Britannia: Embodiment of Britain (Goddess of the Britons)

Synonyms: Prydein
Bryth, Cym: Goddess of the Britons

Tutelary goddess and genia loca of the Roman province of Britannia. The likelihood that she was worshipped as a deity is attested by the fact that under the emperor Hadrian, a shrine was erected in York, to Britannia as a Goddess. Inscriptions dedicated to her have also beem found in London and at the Antonine fort, Balimundy, Strathclyde. An inscription from Venta Belgarum, tribal capital of the Belgiae tribe, Winchester, Hampshire [RIB 88] MATRIB ITALIS GERMANIS GAL(lia) BRIT(tannia) ANTONIVS LVCRETIANVS BF COS REST (For the Mother Goddesses of Italy, the Germanies, Gaul and Britain, the Beneficiarius Consularis Antonius Lucretianus restored [this temple]) indicates that the spirit of Britain, Britannia was worshiped as a mother goddess, one of the Matronae.

There were many coin types, also medals, issued under the emperor Hadrian (117–138 CE), constructor of the eponymous wall, which incorporated the mention of Britain. In particular, several coin type introduced a female figure, the personification of Britain, and labelled "BRITANNIA". She is usually shown seated on a rock, holding a spear, and with a spiked shield propped beside her. Sometimes she is shown holding a standard, and leaning on the shield. On other coins, she is shown seated on a globe above waves, presumably signifying the Roman idea of Britain as being at the edge of the known world. Similar coin types were also issued by Antoninus Pius, 138–161 CE, who carried out some repair work to Hadrian's wall, and Commodus, 177–192 CE. The image above comes from the time of Antoninus Pius.

The Romans certainly knew of a land at the edges of the known world that they called 'Britannia', as attested by the emperors Julius Caesar and Claudius. However, whether this was their term for the country or a variation of the name used by the locals cannot be konown. However, the first mention of this realm comes from the writings of the Greek Pytheas, as described in his book On the Ocean (Περι του Ωκεαντυ). The volume itself has not and only excerpts remain as quoted or paraphrased by later authors. It still seems likely that Pytheas travelled to Cornwall where he studied the production and processing of tin. He circumnavigated Britain, and found that tides could be very high there. He recorded the local name of the islands in Greek as Prettanike, which Diodorus later rendered Pretannia. This supports theories that the inhabitants called themselves Pretani or Priteni, 'Painted? or 'Tattooed? people, a term Romans Latinised as Picti (Picts). He is quoted as referring to the British Isles as the "Isles of the Pretani." The romans learnt of these isles initially from this author. It should be noted, however that the British ancestors of the Cymru called themselves the Brython and in Cymric Britain is Prydain. So it may be that the similarities in Latin and P-Celtic led the island of Britain to be called something similar in both languages. Regardless, the idea of Britannia as a goddess who personified the realm was a Roman invention though the goddess' attributes are mingling of the attributes of Minerva and Athena, highly similar to the Birrens (Blatobulgium) depiction of Brigantia. Since the 1672 farthing of Charles II Britannia has been depicted on the obverse of British coinage as an emblem of Great Britain.

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