Bona Dea

Roman 'Good Goddess' of women, fertility and healing; daughter or consort of Faunus.

Parentage

• parent: Faunus

Domains

• women fertility healing

Powers

• Presides over women's secret rites and healing

Epithets

• Bona Dea latin · Bona Dea'The Good Goddess' — itself a euphemistic cult-title for a goddess whose true name was secret; rites for women onlyCicero, On Haruspical Responses 37 (primary); Macrobius, Saturnalia 1.12.21-28 (primary)
• Fauna latin · Faunathe goddess identified as wife or daughter of FaunusMacrobius, Saturnalia 1.12.21-27 (primary)

Sources

• existence: Ovid, Fasti 5.148-158 (primary)