#gaulish mercury

[donnodubus]

Hermes omnia solus et ter unus. (Hermes, alone is all and three in one.)

— M. Valerii Martialis, Epigrammaton libri V, XXIV

[aviedoodles]

an explanation

inspired by this post

[houndofbel]

A playlist of the presentations at the past weekend’s Gaulish convention!

Myth is Not Religion by Aliakai

Gaulish Runas System from Nemeton Dumnantu

Divine Pairings in Gaulish Polytheism by Nertatis

Frankish Polytheism/Heathenry presentation by the TFA

Abnoda Gaulish/Celtic Goddess of the Wilds by Tricunos

Ritual for Gallo-Roman Mercuralia by Viducos/Deomercurios

Stone age cosmology (neolithic origin for cernunnos??) by Beroki

Secrets of the Rhaetians (IRON AGE ALPS SUN WORSHIPPERS) by Renotauros

Travel Altars & Con wrap up with Reno again

[mask131]

Green spring: Cernunnos

CERNUNNOS

Category: Gallic mythology

When people talk about the Celtic myths, they tend to focus solely on the insular Celts – the Irish legends, the Welsh tales… And they tend to forget that there was a whole other branch of Celts – the continental Celts, of which the most famous were the Gallic Celts, the inhabitants of Gaul (aka, current France). And the Gallic tribes had their own religion and mythology, which despite having a few common points with the insular Celts, also had a lot of differences, to the point it forms a very unique Celtic mythology…

But unfortunately, a Celtic mythology of which we know barely anything. For you see, the Gallic mythology was one of the least preserved of the Celtic mythologies. No Gallic literature of any form was preserved, and no Gallic tale was kept alive in medieval times (unlike the insular Celts). Due to the many differences and uniqueness between the Gallic religion and the insular Celts, trying to reconstruct the first solely based on the second is difficult and hazardous. And the main problem is that Gaul was conquered, colonized and absorbed by the Roman Empire at quite an early age and with a terrifying success, which means that a lot of the original Gallic culture was completely erased, or syncretized with the Roman one. As a result, a good part of what we know about ancient Gaul today comes from the treaties, books and observations made by the Roman themselves – and from the well-preserved “Gallo-Roman” era, where Gaul was just another province of the Roman Empire. For older times, we can only rely on archeological proofs and evidences, to try to discover and understand what the ancient Gallic mythology was about…

Which leads us to Cernunnos, THE most famous Gallic god. He is one of those Gallic deities that are completely unique to Gaul, and do not have any equivalent among the insular Celtic myths (even though some people claim Conall Cernach of Irish legends might be a cultural cousin, it is a very light theory based on very few and non-conclusive evidence), and he is a fascinating and very popular figure, to the point he is often included among the more well-known insular Celtic gods as if he was part of them. Of course, his adoption by neo-paganism (and Wicca in particular) helped boost even further this reputation. Remember the “Horned God” of the Wicca? Well originally, this was Cernunnos. Just Cernunnos. Before the neo-pagans rose up, there was only one pagan “Horned God” or “Horned One” known by this name – and it was Cernunnos (or Carnonos) whose very name contains the Gaulish word for “horn”. Heck, due to his unique nature, people even think that he is more than just a continental specificity – people theorize and claim that Cernunnos is actually a proto-Celtic god, a god from the original, primitive Celtic pantheon before it split up in all the different tribes and people we know today.

But enough history lessons – who, or what, was Cernunnos?

Well, as I said, we actually don’t know much about him. In fact we probably know less about him than any other Gallic god… It is a very strange fact that one of the most famous deities of the Gallic pantheon is the one we actually have the less about. As I said, no Gallic or Gaulish literature about him was kept, he doesn’t have any insular Celts counterpart, and even more fascinatingly he isn’t talked about by the Romans at all, who didn’t include him in their new, re-forged Gallo-Roman pantheon. When the Romans made lists of Gallic gods and syncretized them with their own, Cernunnos was absent. Or maybe he was here, but unnamed – you see, there is a strong theory that Cernunnos was actually present in those texts, but left unnamed, because in these lists formed by the Romans, there is an unnamed god mentioned and seen by the Romans as bearing at the same times attributes related to Mercury and Dis Pater. (I invite you to check my posts about them in my “Roman gods are not Greek gods” series). And from what evidence we have, Cernunnos was a psychopomp and/or chthonic deity (Dis Pater) who was also strongly associated with wealth (Mercury). So this deity might – just might – be him. But again, we are not sure.

