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The Germanic 'Mothers'

There is no general consensus on these as deities for the Norse/Germanic tribes,


although some have compared these goddesses (called matronae or matribus from the
Roman inscriptions which are their record) to the Scandinavian disir. The triple mothers
are known to have been worshipped by Celtic tribes but Rudolph Simek also lists a
range of these matronae or matribus in his book on 'Northern Mythology' and some of
the name suggest a Germanic origin:

Afliae 'Powerful Ones' (Cologne)


Ahineh(i)ae River goddesses (West Germany)
Ahueccaniae 'Prophesying female water spirits' (Gleuel)
Alaferhviae Fertility goddesses of the trees (West Germany)
Alagabiabus All-giving Matrons
Alaterv(i)ae 'Goddesses belonging to the (oak)-trees'(Crammond near Edinburgh)
Albiahenae Territorial goddesses (West Germany)
Alhiahenae Elk goddesses or goddesses of the temple (Near Heidelberg)
Alusneihae Goddesses of ecstasy ? (West Germany)
Ambiorenses 'Matrons who are worshipped either side of the Rhine' (Deutz)
Amfratninae Goddesses of personal fortune (Eschweiler)
Andrusteihiae Goddesses of the Region (Bonn/Godesberg/Cologne)
Annanept(i)ae 'Friendly sisters' (Wissen)
Arvagast(i)ae ? (Near Aachen)
Asericinehae ? (Around Cologne)
Audrinehae 'the friendly powers of destiny' (Near Cologne)
Austriahenae 'The eastern ones' (Morken-Harff)
Aufaniae Trio of mother goddesses found in Bonn area
Berguiahenae Goddesses of the Trees (Near Jülich, Germany)
Chandrumanehae ? (Near Euskirchen)
Chuchen(eh)ae Goddesses of Kuchenheim
Euthungae Goddesses of the Iuthungi tribe
Fachine(i)his Gladsome ones (Lower Rhine)
Fernovineae Goddesses of the Stream (Meckenheim and Cologne)
Frisavae 'The Paternal Frisiavian Mothers' (Wissen)
Gabiae 'The Giving Ones' (Near Euskirchen)
Gantunae 'Goose goddesses' (Cologne)
Gavadiae Goddesses who watch over vows and oaths (Jülich and Mönchengladbach)
Gavasiae Goddesses of midwives (Thorr near Cologne)
Gesahenae Goddesses of a region (Lower Rhine)
Hamavehae Goddesses of the Chamavi tribe (In Tacitus' Annals)
Hiheraiae Goddesses of birds (?) (Near Euskirchen)
Ineae ? (Bonn)
Iulineihae Goddesses of Iuliacum 'Jülich' (Near Jülich)
Kannanefates ? inscription by a member of XXX legion (Cologne)
Lanehiae Goddesses of region (Near Euskirchen)
Lubicae 'Healing goddesses' (Cologne)
Mah(a)linehae Goddesses of the court or the Thing (Cologne and Deutz)
Marsacae Goddesses of the Marsaci tribe (Xanten)
Naitienae Goddesses of a river (Thorr near Cologne)
Nervinae Goddesses of the Germanic Nervii tribe (Bavay, North France)
Ratheihiae 'wheel goddesses' (Euskirchen)
Renahenae 'Rhine goddesses' (Bonn)
Suebis Mothers of the Suebian tribe
Suleviae 'Goddesses of the warm springs' (Xanten, Lower Rhine and Rome)
Teniavehae Goddesses of a region (Near Aachen)
Textumeihae Bringers of Joy' (Lower Rhine)
Tummaestiae 'Helping goddesses of the house' (Near Euskirchen)
Turstuahenae 'The Mightiest' (Düren)
Udravarinehae 'Goddesses of otter-defence' (Lower Rhine)
Vacallinehae Trio of mother goddesses (Pesch) - stones have bread imagery
Vapthiae - ? (Lower Rhine)
Vataranehae Goddesses of camp castra
Vetera (Kreis Düren)
Vatviae Prophesying Goddesses (Kreis Jülich and Kreis Bergheim)

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