Maiden
What you need to sow
Pick up the torch and run.
Thracian / Bulgaria
Bendis
Thracian Huntress of the Moon
Thracian, from 5th century BCE
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Her story
Historical context
goddess · Thracian, from 5th century BCE
Bendis was a Thracian goddess of the moon and hunt honoured in the lands of present-day Bulgaria; her cult reached Athens, where the Bendideia torch race was held.
Mythology & traditions
Plato opens the Republic during the Athenian Bendideia, noting both a procession and a new torch race on horseback. Greek artists often showed Bendis in Thracian dress with a cap and two spears. Her adoption at Piraeus reveals how an immigrant community’s goddess could enter civic worship while retaining a visibly foreign identity.
Domains
- moon
- hunting
- wild places
- festival
Symbols
- twin spears
- crescent
- torch
In the oracle
Her guidance
Mother
What you need to grow
Grow community around what you love.
Crone
What you need to know
Know that your light travels farther when shared.
Her tradition
Bulgarian & Thracian Tradition
Wild mountain spirits and the Thracian moon huntress.
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