So if nobody seems to talk or know about him… How do we even know he exists? We know this thanks to a lot of archeological evidences that clearly state he existed in the ancient Gallic religion. One such evidence is the Pillar of the Boatmen/Pilier des Nautes/Nautae Parisiaci. This monument, a column erected by Gallo-Romans on the location of current-day Paris, is one of the most importance sources when it comes to the Gallic gods since it depicts on several lines physical representations of both Roman and Gallic gods, with their names. It is unclear if the pillar actually tried to equate the Roman and Gallic deities (as in, showing them by side to say “Hey, this deity in Gaulish is this one in Latin”) or if it actually simply listed the Gallo-Roman pantheon formed by the union of the two religions, but on it, alongside Roman gods (Jove, Castor and Pollux, Volcanus, Fortuna) and other Gallic gods (Esus, Smertrios, Tarvos Trigaranos), Cernunnos appears, his name written under the depiction of a man with stag’s antlers on his head, from which hangs two torcs.

This is actually the second main “evidence” of Cernunnos’ presence: his physical depiction on various Gallic or Gallo-Roman items. His name is also written in some Gaulish inscriptions here and there, but it is rarer (beyond the pillar above, his name was also found in three other inscriptions so far). Cernunnos’ portraits were far more widespread – for example another famous depiction of him is present on the Gundestrup cauldron, a silver cauldron on which he appears as a man with antlers, sitting, holding in his right hand a torc, and in his left hand a horned serpent. To his left is a stag with antlers similar to his, and all around them are various other figures – canine and felines beasts, some sort of bovines, as well as a human riding a dolphin. There is also between the antler a sort of tree-like motif, but it is unclear if it is supposed to be a real tree growing between his antlers, or just some standard “background ornament”.

I’m not going to list you all the apparitions of Cernunnos, but overall a pretty clear imagery of the god is formed.  Cernunnos appeared as a horned man, most of the time his horns being the antlers of a stag (though in very rare cases, he has ram-horns). He is usually seen with a torc, one of the most famous Gallic ornaments – sometimes he has it around his neck, sometimes in his hand, sometimes on his antlers. He is usually seated, but in a very specific position which has been pointed out as a “yoga position”, “yogi position”, “Buddhic position”, that is to say sitting cross-legged. Sometimes Cernunnos will appear as a beardless youth, other times as a bearded man; similar, while often he is depicted with only one head, sometimes he will have two face (like the Roman Janus) or with three faces (making him similar to the figure of Lugus/Lud). Cernunnos is usually depicted surrounded by animals, though one creature in particular is often present with him – the “ram-headed snake”, a very specific creature of Gallic mythology. Cernunnos often holds a bag from which spills either coins or food.

- - - - - -

With such an imagery and just a name to go by (which itself merely means “horned one” or “horned god”), we can only speculate and theorize about who Cernunnos was.

Here are the main points so far: Cernunnos seems to have been a god of nature. His half-human half-animal nature, coupled with the fact he is usually depicted by various beasts of different species, make people think that he is a manifestation of an ancient religious motif and archetype, the “Lord of the Animals” or “Lord of the Wild Things”, a figure usually seen sitting peacefully among wild animals, or holding by the horns two savage beasts on each side. On top of being a god of nature and animals, the fact he is usually seen holding a bag of coins or a bag of food (or is in the presence of a woman figure holding a basket filled with food, and more rarely he is even vomiting coins onto the world) also identifies him as some sort of god of wealth and/or abundance – which does explain why he appeared on the “Pilier des nautes”, which was a pillar tied to merchant-sailors and fluvial commerce (hence its name, “Boatmen Pillar”). In fact, it is pretty clear that Cernunnos seems to have embodied the two sides of “fertility”, on one side the natural abundance of the natural world of beasts and fruits, on the other side the material wealth one had to gain in a more urban and Romanized world.

Though his presence on the Boatmen Pillar also led some people to flat out interpret him as a god of travel and commerce, rather than just wealth itself (again, in Gaul, travel by the various rivers of France was the main way of doing commerce, and so most boat-travels were about selling or buying something). A fun fact is how people can sometimes have two completely opposite interpretations of him: for example, while some experts and future neo-pagans interpreted him as a form of aggressive, wild, dominating, genetic power of vigor and fecundity, other people rather point out that he seems to be a peaceful entity and “quiet” god, sitting cross-legged among animals and offering gifts – even going as far as to say that his half-human half-animal nature might mean he was a god of meditation, or a mediator/negotiating figure, trying to unite both sides of the world – a more peaceful idea of the “god of fruitfulness”, that brings fruits through union rather than an “aggressive vigor”.

Some people also argue that Cernunnos might have been a seasonal god of the Celts – for the antlers typically fall during winter and grow back during hotter seasons. The Celts considered there was only two seasons a year, one bright, one dark – summer and winter. And the fact Cernunnos is a nature-god of abundance, depicted with usually giant or massive antlers seem to indicate he might be an embodiment of the “bright season”/Celtic summer. Though other point out that there are similar or alternate depictions of Cernunnos, but with smaller protuberance on his head (or figures seated and dressed like him, but missing antlers), and they theorize that maybe Cernunnos, just like the real stags, also lost his antlers yearly before they regrew, and thus interpret him as a god embodying the very Gallic seasonal cycle, rather than just one season.

