Angerona

3D Model

Statue of the Roman goddess Angerona by Johann Wilhelm Beyer in Schönbrunn Palace Park. Angerona is making the gesture of silence with her finger.

Her cult image was erected in the Temple of Volupia at the Porta Romanula. Pliny the Elder associated Angerona with the secret name of Rome, which was not to be revealed. The depiction with a sealed mouth was intended as a reminder to keep this secret. She was therefore also regarded as the patron goddess of Rome. Her festival, the Angeronalia or Divalia, was celebrated on December 21, the winter solstice. Some scholars believe that Angerona was originally a goddess of the new year or the returning sun, as her festival coincided with the time of the shortest day. In modern times, Angerona has also been interpreted as the goddess of wise silence and secret knowledge, who keeps all secrets and calls for silence in order to harness the mystical power of absolute tranquillity.