Sebastiano Ricci - Neptune and Amphitrite - WGA19413

In ancient Roman mythology, Salacia ( , ) was the female divinity of the sea, worshipped as the goddess of salt water who presided over the depths of the ocean.

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

was her consort. That Salacia was the consort of

is implied by Varro, and is positively affirmed by Seneca, Augustine and

Servius Servius is the name of: * Servius (praenomen), the personal name * Maurus Servius Honoratus, a late fourth-century and early fifth-century grammarian * Servius Tullius, the Roman king * Servius Sulpicius Rufus, the 1st century BC Roman jurist See ...

. She is identified with the Greek goddess Amphitrite, consort of Poseidon. The god Neptune wanted to marry Salacia, but she was in great awe of her distinguished suitor, and to preserve her virginity, with grace and celerity she managed to glide out of his sight, and hid from him in the Atlantic Ocean. The grieving

sent a dolphin to look for her and persuade the fair nymph to return and share his throne. Salacia agreed to marry

and the King of the Deep was so overjoyed at these good tidings that the dolphin was awarded a place in the heavens, where he now forms a well known constellation Delphinus. Salacia is represented as a beautiful nymph, crowned with seaweed, either enthroned beside

or driving with him in a pearl shell chariot drawn by dolphins, sea-horses ('' hippocamps'') or other fabulous creatures of the deep, and attended by Tritons and Nereids. She is dressed in queenly robes and has nets in her hair. Salacia was the personification of the calm and sunlit aspect of the sea. Derived from Latin ''sāl'', meaning "salt", the name ''Salācia'' denotes the wide, open sea, and is sometimes literally translated to mean sensational. As his wife, Salacia bore

three children, the most celebrated being

Triton Triton commonly refers to: * Triton (mythology), a Greek god * Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune Triton may also refer to: Biology * Triton cockatoo, a parrot * Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails * ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus' ...

, whose body was half man and half fish.

Aulus Gellius Aulus Gellius (c. 125after 180 AD) was a Roman author and grammarian, who was probably born and certainly brought up in Rome. He was educated in Athens, after which he returned to Rome. He is famous for his ''Attic Nights'', a commonplace book, or ...

, in 13.23 of his Attic Nights, notes that Roman priests would invoke specific attributes of various gods, “maia Volcani, Salacia Neptuni, hora Quirini, nerio Martis.” Forsythe notes that Salacia Neptuni means “effervescence of

”. Sometimes, as Salachia, she is also known as the goddess of springs, ruling over the springs of highly mineralized waters. She and

Venilia Venilia (pronounced , or as Latin ''Venīlia'') is a Roman deity associated with the winds and the sea. According to Virgil and Ovid, she was a nymph, the sister of Amata and the wife of Janus (or Faunus), with whom she had three children: Turnus, J ...

are also called the ''paredrae'' of Neptune.

Notes

References

*Elseviers Mythologische Encyclopedie, van Aken, Dr. A.R.A., Elsevier, Amsterdam: 1961 *Vestal Virgins, Sibyls, and Matrons: Women in Roman Religion, Takács, S. A., University of Texas Press: 2007 *Bell's New Pantheon Or Historical Dictionary of the Gods, Demi Gods, Heroes and Fabulous Personages of Antiquity, Bell, J, Kessinger Publishing: 2003 *St. Augustin's City of God and Christian Doctrine: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church Part 2, Augusti St Augustin, Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Published by Kessinger Publishing: 2004.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Salacia (Mythology) Roman goddesses Sea and river goddesses 120347 Salacia Neptune (mythology)