Sundays are for...Bellona

Sunday is almost over and I intended this to be posted a lot earlier today but as they say- time and tide- wait for no man.

I've been doing further writing and editing of 'Agricola's Bane', the current title of the fourth book in my Celtic Fervour Series, that's been a long time in the creation process.

My tiny research slot of yesterday and today was spent finding a goddess to whom Agricola could plead to make his 'warring' with the unpredictable Caledon allies be an easier task. Things aren't going well for him in the bleak northern territories of Britannia after his confrontation with the amassed Celtic tribes at Beinn na Ciche (my version of Mons Graupius). He's a superstitious man so I had to go sleuthing for plenty of lesser known gods and goddesses for him to pray to and sometimes to put blame upon when things don't quite go his way.

Today's offering is Bellona, sometimes called Duella. I find that duality of names interesting immediately. Duel - Duella!

Here are a few representations of Bellona that I've found. I know which I like best but wonder about you? The thing is that it's all about interpretation and that for me is why history and archaeology are so fascinating because one person's interpretation can vary so much from another.

In the same way as looking at, and admiring, the artistic interpretation of a theme or ideal a historical author dealing with pre-history has to choose which archaeological or historical interpretations to accept or follow and then interpret in his or her own way.

Bellona - Phillip Galle 1574 Bellona inspires the creation of arms

Bellona - Louis Jean Francois Lagrenee 1766  Presenting reins to Mars

Bellona - Jan Harmensz Muller after Bartolomaeus Spranger 1600 Leading the Imperial armies against the Turks

Marie de Medici as Bellona - Peter Paul Reubens 

I've found a few more, which one of these days, I'll add to a Pinterest Board.

And now....back to more writing and editing.


Slainthe!

All of the above in the public domain.