From: magentashadow@webtv.net   
      
   NAME: Abnoba, Dianae Abnobae, Dea Abnoba, Abnoba the Huntress   
      
   SYMBOLS: The forest, the rivers running though the Black Forest and   
   others.   
      
   USUAL IMAGE: Unknown   
      
   PLACE OF WORSHIP: The Black Forest, by a river bank, mountain in the   
   Black Forest, shrines   
      
   RELATIVES: Unknown   
      
   SYNODEITIES: Arduninna (Gallic.) Dziewona (Serbian,) Aranyani (Hindu,)   
   Silvanus (Northern Italian,) Yobin - Pogil (Siberian)   
      
   DETAILS: Abnoba was the Celtic Goddess of the Black Forest itself, a   
   mountain in the Black Forest, childbirth, and a number of rivers; the   
   river Avon is thought to be named for a variation of her name. Which has   
   to say something about how wide ranging this Goddess was to make it from   
   the Black Forest to Avon!   
      
   The Romans, who had a shrine to her at the baths in Badenweiler,   
   associated her with Diana calling her Dianae Abnobae and Abnoba the   
   Huntress, they also named a town after her at the mouth of the river   
   Avon.   
      
   While it may seem that Abnoba is a minor Goddess this may not be the   
   case, otherwise it's unlikely that the Romans would have built shrines   
   to her or associated her with Diana.   
      
   It's possible that the name Abnoba is just a name local to the Black   
   Forest area of a Goddess widely worshipped though Europe, and known   
   variously as Arduninna the Gallic Goddess of the Moon, the hunt and   
   Justice in the Ardennes and who rode a boar to the hunt and Devana, or   
   Dziewona the Goddess of the wild woodlands for the Serbians, Czechs &   
   Poles, as well as by other sames lost to us, and perhaps even Danu of   
   the Celts might be closely linked with her.   
      
   Unfortunately, just like the great forests of Europe, real information   
   about her is scattered, diminished and mostly lost.   
      
   For Images and links see   
      
   Abnoba:   
      
   http://community-2.webtv.net/Toomuwik/Abnoba/   
      
   Or go to the main page and hit the Abnoba link at:   
      
   The God/dess Of The Month Club:   
      
   http://community-2.webtv.net/magentashadow/GOMC/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)