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Celtic Gods
The gods and goddesses of the pre-Christian Celtic peoples are known from a variety of sources, including ancient places of worship, statues, engravings, cult objects and place or personal names. The ancient Celts appear to have had a pantheon of deities comparable to others in Indo-European religion, each linked to aspects of life and the natural world. By a process of syncretism, after the Roman conquest of Celtic areas, these became associated with their Roman equivalents, and their worship continued until Christianization. Pre-Roman Celtic art produced few images of deities, and these are hard to identify, lacking inscriptions, but in the post-conquest period many more images were made, some with inscriptions naming the deity. Most of the specific information we have therefore comes from Latin writers and the archaeology of the post-conquest period. More tentatively, links can be made between ancient Celtic deities and figures in early medieval Irish and Welsh literature ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epona
In Gallo-Roman religion, Epona was a protector of horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules. She was particularly a goddess of fertility, as shown by her attributes of a patera, cornucopia, ears of grain and the presence of foals in some sculptures. She and her horses might also have been leaders of the soul in the after-life ride, with parallels in Rhiannon of the Mabinogion. The worship of Epona, "the sole Celtic divinity ultimately worshipped in Rome itself", as the patroness of cavalry, was widespread in the Roman Empire between the first and third centuries AD; this is unusual for a Celtic deity, most of whom were associated with specific localities. Etymology Although known only from Roman contexts, the name Epona ('Great Mare') is from the Gaulish language; it is derived from the inferred Proto-Celtic *''ekʷos'' 'horse', which gives rise to modern Welsh ''ebol'' 'foal', together with the augmentative suffix ''-on'' frequently, though not exclusively, found in theonyms (for exa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mars (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Mars ( la, Mārs, ) was the god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno, and was pre-eminent among the Roman army's military gods. Most of his festivals were held in March, the month named for him ( Latin ''Martius''), and in October, which began the season for military campaigning and ended the season for farming. Under the influence of Greek culture, Mars was identified with the Greek god Ares,''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. whose myths were reinterpreted in Roman literature and art under the name of Mars. The character and dignity of Mars differed in fundamental ways from that of his Greek counterpart, who is often treated with contempt and revulsion in Greek literature. Mars's altar in the Campus Martius, the area of Rome that took its name from him, was supposed to have been dedicated by Numa, the peace-lov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teutates
Toutatis or Teutates is a Celtic god who was worshipped primarily in ancient Gaul and Britain. His name means "god of the tribe", and he has been widely interpreted as a tribal protector.Paul-Marie Duval (1993). ''Les dieux de la Gaule.'' Éditions Payot, Paris. According to Roman writer Lucan, the Gauls offered human sacrifices to him. Name and nature ''Toutatis'' (pronounced in Gaulish)Pierre-Yves Lambert (2003). ''La langue gauloise.'' Éditions Errance, Paris. and its variants ''Toutates'', ''Teutates'', ''Tūtatus'' and ''Toutorīx'', comes from the Gaulish Celtic root ''toutā'', meaning 'tribe' or 'people' (compare Old Irish ''tuath'' and Welsh ''tud''). A literal meaning would thus be "god of the tribe". A similar phrase is found in Irish mythology, which mentions the oath formula ''tongu do dia tongas mo thuath'', roughly "I swear by the god by whom my tribe swears". Bernhard Maier proposes that his name derives from an older *''teuto-tatis'', with the meaning 'father o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lucan (poet)
Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (3 November 39 AD – 30 April 65 AD), better known in English as Lucan (), was a Roman poet, born in Corduba (modern-day Córdoba), in Hispania Baetica. He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imperial Latin period, known in particular for his epic ''Pharsalia''. His youth and speed of composition set him apart from other poets. Life Three brief ancient accounts allow for the reconstruction of a modest biography – the earliest attributed to Suetonius, another to an otherwise unknown Vacca, and the third anonymous and undated – along with references in Martial, Cassius Dio, Tacitus's ''Annals'', and one of Statius's ''Silvae''. Lucan was the son of Marcus Annaeus Mela and grandson of Seneca the Elder; he grew up under the tutelage of his uncle Seneca the Younger. Born into a wealthy family, he studied rhetoric at Athens and was probably provided with a philosophical and Stoic education by his uncle. His wife was Polla Argentaria, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rosmerta
In Gallo-Roman religion, Rosmerta was a goddess of fertility and abundance, her attributes being those of plenty such as the cornucopia. Rosmerta is attested by statues and by inscriptions. In Gaul she was often depicted with the Roman god Mercury as her consort, but is sometimes found independently. Etymology The name ''Rosmerta'' is Gaulish, and is analysed as ''ro-smert-a''. ''Smert'' means "provider" or "carer" and is also found in other Gaulish names such as Ad-smerio, Smertu-litani, Smerius (Σμερο), Smertae, Smertus, and others. ''Ro-'' is a modifier meaning "very", "great", or "most" as found in Ro-bili ("most-good") or Ro-cabalus ("great horse"). The ''-a'' ending is the typical Gaulish feminine singular nominative. The meaning is thus "the Great Provider". Iconography A relief from Autun (ancient ''Augustodunum'', the ''civitas'' capital of the Celtic Aedui), shows Rosmerta and Mercury seated together as a divine couple. She holds a cornucopia, with Mercury holding ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sirona
In Celtic polytheism, Sirona was a goddess worshipped predominantly in East Central Gaul and along the Danubian limes. A healing deity, she was associated with healing springs; her attributes were snakes and eggs. She was sometimes depicted with Apollo Grannus or Apollo Borvo. She was particularly worshipped by the Treveri in the Moselle Valley. Sirona's name The name of the goddess was written in various ways: ''Sirona'', ''Đirona'', ''Thirona'', indicating some difficulty in capturing the initial sound in the Latin alphabet. The symbol Đ is used here to represent the ''tau gallicum'', an additional letter used in Gaulish representing the cluster ''ts'' which was interchangeable with ''st''- in word-initial position and it is not a form of the letter "D". The root is a long vowel Gaulish variant of proto-Celtic ''*ster-'' (''*h2ster'') meaning ‘star’. The same root is found in Old Irish as ''ser'', Welsh ''seren'', Middle Cornish ''sterenn'' and Breton ''steren(n)''. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sulevia
In ancient Celtic religion, Sulevia was a goddess worshipped in Gaul, Britain, and Galicia, very often in the plural forms Suleviae or (dative) Sule(v)is. Dedications to Sulevia(e) are attested in about forty inscriptions, distributed quite widely in the Celtic world, but with particular concentrations in Noricum, among the Helvetii, along the Rhine, and also in Rome. Jufer and Luginbühl distinguish the Suleviae from another group of plural Celtic goddesses, the Matres, and interpret the name Suleviae as meaning "those who govern well".Nicole Jufer & Thierry Luginbühl (2001). ''Les dieux gaulois : répertoire des noms de divinités celtiques connus par l'épigraphie, les textes antiques et la toponymie.'' Editions Errance, Paris. pp.15,64. In the original: ''"Celles qui gouvernent bien"''. In the same vein, Patrizia de Bernardo Stempel connects Suleviae with Welsh ''hylyw'' 'leading (well)' and Breton ''helevez'' 'good behaviour'. Epigraphy The Suleviae have been identified in o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sulis
