Maximius Flavius scripsit

And what kind of items of worship did the legionaires have, statues, or other type of depictions?

Worship

A clue to the worship of Epona is given by Golden Ass, or Metamorphoses, by Lucius Apuleius. The hero of the story, also called Lucius, has been transformed by magic into an ass (donkey) and has been told that he can only become human again by eating roses. He finds some, unexpectedly, in a stable:

[3.27] I noticed a little shrine of the Mare-headed Mother, the Goddess Epona, standing in a niche of the post that supported the main beam of the stable. It was wreathed with freshly gathered roses, the very antidote that I needed.

Note: the reference to "mare headed mother" is from Graves, the translator, and does not occur in the original Latin.

This tells us several things. Firstly, that small and presumably portable shrines were made to Epona not just in temples but also in stables, presumably to protect the horses and asses in them. Secondly, that the figure of the goddess was enclosed in a small depiction of a temple, perhaps to indicate divinity. Thirdly, that the depiction was secured to the main pillar that supports the roof. And fourthly, that it was customary to decorate such depictions with flowers, in this case fresh roses; presumably this was well enough known among the general population that finding an Epona shrine could be introduced into the story as a way to get the needed roses. Apuleius was born around 125ce and died about 180ce, which tells us that the worship of Epona was well established by the mid second century.

I already quoted from the fifth century Apotheosis of Aurelius Clemens Prudentius:

Nobody gives a throne to the goddesses Cloacina or Epona above the stars, even though he opens an oiled incense-box and investigates grains of spelt and entrails with sacrilegious hands

Looking more at the content this time, rather than the tone, we can see reference to several aspects of worship, all of which fall firmly into the normal spread of Roman religious practice. Firstly the reference to sacrificing incense on an altar fire. Secondly the reference to divination by inspection of the entrails of sacrificed animals. The literature does not specify which animals, but a large stone bas-relief of Epona from Beihingen (Baden-Württemberg, Germany) shows Epona in the top panel and at the right of the lower panel, two men sacrificing a pig [Magnen & Thevenot plate 62] [Schleiermacher p.130]. Thirdly a reference to 'grains of spelt' which is presumably mola salsa, a mixture of salt and flour used for purification rituals. Lastly, we can deduce from the reference that the worship of Epona was still extant in the early fifth century.

Depictions

Many of the Epona inscriptions are regular Roman altars with a carved focus on top (for libations or other offerings) and an inscription on the front face. The sides may be carved or, in many cases, are plain. The following inscription from Ulcisia Castra (modern town of Szentendre, Pest County, Hungary) [Euskirchen #282] is typical.

Dated to 1 June 241 by mention of the consuls, this altar is dedicated to the 'spirit of the squadron' and to Epona, here given the additional epithet of 'Queen'.

Depictions of Epona fall into two main types. One is the sidesaddle type already noted - a woman sitting sideways on a walking horse (typically walking to the right). There may or may not be reins. The goddess usually has her left hand touching the mane, neck, or head of the horse; sometimes she holds a cornucopia instead. The other hand typically holds a patera (offering dish). Sometimes, especially in representations from the Aedui area, the mare is accompanied by a foal standing, lying down, drinking from its mother or feeding from the patera. T.Attius Chattian gave an example from Alauna (modern Maryport, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom) and Ceffyl Aedui pointed to a page with a sidesaddle Epona in bronze; although not identified on that page, it is from Loisia (Jura, Franche-Comté, France) [Magnen & Thevenot, plate 9]. Few existing Eponas are made of bronze; the majority are stone bas-reliefs in a variety of sizes; moulded pipeclay Eponas are also fairly common. One is known made of wood.

The second type is a woman seated (occasionally standing) in between two or more horses, which often turn their heads towards Epona or eat items such as wheat or apples from her lap. This is known as the 'Imperial' type and is more common outside Gaul, while the sidesaddle type is much more common in Gaul.

A transitional type from Brigantium (modern Brégenz, Vorarlberg, Austria) shows the goddess riding sidesaddle on a horse while surrounded by four or more other horses.[Reinach 1898 pp 187-188 and pp. 194-195 and plate XII]

Much less common are representations of a cart drawn by mules or horses. One, in bronze, is from Alesia (modern Alise-Ste-Reine, Côte d'Or, Bourgogne, France) [Ann. Epigr. 1939, #235] and would not have been recognized as an Epona had it not had a punched inscription (made with small punched dots, a common means of lettering used on military equipment such as helmets, for example) saying:

References

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