Bellona

Bellōna (old form Duellōna; cf. Varr. L. L. 7, § 49 Müll., and the letter B), ae. f. [Bellona a bello nunc, quae Duellona a duello, Varr. L. L. 5, § 73 Müll.]: Ἐνυώ, Ἐριννύς, θεὰ πολεμική, Gloss.,

• the goddess of war, sister of Mars, whose temple, built by Appius Claudius Caecus (Inscr. Orell. 539). in the ninth district of the city, was situated not far from the Circus Maximus, Publ. Vict. Descr. Urb.—A place of assemblage for the Senate for proceedings with persons who were not allowed entrance into the city, Liv. 26, 21, 1; 28, 9, 5; 30, 21, 12 al.; Verg. A. 8, 703; Hor. S. 2, 3, 223: Bellona dicebatur dea bellorum, ante cujus templum erat columella, quae Bellica vocabatur, super quam hastam jaciebant, cum bellum indicebatur, Paul. ex Fest. p. 33 Müll.; cf. Ov. F. 6, 201 sq.; Serv. ad Verg. A. 9, 53: cos. SENATVM. CONSOLVERVNT. N. OCTOB. APVD. AEDEM. DVELONAI., S. C. Bacch., v. Append.; Plaut. Am. prol. 43; Ov. M. 5, 155; Sen. Herc. Oet. 1313; Claud. in Prob. et Olybr. Cons. 121; id. in Ruf. 1, 342; 2, 263; id. IV. Cons. Hon. 12; Eutr. 1, 314; 2, 110; 2, 145; Claud. Laud. Stil. 2, 371; id. B. Get. 34; 466; Petr. 124, 1, 256; Inscr. Orell. 1903; 2316. Her priests (turba entheata Bellonae, Mart. 12, 57, 11: Bellōnārii, ōrum, Acron. ad Hor. S. 2, 3, 223 dub.) and priestesses were accustomed, in their mystic festivals. especially on the 20th of March (hence dies sanguinis, Treb. Claud. 6; cf. Inscr. Orell. 2318), to gash their arms and shoulders with knives, and thus to offer their blood, Tib. 1, 6, 45 sq.; Juv. 4, 123; Luc. 1, 565; Tert. Apol. 9; Lact. 1, 21, 16; Min. Fel. Oct. 30, 5.

Bellōna, ae, f. (bellum; alt [v. duellum] Duellona, w. s.), Bellona, d.i. die »Kriegsgöttin«, Begleiterin des Mars, mit blutiger Geißel bewaffnet, Verg. Aen. 8, 703 u.a. – In ihrem Tempel (auf dem Marsfelde neben dem flaminischen Zirkus) versammelte sich der Senat, um Konsuln, die auf einen Triumph Anspruch machten, od. fremden Gesandten Audienz zu geben, da diese nicht in die Stadt kommen sollten, Liv. 28, 9, 5; 30, 21, 12. – Die Priester der B. (turba entheata Bellonae, Mart. 12, 57, 11) pflegten bei den der Göttin dargebrachten Opfern (bes. am 20. März, dah. dies sanguinis) sich selbst die Arme od. Füße zu ritzen u. dann das Blut als Opfer zu bringen od. selbst zu trinken, s. Lact. 1, 21, 16. Minuc. Fel. Oct. 30, 5. Lucan. 1, 565 sq.; vgl. Heinrich Iuven. 6, 511. – Dav.: A) Bellōnāris, e, die Bellona betreffend, Not. Tir. 81, 77. – B) Bellōnārius, ī, m., ein Priester der Bellona, Schol. Iuven. 6, 105: Plur., Acro Hor. sat. 2, 3, 223. – C) Bellōnāria, ae, f., das von den Priestern der Bellona an deren Feste (24. März) gebrauchte Kraut solanum, Ps. Apul. herb. 74.

