Gaulish Dis PaterIn Book 6 of his Commentaries on the Gallic War, Julius Caesar refers to a Gaulish god whom the druids believed that all the Gauls were descended from. He does not give this god's name, but (following the practice of interpretatio romana) refers to him under the name of a Roman god he deemed comparable: Dis Pater, Roman god of prosperity and of the underworld.
TeutatesTeutates (spelled variously Toutatis, Totatis, Totates) is a Celtic god attested in literary and epigraphic sources. His name, which is derived from a proto-Celtic word meaning "tribe", suggests he was a tribal deity. The Roman poet Lucan's epic Pharsalia mentions Teutates, Esus, and Taranis as gods to whom the Gauls sacrificed humans. This rare mention of Celtic gods under their native names in a Latin text has been the subject of much comment.
EsusEsus is a Celtic god known from iconographic, epigraphic, and literary sources. The 1st-century CE Roman poet Lucan's epic Pharsalia mentions Esus, Taranis, and Teutates as gods to whom the Gaulssacrificed humans. This rare mention of Celtic gods under their native names in a Greco-Roman text has been the subject of much comment.
Dis PaterDis Pater (; Latin:; genitive Ditis Patris, lit. the "Rich Patriarch"), otherwise known as Rex Infernus or Pluto, is a Roman god of the underworld. Dis was originally associated with fertile agricultural land and mineral wealth, and since those minerals came from underground, he was later equated with the chthonic deities Pluto (Hades) and Orcus.
Wicker manThe wicker man is the name given to a large figure of wickerwork and wood in which, according to some Graeco-Roman writers, the Gauls burned human and animal sacrifices. The two main accounts are Julius Caesar's de Bello Gallico (50s BC) and Strabo's Geographica (early 1st c. AD), both probably deriving from the lost ethnography of the Greek philosopher Posidonius (ca. 135–51 BC).
Commenta Bernensia and Adnotationes Super LucanumThe Commenta Bernensia and Adnotationes Super Lucanum are two 9th-century compilations of scholia (explanatory notes) on the Latin poet Lucan's Pharsalia. Lucan's poem was very popular in late antiquity and the Middle Ages, which created a demand for commentaries and scholia. In the absence of a canonical late antique commentator, the scholia to Lucan were combined and elaborated at will by medieval scribes, creating a very diverse commentary tradition.
Jupiter (god)In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Jupiter (Latin: Iūpiter or Iuppiter, from Proto-Italic *djous "day, sky" + *patēr "father", thus "sky father"; Ancient Greek: Δίας or Ζεύς), also known as Jove (nom. and gen. Iovis [ˈjɔwɪs]), is the god of the sky and thunder, and king of the gods. Jupiter was the chief deity of Roman state religion throughout the Republican and Imperial eras, until Christianity became the dominant religion of the Empire.
Interpretatio graecaInterpretatio graeca (Latin for 'Greek translation'), or "interpretation by means of Greek [models]", refers to the tendency of the ancient Greeks to identify foreign deities with their own gods. It is a discourse used to interpret or attempt to understand the mythology and religion of other cultures using familiar terms; a comparative methodology using ancient Greek religious concepts and practices, deities, and myths, equivalencies, and shared characteristics.
PharsaliaDe Bello Civili (Latin pronunciation:; On the Civil War), more commonly referred to as the Pharsalia (Latin:, feminine singular), is a Romanepic poem written by the poet Lucan, detailing the civil war between Julius Caesar and the forces of the Roman Senate led by Pompey the Great. The poem's title is a reference to the Battle of Pharsalus, which occurred in 48 BC near Pharsalus, Thessaly, in Northern Greece.
GaulsAncient Celtic peoples of EuropeThe Dying Gaul, Capitoline Museums, RomeThe Gauls (Latin: Galli; Ancient Greek: 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 spoke Gaulish, a Continental Celtic language. The Gauls emerged around the 5th century BC as bearers of La Tène culture north and west of the Alps.
LucanMarcus Annaeus Lucanus (3 November AD 39 – 30 April AD 65), better known in English as Lucan ( ), was a Roman poet, born in Corduba, Hispania Baetica (present-day Córdoba, Spain). He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imperial Latin period, known in particular for his epic Pharsalia. His youth and speed of composition set him apart from other poets.
Julius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, and author who was the dictator of the Roman Republic almost continuously from 49 BC until his assassination in 44 BC. A member of the First Triumvirate, he led the Roman armies through the Gallic Wars and defeated his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil war.
Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/Þunras dagRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.