ENODIA
In Ancient Greek religion and mythology, Enodia, also spelled Ennodia and Einodia (; Ancient Greek: Ἐννοδία, romanized: Ennodía, lit. 'the one in the streets, on the road') is a distinctly Thessalian goddess, identified in certain areas or by certain ancient writers with Artemis, Hecate or Persephone. She was paired with Zeus in cult and sometimes shared sanctuaries with him. Enodia was primarily worshipped in Ancient Thessaly and was well known in Hellenistic Macedonia.
Enodia is a goddess of roads, protection (apotropaic), ghosts, purification, the city, and cemeteries. She was included in the local dodekotheon. The goddesses of this dodekotheon were Hestia, Demeter, Enodia, Aphrodite, Athena and Themis.
The name ‘Enodia’ suggests that she watched over entrances and that she stood on the main road into a city, keeping an eye on those who entered, and in the road in front of private homes, protecting the inhabitants that dwelled within. Divinities with this Apotropaic function were expected to keep away dangers such as burglars, malicious spirits, and even pestilence such as mice. Other notable divinites with this function are Hecate, Hermes, and Apollo.
Enodia’s main cult location, especially before the 5th century, was the city of Pherai. Pherai was an important city to Ancient Thessaly, due to the location of the settlement.
There are only two attested priests of Enodia. Timarete of Corinth, who died in Pella, Macedonia, in the late 5th century BC and Chrysame. According to Polyaenus, Cnopus of Codridae was fighting with the Ionians at Erythrai after the recent Ionian colonisation of Asia Minor. Cnopus received an oracle that stated: “to take as general from the Thessalians, the priestess of Ennodia” (στρατηγὸν παρὰ Θεσσαλῶν λαβεῖν τὴν ἱέρειαν τῆς Ἐνοδίας). Chrysame, the priestess mentioned arrived and through her mastery of herbs, poisoned the Erythraians. Due to this, Cnopus led his army to victory. Thessaly was stereotyped as being full of witches that could even draw down the moon, so the association of Chrysame with herbs makes sense.
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