is portrayed consistently as a human priestess of Hecate. Actually the ones trying to make the case for the Angizia/Circe/Medea triple Goddess are operating from the perspective that Angizia is the one Who becomes fictional - meaning She's "demoted" from Goddess to Witch and forms a tripled witchly sisterhood with Medea and Circe. In the same manner that some believe Arthurian Morgana was once perhaps an earlier Celtic Goddess.

I personally feel these fictional Mediterranean Witches when not literary portrayals of actual pagan/magickal practices, reflect an older strata of beliefs about a Goddess or Goddesses. Circe is a prime example of this. What we're looking at here is layer upon layer of beliefs and centuries. Things get lost, things get altered over time. But what does remain in this case is the family connection between Angizia, Circe and Medea.

[raven grimassi]

Mike, interesting material and comments. Thanks for enriching the topic. Serpents have long been associated with Witchcraft and goddesses associated with Witchcraft, although I have not before looked to this specific goddess form.

Like a serpent I think I will take some time to digest. ;)

[Y Ladi Wen]

Thanx again, Mike :thumbsup: and Thanx to Raven and Son of Goddess for all your help. :hahugh:

[Mike Abruzzo]

Mike, interesting material and comments. Thanks for enriching the topic. Serpents have long been associated with Witchcraft and goddesses associated with Witchcraft, although I have not before looked to this specific goddess form.

Like a serpent I think I will take some time to digest. ;)

You're very welcome - my pleasure! It's a topic personally near and dear stemming from my family's orgins and practices in Abruzzo. Although considered by some a "minor" tribal Goddess, Angizia is quite powerful and a part of Mediterranean Witch mythology, thanks in part to Virgil. She is a personally significant Goddess to a small number of Italian-American Witches of Abruzzese descent, who continue to honor Her.

Blessings!