Mefitis Utiana

In Rossano di Vaglio (Calabria, Italy) the goddess Metis is called “Utiana”, and Lejeune said that the adjective “n’est porteur d’aucune observation sur les attribut de la déesse”. As sensational as it may be, this assertion has never been conveniently grasped nor discussed. On the basis of Lejeune’s authoritative suggestions, scholars have accepted this interpretation despite its back of pertinent reconstructive evidence, and have taken his hypothesis of a *touto utianomholding the patronage of the sanctuary as reliable. But our starting question is: in which onomastic category is a form such as Utianaincluded? Infact, when referring to Metis Utiana’s name, there is evidence for the insistence, in the area of Rossano di Vaglio, of outcomes referring to an Indo-European (hydronymic) onomastic system (Utiana, Utilia, Vaglio), as well as contextual outcomes referring to an onomastic, yet hydronymic condition (Rossano, Ursano) which appears to be at least alternative to the other.