Borvo or Bormo (
Gaulish
Gaulish was an ancient Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium ...
: *''Borwō'', ''Bormō'') was an ancient Celtic god of healing
springs worshipped in
Gauls
The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...
and
Gallaecia
Gallaecia, also known as Hispania Gallaecia, was the name of a Roman province in the north-west of Hispania, approximately present-day Galicia, northern Portugal, Asturias and Leon and the later Kingdom of Gallaecia. The Roman cities included ...
.
[, s.v. ''Borvo''.] He was sometimes identified with the Graeco-Roman god
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
, although his cult had preserved a high degree of autonomy during the
Roman period
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
.
Name
The
Gaulish
Gaulish was an ancient Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium ...
theonym
A theonym (from Greek ''theos'' (Θεός), "god"'','' attached to ''onoma'' (ὄνομα), "name") is the proper name of a deity.
Theonymy, the study of divine proper names, is a branch of onomastics (the study of the etymology, history, and u ...
''Boruō'' means '
hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
', 'warm source'. It stems from the
Proto-Celtic
Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, is the ancestral proto-language of all known Celtic languages, and a descendant of Proto-Indo-European. It is not attested in writing but has been partly Linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed through the compar ...
verbal root *''berw''- ('boil, brew'; cf.
Old Irish
Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writt ...
''berbaid'',
Middle Welsh
Middle Welsh ( cy, Cymraeg Canol, wlm, Kymraec) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh ( cy, Hen G ...
''berwi''), itself from
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo-E ...
*''bʰerw''- ('boil, brew'; cf. Latin ''ferueō'' 'to be intensely hot, boil', Sanskrit ''bhurváni'' 'agitated, wild'). The ''Bhearú'' river (
River Barrow
The Barrow ( ga, An Bhearú) is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers, and at 192 km (120 mi), the second-longest ri ...
) in Ireland has also been linked to this Celtic root. An
apophonic variant *''bʰreh₁w''- gave rise to various Indo-European words for 'source, spring', including the Greek ''phréar'' (φρέαρ), Armenian ''ałbiwr'', Germanic *''brunnōn'', and Latin ''
Furrina
Furrina, also spelled Furina, was an ancient Roman goddess whose function had become obscure by the 1st century BC. Her cult dated to the earliest period of Roman religious history, since she was one of the fifteen deities who had their own flam ...
'' (''*Frūrina'').
The variant ''Bormō'' could have emerged from
lenition
In linguistics, lenition is a sound change that alters consonants, making them more sonority hierarchy, sonorous. The word ''lenition'' itself means "softening" or "weakening" (from Latin 'weak'). Lenition can happen both synchronic analysis, s ...
, a difference in
suffixes
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the Stem (linguistics), stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the Grammatical conjugation ...
, or from
dissimilation
In phonology, particularly within historical linguistics, dissimilation is a phenomenon whereby similar consonants or vowels in a word become less similar. In English, dissimilation is particularly common with liquid consonants such as /r/ and ...
. Known derivates include ''Bormanicus'' (
Caldas de Vizela), from an earlier *''Borwānicos'', and ''Bormanus'' or ''Borbanus'' (
Aix-en-Diois
Aix-en-Diois (; Vivaro-Alpine dialect, Vivaro-Alpine: ''Ais de Diés'') is a former communes of France, commune in the Drôme Departments of France, department in southeastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Solaure-e ...
,
Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
), from an earlier *''Borwānos''. A goddess named ''Boruoboendoa'', perhaps reflecting the Gaulish theonym *''Buruo-bouinduā'' or *''Buruo-bō-uinduā'', has also been found in
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
.
The toponyms
Bourbon-l'Archambault
Bourbon-l'Archambault is a spa town and a commune in the Allier department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in central France. It is the place of origin of the House of Bourbon.
Population
Personalities
In 1681, Louise Marie Anne de Bour ...
,
Bourbon-Lancy
Bourbon-Lancy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.
It is a rural town on the river Loire with a walled medieval area on the dominant hill. It has an authentic medieval belfry, ...
,
Bourbonne-les-Bains
Bourbonne-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France in the region Grand Est. ,
Boulbon
Boulbon (; oc, Borbon) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. The Baroque composer and serpent player Guillaume Poitevin (1646–1706) was born in Boulbon.
Population
See also
* Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhô ...
,
Bormes,
Bourbriac
Bourbriac (; br, Boulvriag; Gallo: ''Bólbriac'') is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France.
Population
Inhabitants of Bourbriac are called in French ''Briacins''.
Breton language
In 2007, 9.7% of pri ...
,
La Bourboule
La Bourboule (; Auvergnat: ''La Borbola'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department
The following is a list of the 464 Communes of Fra ...
and
Worms Worms may refer to:
*Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs
Places
*Worms, Germany, a city
**Worms (electoral district)
*Worms, Nebraska, U.S.
*Worms im Veltlintal, the German name for Bormio, Italy
Arts and entertainme ...
are derived from ''Borvo'' or from its variant ''Bormo''. The names of various small rivers in France, such as ''Bourbouillon'', ''Bourban'', and ''Bourbière'', also stem from the theonym.
Centres of worship
![Dédicace Apolo borvo et damona Bourbonne 13497](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/D%C3%A9dicace_Apolo_borvo_et_damona_Bourbonne_13497.jpg)
In
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
, he was particularly worshipped at
Bourbonne-les-Bains
Bourbonne-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France in the region Grand Est. , in the territory of the
Lingones
The Lingones (Gaulish: 'the jumpers') were a Gallic tribe of the Iron Age and Roman periods. They dwelled in the region surrounding the present-day city of Langres, between the provinces of Gallia Lugdunensis and Gallia Belgica.
Name
Attes ...
, where ten inscriptions are recorded. Two other inscriptions are recorded, one (CIL 13, 02901) from
Entrains-sur-Nohain
Entrains-sur-Nohain () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.
Demographics
On 1 January 2019, the estimated population was 748.
Sister cities
Entrains fosters partnerships with the following places:
* Saranac Lake, New York ...
Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum
The ''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'' (''CIL'') is a comprehensive collection of ancient Latin inscriptions. It forms an authoritative source for documenting the surviving epigraphy of classical antiquity. Public and personal inscriptions throw ...
(CIL), 13: ''Tres Galliae et Germanae''. and the other (CIL 12, 02443) from
Aix-en-Savoie in
Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the ...
. Votive tablets inscribed ‘Borvo’ show that the offerers desired healing for themselves or others.
Many of the sites where offerings to Borvo have been found are in
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
: inscriptions to him have been found in
Drôme
Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019. at
Aix-en-Diois
Aix-en-Diois (; Vivaro-Alpine dialect, Vivaro-Alpine: ''Ais de Diés'') is a former communes of France, commune in the Drôme Departments of France, department in southeastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Solaure-e ...
,
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and large ...
at
Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
,
Gers
Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377. at
Auch
Auch (; oc, label= Gascon, Aush ) is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Occitanie, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony.
Geography
Localization
Hydrography
The Riv ...
,
Allier
Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named afte ...
at
Bourbon-l'Archambault
Bourbon-l'Archambault is a spa town and a commune in the Allier department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in central France. It is the place of origin of the House of Bourbon.
Population
Personalities
In 1681, Louise Marie Anne de Bour ...
,
Savoie
Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population of ...
at
Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie. ,
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part.
Saône-et-Loire is Bo ...
at
Bourbon-Lancy
Bourbon-Lancy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.
It is a rural town on the river Loire with a walled medieval area on the dominant hill. It has an authentic medieval belfry, ...
, in
Savoie
Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population of ...
at
Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie. ,
Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne (; English: Upper Marne) is a department in the Grand Est region of Northeastern France. Named after the river Marne, its prefecture is Chaumont. In 2019, it had a population of 172,512.[Bourbonne-les-Bains
Bourbonne-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France in the region Grand Est.] and in
Nièvre
Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.[Entrains-sur-Nohain
Entrains-sur-Nohain () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.
Demographics
On 1 January 2019, the estimated population was 748.
Sister cities
Entrains fosters partnerships with the following places:
* Saranac Lake, New York ...]
.
Findings have also been uncovered in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
at
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
, where he is called Boruoboendua Vabusoa Labbonus, and in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
at
Vizela
Vizela () is a municipality in the Braga District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 23,736, in an area of 24.70 km².
The present mayor is Vitor Hugo Salgado, elected as an independent. The municipal holiday is March 19.
History
In Au ...
and at
Idanha-a-Velha
Idanha-a-Velha (Idanha "the old") is a village in the civil parish (''freguesia'') of Monsanto e Idanha-a-Velha, in the municipality of Idanha-a-Nova (Idanha "the new"), central eastern Portugal, and the site of ancient Egitânia, a former bishop ...
, where he is called Borus and identified with
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
.
At
Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
, he was referred to as Borbanus and Bormanus but at
Vizela
Vizela () is a municipality in the Braga District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 23,736, in an area of 24.70 km².
The present mayor is Vitor Hugo Salgado, elected as an independent. The municipal holiday is March 19.
History
In Au ...
in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, he was hailed as Bormanicus,
and at
Burtscheid
Burtscheid ( la, Porcetum) is a district of the city of Aachen, part of the Aachen-Mitte Stadtbezirk. It is a health resort.
History
It was inhabited since ancient times by Celts and Romans, who were attracted by the presence of hot springs.
Bu ...
and at
Worms Worms may refer to:
*Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs
Places
*Worms, Germany, a city
**Worms (electoral district)
*Worms, Nebraska, U.S.
*Worms im Veltlintal, the German name for Bormio, Italy
Arts and entertainme ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
as Borbetomagus.
Divine entourage
Borvo was frequently associated with a divine consort, usually
Damona
In Gallo-Roman religion, Damona was a goddess worshipped in Gaul as the consort of Apollo Borvo and of Apollo Moritasgus.
Name
The theonym ''Damona'' is a derivative of the Proto-Celtic stem ''*damo-'', meaning 'bull' or 'deer' (cf. Old Irish ...
(Bourbonne, Bourbon-Lancy), but sometimes also
Bormana
Bormana was a Celtic goddess, the female equivalent of the god Borvo (Bormanus). Bormana was worshipped alongside Bormanus as his consort. The pair of them were, for example, worshipped at Die (Drôme) in the south of France. The goddess also occ ...
when he was worshipped by the name Bormanus (Die, Aix-en-Diois).
[, s.v. ''Borvo''.] Bormana was in some areas worshipped independently of her male counterpart, such as at
Saint-Vulbas
Saint-Vulbas () is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.
Population
Geography
The town is located on the right bank of the Rhône , 205 meters above sea level, 35 kilometers northeast of Lyon , 13 kilometers from Ambérieu-e ...
.Borvo bore similarities to the goddess
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 A ...
, who was also a healing deity associated with mineral springs. According to some scholars, Sirona may have been his mother.
In other areas, Borvo's partner is the goddess
Bormana
Bormana was a Celtic goddess, the female equivalent of the god Borvo (Bormanus). Bormana was worshipped alongside Bormanus as his consort. The pair of them were, for example, worshipped at Die (Drôme) in the south of France. The goddess also occ ...
. Bormana was, in some areas, worshipped independently of her male counterpart.
[Miranda Green. ''Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend.'' Thames and Hudson Ltd. London. 1997] Gods like Borvo, and others, equated with Apollo, presided over healing springs, and they are usually associated with goddesses, as their husbands or sons.
[The Religion of the Ancient Celts: Chapter XII. River and Well Worship](_blank)
/ref> He is found in Drôme
Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019. at Aix-en-Diois
Aix-en-Diois (; Vivaro-Alpine dialect, Vivaro-Alpine: ''Ais de Diés'') is a former communes of France, commune in the Drôme Departments of France, department in southeastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Solaure-e ...
with Bormana
Bormana was a Celtic goddess, the female equivalent of the god Borvo (Bormanus). Bormana was worshipped alongside Bormanus as his consort. The pair of them were, for example, worshipped at Die (Drôme) in the south of France. The goddess also occ ...
and in Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part.
Saône-et-Loire is Bo ...
at Bourbon-Lancy
Bourbon-Lancy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.
It is a rural town on the river Loire with a walled medieval area on the dominant hill. It has an authentic medieval belfry, ...
and in Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne (; English: Upper Marne) is a department in the Grand Est region of Northeastern France. Named after the river Marne, its prefecture is Chaumont. In 2019, it had a population of 172,512.[Bourbonne-les-Bains
Bourbonne-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France in the region Grand Est.] with Damona
In Gallo-Roman religion, Damona was a goddess worshipped in Gaul as the consort of Apollo Borvo and of Apollo Moritasgus.
Name
The theonym ''Damona'' is a derivative of the Proto-Celtic stem ''*damo-'', meaning 'bull' or 'deer' (cf. Old Irish ...
but he is accompanied by the ‘candid spirit’ Candidus in Nièvre
Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.[Entrains-sur-Nohain
Entrains-sur-Nohain () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.
Demographics
On 1 January 2019, the estimated population was 748.
Sister cities
Entrains fosters partnerships with the following places:
* Saranac Lake, New York ...]
. In the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
at Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
as Boruoboendua Vabusoa Lobbonus, he is found in the company of a Celtic Hercules, Macusanus and Baldruus.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{Celtic mythology (ancient)
Gaulish gods
Health gods
Water gods
Lusitanian gods
Gallaecian gods