"Cascade" by Jonathon Earl Bowser

“Coventina’s themes are wishes, water, purity, and innocence.  Her symbol is water.  This British/Celtic Goddess of sacred water sources flows with the Blajini (water spirits) to enrich our life with clarity and virtue and to answer our heart’s desires. In works of art She is depicted as a water nymph floating on a leaf while holding vessels teaming with water. Customary offerings to encourage Conventina’s favor include pins, votives, coins and semiprecious stones.

In Romania, water spirits are called Blajini, or ‘gentle ones’, because they kindly reward people who give them an offering (much like wishing wells in Europe). These are citizens of the Conventina’s fairy realm, whose motivations are pure and guileless. To keep the Blajini happy and encourage Conventina’s sanction, present a special offering to them while whispering your hopes and dreams. Go to any fountain (perhaps one at the mall) and toss in a coin. The Blajini will bear the coin and the wish to Conventina for manifestation.

For personal clarity or to inspire principled actions in a situation in which you might be tempted to be a proverbial ‘bad witch’, start the day off with a glass of water. Recite this incantation over it before drinking:

 ‘Conventina, keep my magic pure
within my spirit let Goodness endure.’

Repeat this phrase throughout the day anytime you have water.”

(Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”.)

“Coventina was a Romano-British Goddess of wells and springs. She is known from multiple inscriptions at one site in Northumberland county of the United Kingdom, an area surrounding a wellspring near Carrawburgh on Hadrian’s Wall. It is possible that other inscriptions, two from Hispania and one from Narbonensis, refer to Coventina, but this is uncertain and disputed.”[1]

"Coventina" by destinysolo

“Coventina is associated with healing, renewal, abundance, new beginnings, life cycles, inspiration, childbirth, wishes and prophecy.  In worship to Her, coins and other objects were tossed into the wells as offerings for sympathetic magick. These wells represent the earth womb, where the Celts felt Her power could be most strongly felt. Her symbols are the cauldron, cup, water, coins, broaches and wells. The moon that corresponds to Her is the Reed Moon and Her aspect is divination. A lot of the information on Her has been lost, even so it known that She was looked upon as the queen of the river Goddesses. From Scotland comes Her association with the Underworld, where She was the Goddess of featherless flying creatures which could pass to the Otherworld. Being a river Goddess She is connected the ebb and flow of time.” [2]

"Carrawbrough: Coventina's Well" Bas-relief of triple Coventina.

“Coventina is depicted as a nymph and invoked as a triple Goddess.  The possible invocation of Coventina as a triple mother Goddess is interesting, given the offerings found in the well dedicated to Her. The votive pins strongly suggest a fertility cult and association with childbirth, as does the bronze horse, a distinct fertility symbol. The dog is associated with the Greco-Roman physician Aesculapius in classical mythology, though in Celtic mythology it is also linked to human lifespans; strongly suggesting a healing aspect to the Goddess’ cult; which is also a function of the spring itself. Thus fecundity and healing are suggested by the votive offerings though She is obviously predominantly a water deity. The presence of bronze heads and head plaques, as well as face pots, one of which protrays an elegant female face (possibly the Goddess herself?) as well as the human skull suggests that the cult of the head may have been prevalent at Coventina’s shrine. However, the human skull may be a red herring, part of the shrine’s desecration during the Christian era. Though the dedication of heads and head representations to watery shrines is a well-attested practice which may also have been conducted at this shrine.” [3]

For more information on Conventina, please visit Coventina – a website devoted to the Goddess Coventina. Here you’ll find everything you need to know about this Romano-Celtic water Goddess, including Her history, Her myth, images of Her in ancient and contemporary art, all about the archaeological site associated with Her, and a little bit about Her significance in modern spirituality.

Sources:

Nemeton: The Sacred Grove, Home of the Celtic gods, “Coventina, A Brythonic Goddess, also known as Covetina, Covventina, Cuhvetena: Disappearing Memory, Memory of Snow“.

Tranquillity Fearn.  The Order of the White Moon, “Coventina: Queen of the River Goddesses“.

Wikipedia, “Coventina“.

Suggested Links:

Dumas, Adrienne. The Faeries And Angels Magazine, “Goddess Coventina: Water Healing“.

Ford, David Nash. Early British Kingdoms, “Nimue, alias Vivienne, Lady of the Lake“.

The Goddess Temple, Inc. Talk with the Goddess, “Goddess Coventina“.

Midgley, Tim.  The Midgley Web Page, “Coventina: A Romano-British Goddess of Freshwater“.

Nicole, Shantel. Angelic Connections with Shantel Nicole, “Coventina“.

Tehomet. Coventina.