Vagdavercustis is a Germanic goddess known from a dedicatoryinscription on an altar found atCologne (Köln),Germany.[1] The stone dates from around the 2nd century CE and is now in a museum in Cologne.
The meaning of the name remains unclear. The elementVer-custis may be interpreted as the rootwer- ('man') attached to the verbal noun*kusti- ('choice'; cf.Old Icelandicmann-kostr 'male virtue'), but the meaning of the suffix orepithetVagda is uncertain.[2]
The inscription appears on the front of the altar above acarved relief of five male figures carrying out a ritual. The officiant in the center is wearing atoga and has his head covered(capite velato). He extends his hand toward an altar in order to burn incense, a box of which is held by a boy to the left. Behind them is anaulos-player, whose music would be intended to "drown out inauspicious noises." The figure between the aulist and the officiant is worn and reveals little. The fifth, to the far right, is bearded and wearing a garment that is not a toga; he carries something slung over his right shoulder.[3]
The inscription reads as follows:
Roughly translated into English, the inscription can be read as:
The altar was dedicated by aRoman citizen,[5] and the iconography is that of atraditional Romansacrifice,[6] but Vagdavercustis was most likely a native Germanic or Celtic goddess.[7] It was not unusual, and perhaps even customary, for Roman officials in theprovinces to honor local gods as a way to maintain local goodwill.[8] There is some evidence that Vagdavercustis was worshipped by theBatavians[7] (a Germanic tribe reported byTacitus to have lived around the Rhine delta, in the area that is currently the Netherlands) in the region[9] between the present-dayNetherlands and Cologne (Köln).[10]
The paucity of evidence pertaining to Vagdavercustis has led to abundant interpretations of her significance. Trees are depicted on the side panels of the altar, suggesting a vegetative function.[11] She may be related toVirtus, the Roman god of military virtue.[10] Other than a votary inscription dedicated by a Batavian auxiliary in Pannonia, no dedications to the goddess have been found outside Lower Germany.[12] The name has been taken to mean "protectress of war dancers," with Vagdavercustis characterized as awar goddess.[13]