Bellona [CL] 1 war goddess, valkyrie. b grandmother. Bellona ferox infecit corda venenis Aldh. VirgV 1545; 9‥ ~a, furia, dea belli, ‥ wælcyrge WW; bella fremunt, Bellona tuba, Mars intonat ense Hanv. VI 326; s1387 hii ‥ milites plures erant Veneris quam ~e Wals. HA II 156.  b beeldam, moders modyr, ~a PP. 2 [? by conf. w. belua], she-wolf, wild animal. 9‥ ~a, wylfen, ‥ †ia, wilde deor WW.

Bellōna, (12) æ, f. , Bellone [déesse de la guerre et sœur de Mars] : Virg. En. 8, 703.

➳ arch. Duellona.

Bello'na

the goddess of war among the Romans. It is very probable that originally Bellona was a Sabine divinity whose worship was carried to Rome by the Sabine settlers. She is frequently mentioned by the Roman poets as the companion of Mars, or even as his sister or his wife. Virgil describes her as armed with a bloody scourge. (Verg. A. 8.703; Lucan, Phars. 7.569; Horat. Sat. 2.3. 223.) The main object for which Bellena was worshipped and invoked, was to grant a warlike spirit and enthusiasm which no enemy could resist; and it was for this reason, for she had been worshipped at Rome from early times (Liv. 8.9), that in B. C. 296, during the war against the Samnites, Appius Claudius the Blind vowed the first temple of Bellona, which was accordingly erected in the Campus Martins close by the Circus Flaminius. (Liv. 10.19; Ov. Fast. 6.201, &c.) This temple subsequently became of great political importance, for in it the senate assembled to give audience to foreign ambassadors, whom it was not thought proper to admit into the city, to generals who returned from a campaign for which they claimed the honour of a triumph, and on other occasions. (Liv. 28.9, 30.21; Dict. of Ant. s.v. Legatus). In front of the entrance to the temple there stood a pillar, which served for making the symbolical declarations of war; for the area of the temple was regarded as a symbolical representation of the enemies' country, and the pillar as that of the frontier, and the declaration of war was made by launching a spear over the pillar. This ceremony, so long as the Roman dominion was of small extent, had been performed on the actual frontier of the enemy's country. (Ov. Fast. 6.205, &c.; Serv. ad Aen. 9.53; Liv. 1.32; Dict. of Ant. s. v. Fetiales.) The priests of Bellona were called Bellonarii, and when they offered sacrifices to her, they had to wound their own arms or legs, and either to offer up the blood or drink it themselves, in order to become inspired with a warlike enthusiasm. This sacrifice, which was afterwards softened down into a mere symbolic act, took place on the 24th of March, which day was called dies sanguinisfor this reason. (Lucan, 1.565; Martial, 12.57; Tertull. Apology. 9; Lactant. 1.21; comp. Heindorf, ad Hor. Sat. l.c.; Hartung, Die Relig. der Römer, ii. p. 270, &c.; C. Tiesler, De Bellonae Cultu et Sacris, Berlin, 1842. 8vo.) [L.S]

Bellōna ae, f

• bellum, the goddess of war, sister of Mars, L., V., H., O.

Bellōna

(1) The Roman goddess of war, in early Latin called Duellona. An old Italian divinity, probably of Sabine origin. She was supposed to be the wife or sister of Mars, and was identified with the Greek Enyo (Ἐνυώ). Her temple, which was situated in the Campus Martius, outside the old Pomerium, was used for meetings of the Senate when it was dealing with the ambassadors of foreign nations, or Roman generals who claimed a triumph on their return from war, for it must be remembered that under such circumstances a general might not enter the city. The pillar of war (Columna Bellica) stood hard by. It was from this, as representing the boundary of the enemy's territory, that the Fetialis threw his lance on declaring war. See Fetiales.

(2) Quite a different goddess is the Bellona whom the Roman government brought from Comana in Cappadocia towards the beginning of the first century B.C., during the Mithridatic War. This Bellona was worshipped in a different locality, and with a service conducted by Cappadocian priests and priestesses. These Bellonarii moved through the city in procession at the festivals of the goddess, in black raiment, and shed their own blood at the sacrifice, wounding themselves for the purpose in the arms and loins with a two-edged axe, and prophesying amid a wild noise of drums and trumpets.