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Habonde has been honored through the centuries and in various cultures and is known by several names, Habonde, Habondia, Abondia, Nichneven, and Abundantia..

In the beginning as far as I can tell she was known as Nicneven in Scotland. Her name means "Divine"; "Brilliant" and she was a Samhain witch-goddess; a form of Diana. In Scotland she is said to ride through the night with her followers at Samhain. It wasn't until the Middle Ages that she was called Dame Habonde, Abundia, Satia, Bensozie, Zobiana and Herodiana.

Within Roman Mythology, the figure of Abundantia (also known as Annona) was considered to be only a minor deity: the personification of luck, abundance and prosperity, and was also the guardian of the cornucopia - the horn of plenty. It was with this that she distributed food and money. The main version of the origin of the cornucopia is similar in both the Greek and the Roman mythology, in which the king of the gods, having accidentally broken the horn of the mystical goat in play, promised that the horn would never run empty the fruits of her desire. The horn was then later to be passed into the keeping of Abundantia.

While there are few temples or signs of worship for Abudantia to be found within Rome, she has also been described in the past as 'the beautiful maiden of success', and as such is largely featured in art. Often portrayed as holding the cornicopia and sheaves of corn, while allowing the contents to fall to the ground, Abundantia's form has graced Roman coins in ages past.

Silver denarius of Severus Alexander,
ABVNDANTIA AVG,
229 CE.

This is the commonest depiction of Abundantia - standing, holding a large cornucopia in both hands, and pouring out fruits from it. As with most personifications, she represents an aspect of the Emperor; in this case, his role as the fount of all good things.

Silver denarius of Elagabalus,
ABVNDANTIA AVG,
220-221 CE.

She pours to the right, she pours to the left. This is a mirror image of the same representation on a coin of Elagabalus. However, he added a star in the field to indicate his personal divinity.

Abudantia has withstood the tests of time, taking on the form of the French 'Olde Dame Habonde; also known as Domina Abundia, and Notre Dame d'Abondance', a beneficial fairy figure found throughout Teutonic Mythology, and poetry of the Middle Ages. Within texts related to this figure it is said that she would bestow the gift of plenty and of good fortune to those she visits, and in modern society is the patron of gamblers - the revered Lady Fortune.

In the book, The Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses by Michael Jordan, a comprehensive source for gods and goddesses; the author claims that it represents the most comprehensive worldwide listing of deities available in a single volume. However, he admits that it makes no claim to be exhaustive. This is quite true. For example, if you look up Abundantia, the entry reads:

"Minor fertility goddess. Roman. The personification of abundance. She continued in French mythology after the Roman occupation, as a lady who enters houses in the night, bringing prosperity."

The author doesn't even mention that the French called her "Lady Hobunde". This would be valuable information should an individual want more information on how Abundantia continued in French mythology.

In the book, The Goddess of Abundance by Doreen Virtue, she states "Abundantia is a beautiful goddess of success, prosperity, abundance, and good fortune. She's also considered to be a protector of savings, investments, and wealth. Her image graced Roman coins in centuries past.

In Roman mythology, Abundantia brought money and grain to people while they were sleeping, shaking her gifts from the cornucopia she continuously carried. In Norse mythology, she was called Fulla, the first and favorite attendant of Frigg (the Norse goddess of the atmosphere and clouds). Fulla carried Frigg's valuables for her, and also acted as her intermediary, performing favors for mortals who called upon the goddess for help.

Every time I see Abundantia, gold coins magically spill from her, from no particular container. The coins just seem to pour out of her, and even trail behind her, accompanied by a musical jangling sound similar to belly dancers who jingle their coin-laden outfits.

She's a vision of great beauty and angelic purity, very patient and extremely loving. Abundantia is like a gracious hostess, constantly asking if you need anything, and then lovingly fulfilling your every wish. She says, "I easily come into your dreams to answer any questions you may have about high finance, investments, and such. Never forget that finances can fuel healing projects and afford you freedom where time is concerned. But money can also be a trap if you allow worry and concern to rule over you. That's where I come in: to alleviate these lower thoughts and take you to the high road of prosperity." (http://www.themessenger.info/archive/MayJun2003/Doreen%20Virtue.html
*Excerpted with permission from the book, Archangels and Ascended Masters
Doreen Virtue, Ph.D. is a clairvoyant doctor of psychology, and fourth-generation metaphysican who works with the angelic, elemental, and ascended master realms. This article was excerpted from her latest book, Archangels and Ascended Masters: A Guide to Working and Healing with the Deities and Divinities (Hay House, 2003)). I hope I got the credits correct.

On August 25, there is a Roman harvest festival in honor of Ops Consiva, the old Italian goddess of fertility, who was the mate of Consus. Her name means Wealth from Planting.

