| Alternate Names: | Tamfana |
| Iconography: | Fir Tree, Cat, Cup |
| Domains: | Harvest, Hearth, Prophesy, Textile Crafts, Rulership, Magic, Winter |
Table of Contents
Historical Attestation
Tamfana or Tanfana, is a goddess of the Germanic people, mentioned in the works of Tacitus and in the Germanic mythology collected by Jacob Grimm. Little is known about her from an historical perspective, and her name is not well attested in the historical record. Even the etymology of her name is somewhat inscrutable. We will assume, for want of a clearer answer, and etymology based on (dannǭ ‘fir’) and (fanô ‘flag’). A. G. de Bruyn, a scholar of Oldenzaal folklore, agrees and raises the evidence of a a stamp dated 1336 found near Ommen that shows a woman holding a fir tree flanked by a sun symbol and a catlike creature and a bird. He proposed in his Geesten en goden in oud Oldenzaal, n.p. in 1929 that she was a moon or a mother goddess.1Bruyn, A. G. de. (1929). Geesten en Goden in oud oldenzaal. s.n.
Tacitus recounts in book 1, chapters 50 and 51 of his Annals, that Roman soldiers snuck up upon and slaughtered the followers of Tanfana among the Marsi, as they rested following a feast:
| Original Latin (first century CE):iuvit nox sideribus inlustris, ventumque ad vicos Marsorum et circumdatae stationes stratis etiam tum per cubilia properterque mensas, nullo metu, non antepositis vigiliis: adea cuncta incuria disiecta erant, neque belli timor, ac ne pax quidem nisi linguida et soluta inter temultentos.51. Caesar avidas legiones, quo latior populatio foret, quattuor in cuneos dispertit; quinquaginta milium spatium ferro flammisque pervastat. non sexus, non aetas miserationem attulit: profana simul et sacra et celeberrimum illis gentibus templum quod Tamfanae vocabant solo aequantur. sine vulnere milites, qui semisomnos, inermos aut palantis ceciderant. excivit ea caedes Bructeros, Tubantes, Usipetes; saltusque per quos exercitui regressus insedere. | Church and Brodribb translation (1876):They were helped by a night of bright starlight, reached the villages of the Marsi, and threw their pickets round the enemy, who even then were stretched on beds or at their tables, without the least fear, or any sentries before their camp, so complete was their careless and disorder; and of war indeed there was no apprehension. Peace it certainly was not—merely the languid and heedless ease of half-intoxicated people.51. Cæsar, to spread devastation more widely, divided his eager legions into four columns, and ravaged a space of fifty miles with fire and sword. Neither sex nor age moved his compassion. Everything, sacred or profane, the temple too of Tamfana, as they called it, the special resort of all those tribes, was levelled to the ground. There was not a wound among our soldiers, who cut down a half asleep, an unarmed, or a straggling foe. The Bructeri, Tubantes, and Usipetes, were roused by this slaughter, and beset the forest passes through which the army had to return. |
The scholar David Bishop speculates that given the timing of the attack relative to the other events of the general timeframe also involving Germanicus, and the needed travel time to reach the resort of the Marsi, that the feast in question took place in November:2Bishop, J. D. (1960). Dating in tacitus by Moonless nights. Classical Philology, 55(3), 164–170. https://doi.org/10.1086/364483
But it appears unlikely (1) that the senatorial commission could travel to Cologne in sixteen days, (2) that Germanicus could restore discipline at Cologne and prepare to move against Vetera in a single day, (3) that he could travel sixty miles to Vetera in one day, (4) that he could reorganize Vetera, prepare for the raid, and bridge the Rhine in an afternoon and a night. Hence we must assume November date for the raid.
Little is known of Tanfana’s ancient portfolio, but modern efforts to rediscover her have generally led in the direction of revering her as a goddess of peace, and the interconnectedness of life, based upon the imagery associated with her, and upon the reported attitudes of those tribes that most adored her. Tacitus mentions that she was greatly revered among the Marsi, and presumably also also the allied Cherusci whom he damns with faint praise by calling them naïve in their desire to live peacefully3Tacitus, C., Martin, R. H., & Woodman, A. J. (2006). Annals. Cambridge University Press.:
Dwelling on one side of the Chauci and Chatti, the Cherusci long cherished, unassailed, an excessive and enervating love of peace. This was more pleasant than safe, for to be peaceful is self-deception among lawless and powerful neighbours. Where the strong hand decides, moderation and justice are terms applied only to the more powerful; and so the Cherusci, ever reputed good and just, are now called cowards and fools, while in the case of the victorious Chatti success has been identified with prudence. The downfall of the Cherusci brought with it also that of the Fosi, a neighboring tribe, which shared equally in their disasters, though they had been inferior to them in prosperous days.
A local tourism site for the town of Twente in the Netherlands makes the claim:
An important ritual that Tanfana performed with her followers was drinking holy water from a golden cup. This water would come from a nearby source. Where many dismissed the story as a myth, people were surprised to see when a remarkable archaeological find was made in the border town of German Uelsen. In 1840, a farmer named Pamann was surprised to find a 11.5 cm cup … of pure gold! According to archaeologists, the cup dates from 750 – 600 BC. and is therefore one of the most important archaeological finds in its category. Maybe Tanfana’s story isn’t even as fantastic as it seems!(https://www.visittwente.nl/)
However, this author was unable to verify this claim independently.
Ingwine Guidance
The Ingvaeonic Society seeks to revive and honor the enigmatic goddess Tanfana, revered by the ancient Germanic peoples, particularly among the Marsi tribe as recounted by Tacitus. With limited historical records, the society embraces a combination of historical speculation, folklore, and symbolic interpretation to construct a spiritual practice that venerates Tanfana as a deity of peace, nature, and the interconnectedness of life.
Central to the society’s practices are rituals emphasizing reverence for the natural world and the pursuit of peace, reflecting the attributes ascribed to Tanfana based on the available historical and archaeological evidence. The ritual of drinking from a golden cup, inspired by a local legend and the discovery of an ancient gold cup in Uelsen, Germany, serves as a symbolic act connecting members to the divine essence of Tanfana and the sacredness of water.
Tanfana is envisioned as a guardian of peace and natural harmony, embodying the ideals of serene coexistence with the earth and its cycles. Members seek to embody these principles in their daily lives, promoting a spiritual path that emphasizes environmental stewardship, communal harmony, and a deep reverence for the web of life that binds all beings.
