Wednesday 27 June 2012

Pagan Eye: Lake Nemi and the Sacred Groves of Diana


Regular readers of my blog might have noticed I haven't posted many photos here recently. I noticed the lack of lovely pictures too, so I asked my friends if they had photographed any pagan sites or lovely landscapes - and I got sent quiet a few, which I'll use over the next few weeks.

This gorgeous picture of Lake Nemi, in Italy, was kindly sent to me by Caroline Wise of the Fellowship of Isis.

Caroline said: "I have recently visited lake Nemi in Italy, where the Temple of Diana was and her sacred grove was tended by priestesses. It is where the Golden Bough legend comes from, which of course inspired Frazer and hence the whole pagan revival. Here is a photo I took a couple of weeks ago."

She added: "It is called the Mirror of Diana, the Priestesses celebrated with little terracotta lamps - hundreds were found at the site. The ruins of the Temple of Diana are nearby. It is a place where myth and history meet. It is surrounded by woods. Rex Nemorensis - the King of the Wood - was the priest of Diana's Grove - until another candidate came along with a Golden Bough."

Thanks so much Caroline!  Makes me want to book a holiday to Italy to visit the sacred groves of Diana myself.

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting - seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures.

If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

Note: The photo is copyright Caroline Wise and is reproduced here with her permission. Please do not download it, copy it or use it anywhere else without Caroline's permission.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/02/archaeologists-find-site-of-golden.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/07/fellowship-of-isis-london-gathering.html
http://www.open.edu/openlearn/profiles/caroline-wise
http://www.fellowshipofisis.com/intro.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Nemorensis
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/06/pagan-eye-blue-butterfly-on-south-downs.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/12/pagan-eye-where-witches-walked.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/08/pagan-eye-longstone-mottistone.html

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