Grannus (also ''Granus'', ''
Mogounus
Mogons or Moguns was a Celtic god worshiped in Roman Britain and Gaul. The main evidence is from altars dedicated to the god by Roman soldiers.
Etymology
According to J.T. Koch at the University of Wales, the various alternations of the name ' ...
,''
and ''Amarcolitanus''
) was a Celtic deity of
classical antiquity
Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...
. He was regularly identified with
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= ...
as Apollo Grannus and frequently worshipped in conjunction with
Sirona, and sometimes 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 ...
and other deities.
Name
Etymology
The
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 ...
''Grannus'' is a latinized form of Gaulish ''Grannos''. The same stem appears in the personal names ''Grania'', ''Grannia'', ''Grannicus'', and ''Grannica'', as well as in the place names ''Grignols'' (from an earlier *''Granno-ialon'' 'Grannus' clearing'), ''Aquae Granni'' (> ''
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...
''), and ''Granéjouls''.
Its etymology remains debated. The name could be connected to
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 ...
*''grand''-''/grend-'', meaning 'beard' (cf. Middle Irish ''grend'', Middle Welsh ''grann'' 'chin, beard, cheek', Middle Breton ''grann'' 'eyebrow'), although some scholars have pointed that the god is never actually portrayed with a beard. Old French ''grenon'' ('small beard'), Old Spanish ''greñon'' ('beard') and Occitan ''gren'' ('moustache') are derived from an earlier *''grennos'', that is supposed to be Gaulish, but the vocalism is difficult to reconcile with the other forms.
An alternative etymology connects the name to a reconstructed form *''gra-snó''- (< *''g
whr-snó''-), which could be related to Proto-Celtic ''*g
wrīns-''/''g
wrens-'', meaning 'heat' (cf. Middle Irish ''grīs'' 'heat, glow, embers', Middle Welsh ''gwres'' 'heat
f the sun, fire passion, lust'). Scholar Jürgen Zeidler contends that this would be a "probable reference to the sun's heat and its healing properties". In early twentieth century scholarship, the theonym was often compared with the Old Irish ''grían'' ('sun'), which, according to linguist
Ranko Matasović, should be derived from Proto-Celtic *''g
wrensā'' (>
Primitive Irish
Primitive Irish or Archaic Irish ( ga, Gaeilge Ársa), also called Proto-Goidelic, is the oldest known form of the Goidelic languages. It is known only from fragments, mostly personal names, inscribed on stone in the ogham alphabet in Ireland ...
''*g
wrēnā'').
Epithets
At
Monthelon, Grannus is called ''Deus Apollo Grannus Amarcolitanus''
("The one with a piercing or far-reaching look"), and at
Horbourg-Wihr
Horbourg-Wihr (; german: Horburg-Weier; gsw-als, Horwrig-Wihr) is a Communes of France, commune in the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is located near Colmar.
History
The commune was the form ...
''Apollo Grannus
Mogounus
Mogons or Moguns was a Celtic god worshiped in Roman Britain and Gaul. The main evidence is from altars dedicated to the god by Roman soldiers.
Etymology
According to J.T. Koch at the University of Wales, the various alternations of the name ' ...
''.
[Patrice Lajoye]
Un inventaire des divinités celtes de l’Antiquité
Société de Mythologie Française. See also the inventory'
In all of his centres of worship where he is assimilated to a
Roman god, Grannus was
identified
''Identified'' is the second studio album by Vanessa Hudgens, released on July 1, 2008 in the U.S. June 24, 2008 in Japan, February 13, 2009 in most European countries and February 16, 2009 in the United Kingdom. The album re ...
with
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= ...
,
presumably in Apollo's role as a healing or solar deity. In
Trier
Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
, he is identified more specifically with
Phoebus as Apollo Grannus Phoebus.
Centres of worship
One of the god's most famous cult centres was at Aquae Granni (now
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...
, Germany). Aachen means ‘water’ in
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050.
There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...
, a
calque
In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language wh ...
of the Roman name of "Aquae Granni".
[Dr. Rita Mielke]
History of Bathing
Aachen. The town's hot springs with temperatures between 45 °C and 75 °C lay in the somewhat inhospitably marshy area around Aachen's basin-shaped valley region.
Aachen first became a
curative centre in
Hallstatt times.
According to
Cassius Dio
Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history on ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...
, the Roman Emperor
Caracalla
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname "Caracalla" () was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. He was a member of the Severan dynasty, the elder son of Emperor S ...
(188 AD to 217 AD) unsuccessfully sought help from Apollo Grannus—as well as
Aesculapius and
Serapis—during a bout of physical and mental illness, visiting the god's shrine and making many
votive offerings; Dio claims that the gods refused to heal him because they knew Caracalla's intentions to be evil. Caracalla's visit to the shrine of ‘the Celtic healing-god’ Grannus was during the war with Germany in 213.
Festival
A 1st century AD Latin inscription from a public fountain in
Limoges
Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...
mentions a Gaulish ten-night festival of Grannus (lightly Latinized as ''decamnoctiacis Granni''):
:
:
:
:(edit)
Translation: "The
vergobret
A ''vergobret'' was a magistrate in ancient Gaul who held the highest office in many Gallic cities, especially among the Aedui. Julius Caesar discusses the role of the vergobret several times in his ''Commentaries on the Gallic War'', referring to ...
us Postumus son of Dumnorix gave from his own money the ''Aqua Martia'' ("Water of Martius
r Mars, an aqueduct) for the ten-night festival of Grannus".
Divine entourage
The name Grannus is sometimes accompanied by those of other deities in the inscriptions. In
Augsburg
Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...
, he is found with both
Diana and
Sirona; he is again invoked with
Sirona at
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
,
Bitburg
Bitburg (; french: Bitbourg; lb, Béibreg) is a city in Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate approximately 25 km (16 mi.) northwest of Trier and 50 km (31 mi.) northeast of Luxembourg city. The American Spangdahlem ...
,
Baumberg
Baumberg (also ''Monheim-Baumberg'') is part of the city of Monheim am Rhein in the district of Mettmann in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) at the southern border of Düsseldorf, placed on the eastern bank of the river Rhine. Baumberg consists ...
,
Lauingen, and
Sarmizegetusa (twice). At
Ennetach
Mengen is a town in the district of Sigmaringen, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 9 km southeast of Sigmaringen.
History
The area has been inhabited since prehistoric and early historical times. Two late Bronze Age graves w ...
he is with
Nymph
A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...
s, at
Faimingen with
Hygieia
Hygieia is a goddess from Greek, as well as Roman, mythology (also referred to as: Hygiea or Hygeia; ; grc, Ὑγιεία or , la, Hygēa or ). Hygieia is a goddess of health ( el, ὑγίεια – ''hugieia''), cleanliness and hygiene. Her ...
and the
Mother of the Gods, and at
Grand
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...
with
Sol
Sol or SOL may refer to:
Astronomy
* The Sun
Currency
* SOL Project, a currency project in France
* French sol, or sou
* Argentine sol
* Bolivian sol, the currency of Bolivia from 1827 to 1864
* Peruvian sol, introduced in 1991
* Peruvian sol ( ...
.
A votive altar at
Astorga invokes him after "holy
Serapis" and "the many-named
Isis
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
", and before "the unvanquished
Core and
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 ...
Sagatus".
[. The dedicant is Julius Melanius, an imperial governor.]
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
Further reading
* Hofeneder, Andreas; Hainzmann, Manfred, and Mathieu, Nicolas. “Apollon Grannos – Überlegungen Zu Cassius Dio 77, 15,5–7”. In: ''Théonymie Celtique, Cultes, Interpretatio - Keltische Theonymie, Kulte, Interpretatio''. Edited by Andreas Hofeneder and Patrizia de Bernardo Stempel, 1st ed. Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2013. pp. 101-112. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv8mdn28.10.
External links
*
{{Authority control
Celtic gods
Health gods
Solar gods
Fire gods
Water gods
Gods of the ancient Britons