Oh yes, and there is one last theory about Cernunnos identity… You see, when Julius Caesar described the religion of Gaul, he mentioned that the Gaul people considered a specific god as their father and ancestor – and he called this deity by the Roman name of “Dis Pater”, a Roman god equated with Pluto, and considered to be an underworld deity of wealth. This led some people to theorize that Cernunnos might be the Gallic Dis Pater Caesar talked about – pointing out his association with wealth, and the fact that he wears some of the most iconic pieces of outfit worn by the Gaul people themselves (mainly the torc, and the breeches). As such, some wonders if Cernunnos wasn’t the “father-god” of the people of Gaul, worshiped as the common ancestor of all…

[that-cunning-witch]

Know any good sources on Celtic (specifically Gaulish practices)? I know it’s not your area, but you seem like someone who might know some people who dabble in that sort of stuff. The area I live in has some celtic archeological sites, but sadly not much is known about the local religion or culture. I am trying to put together a Romano-Celtic hearth cult, but it’s difficult finding practices and deities that feel right.

Gaul is a larger Celtic area of Western Europe (modern-day France and parts of modern-day Belgium, Germany, and Northern Italy). I say this because the Celts, when invaded by Rome, took in a lot of Roman religion including Hellenic and (rarely) Kemetic beliefs as well. When the Celts did this, so did the Gauls.

If it helps at all, the specifics you're looking into is called Gallo-Roman, which is part of the larger Romano-Celtic area.

This selective acculturation manifested in several ways. One of the main ways we see this is with the melding of Greco-Roman deities with Gaulish (Celtic) deities. Gaulish epithets for Roman gods (Jupiter Poeninus) and Roman epithets for Gaulish gods (Lenus Mars). Roman gods were given Gaulish god partners (Mercury and Rosmerta & Apollo and Sirona). Towards the east of the Gauls, many mysteries were formed, including one for the Greek hero Orpheus, the Iranian (or Persian) god Mithras, and the Egyptian goddess Isis. In other words, a whole lot of syncretism.

When it came to the Gauls (and the Celts overall) a main part of their belief system was the heavy use of animal imagery. More specifically, zoomorphic deities. However, we see a lot more human-looking representations of the gods because the Romans (and Greeks) weren't too keen on the idea (see Greco-Egyptian).

As for specifically Gallo-Roman hearth religious beliefs, the Lares (Lar singular) is a good place to start. They're the equivalent of Agathos Daimon in Greek religion (Hellenism). Essentially, they're personal household deities that are connected to the hearth.

A majority of the information we have about the Gaelic culture and the eventual melding of the Gallo-Roman culture stems from two sources: artifacts and Julius Ceasar, who wrote all about in what we now call the "Commentarii de Bello Gallico". The gods that he mentions the Gauls worship (like Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Minerva) aren't really the Roman gods that the Gauls are worshipping at that time but rather the closest thing Ceasar can connect. For example, Caesar may say that the Gauls worshipped Mars, when in reality they were worshipping Lenus, a healing god that quickly became associated with Mars because of Caesar and the Roman Empire. However, not all of them were caught. Gobannus is the most well-known example we have, with him being the equivalent to the Roman god Vulcan or the Greek god Hephaestus and yet Caesar makes no comment on the Gaulish god.

One other thing, the specific time we are taking a look at was prior to the overtaking by the Anglos, Saxons, and Jutes (aka pre-Anglo-Saxon times). Because of this, Germanic (Norse) gods weren't known to these people yet. Odin, Thor, and Freyja were unknown to them at this point in time.

Other than that, the last thing I can give to you are articles and books that I stumbled upon that may pique your interest. I do recommend a couple of Wikipedia links, but just know that I recommend using Wikipedia as a jumping-off point. Hope this helps! :^)

Becoming Roman: the origins of provincial civilization in Gaul -- Greg Woolf https://archive.org/details/becomingromanori0000wool

The gods of the Celts -- Miranda Green https://archive.org/details/godsofceltsar00mira

Gallo-Roman Religious Sculptures -- A.N. Newell https://www.jstor.org/stable/640758

Fifth-Century Gaul: A Crisis of Identity? -- John Drinkwater & Elton Hugh https://www.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam031/91018375.pdf

Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War: literally translated -- Frederick Holland Dewey, A.B. https://archive.org/details/caesarscommentar07caes

Category:Gaulish gods -- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Gaulish_gods

Category:Gaulish goddesses -- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Gaulish_goddesses

sources: https://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/1999/1999.10.34/ http://www.deomercurio.be/en/dii.html https://www.britannica.com/topic/Celtic-religion/The-Celtic-gods https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lares https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lar-Roman-deities https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallo-Roman_culture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallo-Roman_religion

[hochgouez-nerzhus]

Gaulish Goblet from Lyon.

