Vihansa


Vihansa is the name of a Germanic goddess written on a bronze tablet found in Sint-Huibrechts-Hern, near Tongeren in modern Belgium.

Name

There is general agreement among scholars that the theonym is Germanic; it probably belongs to the Tungrian dialect or language. Vihansa may be a Latinized form of the compound *wiha-ansu-, meaning 'holy deity', or *wīgą-ansu-, meaning 'battle deity'. Marie-Thérèse Raepsaet-Charlier supposes she must have been a warrior deity due to the martial offering mentioned in the inscription.

Dedication

The inscription was engraved by Q. Catius Libo Nepos, centurion with Legio [III Cyrenaica], who dedicated his shield and spear to the goddess Vihansa, probably after returning to his homeland from a military service: