Are you bored? Great, now you can read my very first blog post and become a little less bored.
As witches I think we all are familiar with the more well-known gods from Germanic-paganism, like Frea (Freya), Wodan (Odin), and Donar (Thor). These deities were (are!) worshiped around most of the Netherlands, Germanic and Nordic regions, as ancient remnants of offerings and small statues are still found scattered within these lands. It is in the media of today, that we find these deities brought back to life. They are given a new coat: super hero, comic book star, or the inspiration of countless of Netflix shows. While the ancient mythology of our ancestors can be an amazing bottomless pit of inspiration for artists and show runners, I can’t help but feel bad for the older, local gods. The ones that hold the true love and admiration of our ancestors, but lie now forgotten. I created this post to hopefully re-ignite a discussion on just how familiar you are with lesser-known deities. Especially a local sea goddess of the South-western Netherlands, the goddess of the North-sea, Nehelennia.
Drawing of a Nehelennia statue.
Who was Nehelennia?
Once very important to our Dutch ancestors, Nehelennia represented equal and fair trading, a good business deal, the protection of sailors and fisherman and of course prosperity of the nation, for the Netherlands relied heavily on trading with neighboring groups of people. An offering to Nehelennia equaled a prayer for the save return of tradesmen, the protection of cargo, or the closure of a good deal. Considering the importance of commerce and trading to the Netherlands, there is no wonder why a goddess like her was so revered by our ancestors.
My home city, Leiden, is also home to countless of Nehelennia remnants. Funnily enough, Nehelennia’s stone statues and inscribed plaque’s have spent more time in rivers and the oceans, than topside. One by one, after being forgotten during the fall of the roman empire, the statues were recovered by fishermen, and put in the Rijksmuseum of Antiquities, on Rapenburg street. The goddess is often depicted sitting down, or leaning against a wooden boat, draped in fabrics, accompanied by a dog, some fresh fruit and a scripture. The latter ensuring the closure of a business deal between two merchants. The statues are honestly very plain, simple and direct. Quite like the we Dutchmen ourselves.
If you have a free day, I dare you to come and visit the Rijksmuseum. In order to pray tribute to our wonderful goddess, and honor our ancestors by doing so. If you want to, you can also visit Nehelennia’s temple in Colijnsplaat, Zeeland. Get ready to bring here some freshly sliced apples. I heard she quite likes those ;)
Do you have any cool facts about lesser-known or local deities from your area? Feel free to share and partake in a discussion down below!
Kind regards & hail Thor,
Julia
Sources:
Godinnen van Eigen Bodem; Ineke Bergman
Rijksmuseum of Antiquities
https://www.zeeuwseankers.nl/verhaal/nehalennia-1