Worshippers invoked her by touching the ground. Her altars were, and should be today, heaped with flowers, wine and fresh-baked bread. She is both a goddess of sowing and reaping. From her name, we derive the word opulent. Her medieval name was Habondia or Abundance. (Farias, Helen, Calendar Notes, The Beltane Papers, 1992)

As Habonde/Habondia a goddess of abundance, was celebrated, particularly in medieval European times, as the special divinity of witches. Apparently she was, or was descended from, an ancient Germanic or Celtic earth goddess. She sometimes appears as leader of the Wild Hunt.
Many neo-Pagans give praise at Lammastide to Habondia, the generous one, the Goddess of the Harvest, for the abundance and prosperity that she brings. At Lammas she is seen in her pregnant and birthing aspects as she ripens and swells with the life that she now brings forth, and the earth reflects this growing fruitfulness. The Great Mother is seen as having moved through the seasons from the promise of new life in February (Imbolc) to the fulfilment of that promise with the harvest beginning in August.

Habondia - A Goddess of Gardening and Horticulture and thus a sister of Brighid, she was revered among the Celtic Britons. She was later adopted by the Anglo-Saxons in England. She is the Goddess of hearth, home, fertility, and the harvest, ensuring the abundance of crops and herds for her devotees. Her worshippers were gradually absorbed into the folds of Brigid worship, and she has been much forgotten, who at one time was sacred to every Celtic home. Call on her to promote growth and abundance in your life.
She is sometimes known by the title, "Lady of Flowers and Delight." The Goddess Habondia is a combination of Hecate and Diana and was used by much later authors to refer to the Goddess of Witches.

As the queen of the witches, presiding over the Sabbat. She was also identified with Diana or Herodias. She was referred to as "Habonde" in the thirteenth-century poem Le Roman de la Rose. In his work Tableau de l'inconstance des mauvais anges (Description of the inconstancy of evil angels, 1612), the demonologist Pierre de Lancre refers to Habondia rather sweepingly as "Queen of the fairies, witches, harpies, furies; and ghosts of the wicked."
As a fairy of English origin. She appears to be a beautiful woman with dark braided hair. She wears a golden diadem or circlet with a star on her head, This signifies that she is queen of the fairies, possibly the French fairies.

As the Mother

The Goddess of the Full Moon is the Mother aspect of the Great Goddess. She is the most familiar aspect of the Goddess to most people on Earth, because even the most patriarchal religions have had difficulty in stamping out her worship, and several have been content to transform her slightly into an "acceptable" object of veneration. Isis, Queen of Heaven, Mother of the Divine Child, took only a little neatening up to become Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, Mother of the Divine Child. The neatening generally takes the form of getting rid of the Goddess' sexual proclivities and concentrating on her motherly ones. But the original version of the Mother, the one who was celebrated in sculpture back in Paleolithic times, is patroness of romantic and erotic love as well as devoted parenthood.

Among her varied forms, both terrible and beautiful, the symbol of the Full Moon catches the human psyche like no other. Connected physically to the tides of Earth and the menstrual cycles of women, shining at night with a mysterious light which carries no heat, she is the symbol par excellence of the unconscious mind and its mysteries; of water, tides and rain; of the abundance of Earth that results from her moist touch on plant life and the urge to procreation which she inspires among animals and men. She is the mirror of the Earth, Dame Habonde, our lady of abundant harvests, of the consummation of desires, of results.

At the same time, she is the visible reminder of the mystery which lives in our own souls, that womanly aspect of each of us, male and female alike. To the God and to men she is Mother, Sister, Lover, Betrayer; to women she is Mother, Mirror, Self as seen mirrored in another's eyes. To all she is Source and Destination, Glory and Mystery.
(http://www.compostcoven.org/compost/spells.html).

She is featured in the Universal Goddess Tarot, as The Ace of Chalices, and mentioned as the ancient Celtic Goddess of hearth, home, fertility, abundance and prosperity.

Symbol Meanings - Witch's Foot
Today this symbol may be seen worn by many young people as a symbol of nuclear disarmament. In the past this symbol was thought to come from the shape of a bird's foot, supposedly an attribute of female demons and, in particular, of the witch goddess who according to European legend, sometimes led the Wild Hunt on windy moonlit nights. This mysterious divinity had a variety of names in different countries, such as Holda, Frau Holle, Abundia or Dame Habonde, Nicneven in Scotland, Aradia or Herodias, and Bensozia (the latter meaning "the good neighbor", an old synonym for one of the fairy race). Her distant ancestress is Lilith, the moon goddess of ancient Sumeria, who is depicted with bird's feet, probably because of her affinity to her sacred bird, the owl. There is a faint trace of an old belief among witches that in days long ago people who were secretly members of the witch cult used to mark this sign somehow upon the soles of their shoes. In this way, walking upon soft ground, they would leave a trail of signs sufficiently plain to be followed, if they wished others of the faith to do so for any reason. This too, might have something to do with the symbol being called the witch's foot.

On the Wheel of the Year, Habonde is celebrated at Lammas, as She is a cross-cultural Goddess Whom Greece, Rome and much of Europe claim among their Pantheons. An aspect of the Great Mother, Habondia is personified as a cornucopia-bearing, richly bounteous and all-giving Lady. It is fitting that She be invoked during this most abundant time of the year for Earth's produce. The sowing of the seed is conception, the sprouting is birth. The plant grows to the fullness of maturity, is one day harvested and consumed in death, then its seeds are conceived again. The agricultural cycle is as that which links generations of humans and other animals. The time of Habondia, the culmination of summer ripeness and potency, is particularly a family festival, celebrated with reunions, family outings and marriages. At this feast of the summer harvest, Habondia's blessings be upon the ripe summer fruit.
In an Archangelic Invocation, she is associated with the EARTH-NORTH: The Goddess in Her aspect as Earth Mother is here: Hertha, Habondia, Demeter. She stands beneath the golden, life-giving sun surrounded by the fruits of the Earth. Before her, a platter flows with good things of the Earth, for the disk/shield/platter is the pentacle, magick instrument of Earth.

Celebrate Her on the first Monday in July, where people in Wales prepare for a lunch of ale brewed eight months ago. This is taken joyfully around town and shared to bring joy, prosperity and longevity to everyone, courtesy of the Goddess and the local brewers' guild.

If you're a home brewer, this is an excellent day to make ritual beer or wine, both of which have to boil on the hearth, a symbol of Habonde. As you work, sit clockwise to draw positive energy your way. When your schedule's too hectic for this, pour yourself a small glass of beer (you can use the non-alcoholic kind), and lift it to the sky, saying:

Habonde, bring abundance
Habonde, health and luck bring
When through my lips this liquid passes
Let my soul sing!

Drink expectantly!

Lighting any fire source honors Habonde and draws her attention to areas where you feel her energies are needed.

The color associated with Her is Black:
Black is an intense concentration of all colors(or lack of them all), it absorbs light. Unlike other colors, black reflects very little, if any, light back to the viewer. This can give the false impression that black is the absence of color. It is actually the absence of color reflection. Think of this color as a black hole in space. It absorbs all light with little or no reflection back, thus it becomes a receptacle or a transporter for all that you do not need or want. Properly used, it can be one of the most useful and powerful colors available. However, misused, it can cause disaster.

Associations:
Planet: Saturn
Day: Saturday
Energy: Female
Colors: Dark blues, Black, Dark Browns and most dark colors
Used For: Meditation rituals, uncrossing rituals and spells to banish evil and negativity, to break up a blocked or stagnant situation. The Crone, the unconscious.

Black: Use in rituals to induce a deep meditative state, or to banish evil or negativity as in uncrossing rituals; attracts Saturn energy.
Magickal Purpose: Absorption, why it is used for funerals. The void of all colors, it has the ability to absorb Quiet power, self-control, restriction, depression sickness, but new changes, rebirth. Wisdom, Control, Resilience, Discipline.
Magickal Uses: Banishing negative thoughts and situations, reversing, uncrossing, binding negative forces, releasing, removing confusion, contact with spirits, dark magick, defensive spells (can be used with RED to increase intent).
Scent / OilL associated with Habonde and or the color black: Holly, Juniper, Yew,Myrrh, Cypress, Pine, Apple, Yarrrow,Rowan, Vervain, Peppermint, Basil.
Herbs and plants associated with Habonde and or the color black: Willow, wheat, rye, barley, corn, apples, pears, honey, belladonna, catnip, valerian, mugwort, sage, sweetgrass, pussy willows/cattails, Oak, Yew, Beech, Elm,Comfrey, Holly, Ivy, Horsetail, Reeds,Solomons Seal, Mullein, Cedar, Clove,Cypress, Rue, Betony, Elder, Fern, Yarrow,Cayenne, Dragons Blood, Mandrake, Flax.
Wood associated with Habonde and or the color black: Oak, Ash, Aspen, Birch, Hazel,Rowan
Animal associated with Habonde and or the color black: Bobcat, Dragon, Panther, Raccoon, Rhinoceros, Groundhog, Blackbird, Lynx, Bat, Owl, Jaguar, Praying Mantis.
Stones associated with Habonde and or the color black: Onyx, Jet, Obsidian, BlackQuartz, Black Star Sapphire, Agate,Tektite, Pyrite, Diamond, Moonstone,Galena, Pumice.