In the localised Celtic polytheism practised in Great Britain, Sulis was a deity worshiped at the thermal spring of Bath (now in Somerset). She was worshiped by the Romano-British as Sulis Minerva, whose votive objects and inscribed lead tablets suggest that she was conceived of both as a nourishing, life-giving mother goddess and as an effective agent of curses wished by her votaries. Etymology of name The exact meaning of the name ''Sulis'' has been a matter of debate, but an emerging consensus among linguists regards the name as cognate with Old Irish ''súil'' ("eye, sight"). A common Proto-Celtic root ''*sūli-'', related to the various Indo-European words for "sun" (cf. Homeric Greek ηέλιος, Sanskrit ''sūryah'', from c ''*suh2lio-'') has also been proposed, although the Brittonic terms for "sun" (Old Breton ''houl'', Old Welsh ''heul'') feature a diphthong that is absent from ''Sulis'' and they are not attested as a feminine form or with the ''-i-'' inflection. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poeninus
it, Colle del Gran San Bernardogerman: Grosser Sankt Bernhard , photo = Great St Bernard Pass.jpg , photo_caption = View of the pass and hospice from Great St Bernard Lake with Mont Vélan in background , elevation_m = 2469 , elevation_ref = , traversed = Road , location = Valais, Switzerland Aosta Valley, Italy , range = Pennine Alps , map = Switzerland , map_caption = Location in Switzerland , coordinates = , topo = Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo The Great St Bernard Pass (french: Col du Grand St-Bernard, it, Colle del Gran San Bernardo, german: Grosser Sankt Bernhard) is the third highest road pass in Switzerland, at an elevation of . It connects Martigny in the canton of Valais in Switzerland with Aosta in the region Aosta Valley in Italy. It is the lowest pass lying on the ridge between the two highest mountains of the Alps, Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa. It is located on the main watershed that separates the basin of the Rhône from that of the P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lenus
Lenus ( grc, Ληνός) was a Celtic healing god worshipped mainly in eastern Gaul, where he was almost always identified with the Roman god Mars. Name The theonym ''Lenos'' may derive from a stem ''lēno''-, which could mean 'wood, bocage' (cf. Welsh ''llwyn'' 'bush, grave, shrub'). Cult He was an important god of the Treveri tribe, who had large sanctuaries at medicinal springs at Trier and the Martberg by Pommern in what is now Germany. Two dedications to him are also known from southwestern Britain (Chedworth and Caerwent). Edith Wightman characterizes him as “one of the best examples of a Teutates, or god of the people, equated with Mars—protector of the tribe in battle, but also ..bestower of health and general good fortune” (p. 211).Edith Mary Wightman (1970). ''Roman Trier and the Treveri.'' Rupert Hart-Davis, London. His sanctuary ‘Am Irminenwingert’ at Trier had a large temple, baths, smaller shrines and a theatre; that on the Martberg also included ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Visucius
Visucius was a Gallo-Roman god, usually identified with Mercury. He was worshipped primarily in the east of Gaul, around Trier and on the Rhine; his name is recorded on about ten dedicatory inscriptions. One such inscription has also been found in Bordeaux. Visucius is, along with Gebrinius and Cissonius, among the most common indigenous epithets of the Gaulish Mercury. The name has sometimes been interpreted as meaning "of the ravens" or "knowledgeable"; cf. the Proto-Celtic roots *''wesāko-'' 'raven, grebe' (cf. Old Irish disyllabic ''fiach'', Welsh ''gwyach'') and *''witsu-'' 'knowing'.Proto-Celtic—English lexicon an English—Proto-Celtic lexicon < ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Interpretatio Romana
''Interpretatio graeca'' (Latin, "Greek translation") or "interpretation by means of Greek odels is a discourse used to interpret or attempt to understand the mythology and religion of other cultures; a comparative methodology using ancient Greek religious concepts and practices, deities, and myths, equivalencies, and shared characteristics. The phrase may describe Greek efforts to explain others' beliefs and myths, as when Herodotus describes Egyptian religion in terms of perceived Greek analogues, or when Dionysius of Halicarnassus and Plutarch document Roman cults, temples, and practices under the names of equivalent Greek deities. ''Interpretatio graeca'' may also describe non-Greeks' interpretation of their own belief systems by comparison or assimilation with Greek models, as when ancient Romans, Romans adapt Greek myths and iconography under the names of their own gods. ''Interpretatio romana'' is comparative discourse in reference to Religion in ancient Rome, ancien ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
