Cissonius (also ''Cisonius'', ''Cesonius'') was an ancient

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 durin ...

ish/Celtic god. After

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 ...

, Cissonius was the most common name of the Gaulish/Celtic Mercury; around seventeen inscriptions dedicated to him extend from

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 ar ...

and Southern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

into Switzerland.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.34-5

Name

The name has been interpreted as meaning 'carriage-driver' (from ''cissum'' 'carriage'), or 'dream-bringer' (from ''cit-'' attached to ''souno-'' 'sleep, dream'). A goddess ''Cissonia'' is also recorded.Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend, Miranda J. Green, Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1997

Cult

He was probably a god of trade and protector of travellers, since Mercury exercised similar functions in the Roman pantheon. In one inscription from Promontogno in Switzerland, Cissonus is identified with Matutinus.

References

Bibliography

* Gaulish gods Commerce gods Mercurian deities {{celt-myth-stub