Bellone

In the fable of Mars one saw that Bellone , its sister or his wife, harnesses and led with the Terreur and the Crainte the tank of this god. One generally regards Bellone as girl of Céto and Phorcys, family of monsters to which belong the Grées and the Gorgones. This goddess personifies the bloody and furious War.

Worship

Temples

It had with Rome a temple in which the Senate gave audience to the ambassadors. With the door of this temple the warlike one was a small named column, to which one threw a lance all the times that a war was declared. But its most famous temple was in Comane, in Cappadoce: there, its worship was celebrated by a multitude of ministers of any age and any sex. More than six thousand people were employed with the service of this temple.

Representations

Independently of her functions near the god Mars, this goddess with the bronze face, according to the expression of Homère, catches her tank and her procession private individuals, and proceeds of itself to her terrible mission. Armed with the antique, the helmet at the head, the spray lance, gone up on its tank which reverses all on its passage, preceded by Terror and Death, it springs towards the battle or in mélée: its hair of snakes whistles around its ignited face, while the Fame flies around it, calling with the sound of the trumpet the Defeat and the Victoire.

Quotations

the Discord passes out of torn dress, and Bellone follows it with a bloody whip. (transl. A. Bellesort)
  • Lucain, Pharsale , VII, 567-568:
Quacumque uagatur, /On some side which César goes,
sanguineum ueluti quatiens Bellona flagellum /as Bellone when it shakes its bloody whip
Bellonne, ardant of rage, with most extremely of the press
Couroit which that which there, of a prompt joy:
Detranchoit, terrassoit, faisoit sourdre a estang
Where passoit its espee ointe of nostre blood.

See too

  • Roman Religion

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