Mullo is a Celtic god. He is known from inscriptions and is associated with the god

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

in the form of Mars Mullo. The cult of the god was popular in northern and north-western

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 ...

, particular in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

and

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. The word ' may denote an association with horses or mules (it is the Latin word for "mule"). Mars Mullo had a circular temple at Craon in the

Mayenne Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ill ...

, situated on a hillock commanding a confluence of two rivers. An inscription at Nantes reflects the presence of a shrine there. An important cult centre must have existed at Rennes, the tribal capital of the Redones: here inscriptions refer to the onetime presence of statues and to the existence of an official public cult. Town magistrates were instrumental in setting up urban sanctuaries to Mullo in the 2nd Century AD. At Allonnes,

Sarthe Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the '' Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It ha ...

a shrine was set up to Mars Mullo as a healer of afflictions of the eye. His importance is suggested by his link with

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

on a dedicatory inscription. Pilgrims visited the shrine offered numerous coins to the god, along with votive images of the afflicted parts of their bodies, the eye problems clearly manifest.

References

*Michael Jordan, ''Encyclopedia of Gods,'' Kyle Cathie Limited, 2002 *Miranda J.Green, ''Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend,'' Thames and Hudson Limited, 1997 {{Authority control Gaulish gods Health gods Animal gods