Nehalennia

Nehalennia was a tutelary goddess worshipped in the second and third centuries AD in Gallia Belgica, chiefly by sailors and traders at the mouth of the river Scheldt in what is now the Netherlands. Her exact ethnic origin is debated between Germanic and Celtic roots. She is depicted as a young seated woman, usually accompanied by a large dog and holding a basket of apples or loaves of bread, sometimes alongside ship parts, imagery that blends an original fertility character with her later role protecting seafaring and trade. Worship is attested by extensive archaeological remains: twenty eight inscribed altars were uncovered in 1645 at Domburg after storm erosion revealed a buried temple, and further altars, sculptures and temple roof tiles emerged from 1970 onward near Colijnsplaat, with additional temple remains found at Cologne-Deutz in Germany. Dedications from as far away as Besancon in France and Trier in Germany show worshippers traveling considerable distances to honor her, and a major collection of her altars is now held in the National Museum of Antiquities in the Netherlands.