MATER Matuta

MATER Matuta (literally, the mother of the small hour), an old Italic divinity of osque origin , is protective maternity, first marriage, from what comes in the world, of the morning and the dawn. It is identified with Albunea among Latin and Leucothée among Greeks. This last association comes owing to the fact that, under Hellenic influences, MATER Matuta accepted functions of goddess of the sea of the ports.

Worship

The Matrialia are festivals devoted to MATER Matuta the June 11th in Rome. Servius Tullius built to him a temple with the Forum Boarium (it was destroyed in 506 av J. - C. then rebuilt by Camille in 396 av J. - C.).

The rite carried out every year is reserved for the Matrone S (Roman citizen and mother). With the dawn, they insert a maidservant in the enclosure of the temple, whip it with rods then drive out it. At the time of the ceremony, they are their nephews and their nieces whom they carry in the arms and honor, and not their own children.

Georges Dumézil, the large specialist in the Indo-European religion explained this ceremony by putting it in parallel with the legend of Used and Usasah of the Indians vedic (Indo-European civilization like the Romans, Greeks,…) exit of the Rig Veda. Used and his/her Usasah sister are the goddesses of the dawn. Used will have driven out darkness while having initially attracted them: what explains the rite of the reception then of ousting of the maidservants (representing darkness) by the matrons. In addition, Usas is always indicated as sister of Usasa which protects his/her niece (sun): what explains the prayers of the Romans for the children of their sisters.

Anecdotes

In 378 av. J. - C., as they put at bag the town of Satricum, Latin do not dare to touch at the building of the goddess, because a terrifying way, spouted out of the temple, the threat of terrible reprisals if they do not move away.

In 213 av. J. - C., a fire devastates the heart of the town of Rome, of Aventin in Capitole, destroying the temples of Fortuna and MATER Matita located close to the Forum Boarium.

Random links: