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Ophiussa, also spelledOphiusa, is the ancient name given by theancient Greeks to what is nowPortuguese territory near the mouth of the riverTagus. It meansLand of Serpents.
The 4th centuryRoman poetRufius Festus Avienius, writing on geographical subjects inOra Maritima ("Seacoasts"), a document inspired by a Greek mariners'Periplus, related that theOestriminis (Extreme West inLatin) was peopled by theOestrimni, a people who had been living there for a long time; they had to flee their homeland after an invasion ofserpents. These people could be linked to theSaephe (Saefs) orOphis ("People of the Serpents") and theDragani ("People of the Dragons"), who came to those lands and built the territorial entity the Greeks termedOphiussa.
The expulsion of the Oestrimni, fromOra Maritima:
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The "serpent people" of the semi-mythical Ophiussa in the far west are noted in ancient Greek sources.
TheOphi people lived mainly in the inland mountains of Northern Portugal (andGalicia). Others say they lived mainly by the estuaries of the riversDouro andTagus. TheOphi worshipedserpents, henceLand of Serpents. There have surfaced a few archeological findings that could be related to this people or culture. Some believe that thedragon sometimes represented as agriffin, from the original Winged Serpent, orWyvern (the traditional PortugueseSerpe Real), old crest of the crown of the Kings of Portugal and later of the Emperors of Brazil, is linked to local people or to theCelts who had previously invaded the area and could also have been the influence for theOphi cult.
A legend relates that on the summersolstice amaiden-serpent, achthonic goddess, reveals hidden treasures to people journeying through forests. This maiden would live in the city of Porto. Festivities related to this goddess occurred during the solstice. During the rest of the year, she would change into a snake living under or among rocks, and shepherds would set aside some milk from their flocks as an offering to her.
