Andraste.

 Andraste is a Goddess who commands the interest of lots of people due to Her relationship with the famous resistance leader Boudica. This article will try to illuminate Her and discuss how Brittonic polytheists can include Her in their practice.

Etymology:

Andraste’s name likely means something in the tune of Invincible [1] or Unconquered, Inviolate [2], which is a fitting name for a Goddess who is interpreted with Victoria.

Textual references:

“Let us, therefore, go against them trusting boldly to good fortune. Let us show them that they are hares and foxes trying to rule over dogs and wolves. When she had finished speaking, she employed a species of divination, letting a hare escape from the fold of her dress; and since it ran on what they considered the auspicious side, the whole multitude shouted with pleasure, and Buduica, raising her hand toward heaven, said:  "I thank thee, Andraste, and call upon thee as woman speaking to woman… I supplicate and pray thee for victory, preservation of life, and liberty.” - Cassius Dio, LXII, 5-6. 

“This enabled her to sack and plunder two Roman cities, and, as I have said, to wreak indescribable slaughter. Those who were taken captive by the Britons were subjected to every known form of outrage…. All this they did to the accompaniment of sacrifices, banquets, and wanton behaviour, not only in all their other sacred places, but particularly in the grove of Andate. This was their name for Victory, and they regarded her with most exceptional reverence.” - Cassius Dio, LXII, 7. 

The hare:

As seen from Cassius Dio's references, Andraste may be associated with hares in some manner due to the use of hare as a divination tool. Indeed, Julius Caesar said of the Britons:

“They think it not right to eat rabbit/[hare], chicken, or goose, but raise them for the delight of it.” - Commentarii de Bello Gallico V.12

Specifically, Caesar states that the prohibition is not of a legal nature but a religious one [3]. The European/Brown Hare is a relatively recent introduction in Britain before the Roman invasion or introduced by the Romans themselves [4]. The symbolism and role of hares in Britain may have changed over time. However, many hare symbols, such as brooches, statues (such as Diana with a hare), and other art, come from areas where the Iceni tribe dwelt [5].

Aldhouse-Green (1994) suggests that depictions, found on coins, of wild-haired Goddesses riding chariots, may be similar to how Andraste was depicted and also invokes the image of Boudicca. This depiction of a wild fighting Goddess also connects with does (female hares) boxing and fighting off male hares during the spring mating season [6] and may be a reason for the connection between Andraste and hares.

An interesting further connection is the potential association hares have with death. On several tombs (see below), hares are depicted, perhaps comforting, those that have tied. As pets, this would make sense; however, if hares are connected to Andraste, we could see Her as a mother and nurturer of the departed, much as a mother hare cares for her children in the burrow.

Interpretatio:

Victoria: Victoria is the Goddess and personification of Victory, often depicted winged and giving laurel wreaths to victors. She is also symbolic of victory over death itself. Cassius Dio states that Andraste is the Britons name for Victoria and may provide the best point of comparison. 

Diana: Diana is a Goddess of hunting, protector of women and children, and often tied to the countryside and woodlands. The interpretatio with Diana is theorised but could provide an interesting point of comparison. 

Interpretatio Britanna:

Andraste is a Goddess of victory, both of war and death. Just like hares prove victorious over the dark depths of winter, Andraste can be asked to assist those in a fight, or those who have passed, to help grant them victory and peace in life and death. Through the potential association with Diana, Andraste could be called on for similar things, such as childbirth, guardianship, protection of animals and hunting.

Bibliography:

Aldhouse-Green, M.J. (1994). Celtic myths. London: British Museum Press.

Cassius Dio, Roman History, LXII, 5-7, published in Vol. VIII of the Loeb Classical Library edition, 1925, https://bit.ly/CDioE62. 

Crummy, N. (2013). Attitudes to the hare in town and country. In H. Eckhardt & S. Rippon (Eds.), Living and Working in the Roman World: Essays in Honour of Michael Fulford on his 65th Birthday (pp. 111–127). Portsmouth, Rhode Island: Journal of Roman Archaeology. [5]

Fowler, T. (2020). The Introduction of the Brown Hare to Britain and its Bio-Cultural Impact: Zooarchaeological and Morphometric Approaches (PhD Thesis). University of Nottingham, Nottingham. [4]

Irby-Massie, G.L. (1999). Military religion in Roman Britain. Leiden; Boston: Brill. Page 173. [1]

Koch, J.T. (2006). Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia. Oxford: Abc-Clio. Page 52. [2]

Murphy, L.J. and Ameen, C., 2020. The Shifting Baselines of the British Hare Goddess. Open Archaeology, 6(1), pp.214-235. [3]

Varela, C. (2019). Boxing hares: An unmissable spring spectacle | The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside. [online] www.lancswt.org.uk. Available at: https://www.lancswt.org.uk/blog/charlotte-varela/why-hares-box-spring. [6]