Dea Matrona

Stone carving of the goddess Matrona

Stone carving of the goddess Matrona

In Celtic mythology, Dea Matrona ("divine mother goddess") was the goddess of the river Marne in Gaul.

In many areas she was worshipped as a triple goddess, and known as Deae Matres (or Deae Matronae), with a wider sphere of believed^[who?] influence. This triadic deity is well attested throughout northern Europe (more generally as the Matres or Matrones), not just in Celtic areas, and was similar to the Fates, Furies, Norns, and other such figures.

The Gaulish theonym Mātr-on-ā is interpreted to mean "great mother". The name of Welsh mythological figure Modron, mother of Mabon is derived from the same etymon.^{[citation needed]} By analogy, Dea Matrona may conceivably have been the mother of the Gaulish Maponos.

See also

• Matres (Matronae)
• Modron
• Triple deities

Sources

• Beck, Jane (1970) "The White Lady of Great Britain and Ireland", in: Folklore 81:4.
• Loomis, Roger (1945) "Morgain La Fee and the Celtic goddesses", in: Speculum. 20:2.
• Meier, Bernhard (1998) Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture; Cyril Edwards, trans. Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer.