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Vosegus (; sometimes ''Vosagus'', ''Vosacius'', ''Vosagō'', ''Vosegō'', ''Vogesus'') was a name used in the
Vosegus (; sometimes ''Vosagus'', ''Vosacius'', ''Vosagō'', ''Vosegō'', ''Vogesus'') was a name used in the Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...
for a Celtic god of hunting and forestation.
Description and history
On the rare representations that have come down to us, Vosegus is represented with a bow and a shield, and he is sometimes accompanied by a dog. He is also associated with a local hunting deity with a piglet under his arm, and sometimes associated with nuts, acorns, and pine cones. The central area where Vosegus was worshiped was around theDonon
Mont Donon is the highest peak in the northern Vosges. It is a Category 2 climb in the Tour de France.
On Donon, there is an 80 metre tall lattice tower for TV transmission. Its TV transmission antennas are covered by a polymeric cylinder, which ...
. On top of a hill there was a temple dedicated to Vosegus.
The name is derived 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 reconstructed through the comparative method. Proto-Celti ...
*''uɸo''- (“sub-, under”) and *''segos'' (“force, victory”).
Later in Gallo-Roman religion, Vosegus was the patron god
A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety an ...
of the Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
in eastern 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 ...
. His name is attested in about five inscriptions from western 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 ...
and eastern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, twice in the form ''Vosego Silv(estri)'' and once as '' Merc(urio) Vos(ego)''.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.
References