"This goblet seems to have been chiselled in Lyon, Lugdunum in the second half of the 1st century AD. J.-C., by a goldsmith who freely dealt with themes of indigenous and local religion according to the traditions of Greco-Roman art » © Jean-Michel Degueule, Christian Thioc/Lugdunum.

There are figures of Lugh (Mercury), a snake on a tree where mistletoe grows, an eagle (symbol of Jupiter), a crow flying above a table

And the scene here. A male figure, reclining on a bed, holds a cornucopia in one hand and a torc in the other, while wearing a torc around his neck. He is flanked by a deer and a dog. No doubt a classicized version of Cernunnos, had he kept his own antlers? The damage that the goblet suffered makes it impossible for us to know.(Museum of Gallo-Roman civilization, Lyon)

[reno-matago]

I finally asked for my silkworm cocoons at museum collections service, my dudes!

My collegues: ''Oh, why do you need it?''

My soul: "These are offerings for Athena, may be Circé and probably to try magical things or spirit communication, and a perfect symbol of the land''

My real answer: ''I love nature curios!''

No seriously, this exhibition about silk workers in Lyon at the beginning of the century is a blessing.

My city, beside of the Lion ( which is not an original symbol of Lyon ('' Lugh-On'') was famous for silk work at Renaissance, under impulse of Napoléon, and also for the roses culture. we even have a suspended garden at work, based on vegetal symbolism of the XVIth, that's why I would love work with roses and offer it more often.

The origin of the name Lugdunum is not very clear. Some says it means Hill of Lugh, gaulish god of light and crafts, or Hill of the Light, but romans thought it meant ''Hill of the crows'' cause they saw crows when they founded the city.

And this hill, we call today Fourvière was probably the temple of the Juno-Jupiter-Mercury triad (i'm not sure) archeologists believed for a long time it was a sanctuaire for Cybele, but others disagree! Today, it's still connected to light, la Basilique de Fourvière, consecrated to Mary the Virgin. She was prayed for healing the plague, and Lyonnais celebrate it 8th december by lightning candles everywhere with Big light shows in the street.

Oh and I haven't even spoken of the legends ..we have a beautiful Park, Parc de la Tête d'or (''golden head'' of a legendary statue of Christ hidden in the Park), we have a dragon in the river, the Mâchecroute, and an Island with legends about the SangGraal & lavandières de la nuit, female ghosts washing the clothes of the dead in the river.

We have a White Lady, la Dame Blanche de la Croix Rousse. Lyon is also the city of Spiritisme and a true base of Freemasonry since the XVIIth.

We also have the famous Johan of Arc room for mediumship, and i can't continue it would be too long. (Nostradamus, devil worship, werewolves, heretical sects, cérémonial Magic, tempestari, catacombs and incredible tunnels, chapel of Saint-Expedite...)

Cool, isnt it?

( OH FUCK WAIT I DIDNT REALIZED...Loa Ghede Spider behind, must be pretty happy, Hello you! 😯 🕸️🕷️)

[x-x-witchcore-x-x]

The Celtic Pantheon

Male

Abarta – god of jealousy, performer of feats

Accasbel – god of wine and mead

Aengus – god of youth and love

Aesun – early irish god

Afnac – god of forgetting

Alator – God of war and protection, name means “he who nourishes the people”

Albion – son of a forgotten sea god

Albiorix – God of protection and war, name means “king of the world”

Alisanos – god of stones

Ambisagrus – god of weather magic, leadership

Angus Mac Og – god of youth, love, music magic, protection of lovers, dream work, creativity and beauty

Arawn/Arawyn – King of Hell, God of Annwn. Ruled the underground kingdom of the dead.

Ard Greimme - Father of the famed warrior sisters, Aife and Scáthach. Once a Sun God.

Artaius - god of sheep and cattle herders from Celtic Gaul. Later, the Romans identified him with Mercury.

Baile of the Honeyed Speech – God of Blarney, the speech valued in Irish culture.

Barinthus – Charioteer to the residents of the Otherworld who was most likely once a Sea or Sun God.

Bel/Beltene – Closely connected with the Druids. His name was seen in festivals of Beltane/Beltain. Cattle were also driven through the bonfires for purification and fertility.

Bladud – Sun God who is associated with the sacred English hot spring known as Aquae Sulis. Depicted as a very virile male figure with flaming hair.

Bormanus – Thought to be one of the earliest Celtic Gods. Nothing is known about him today, though he may have later surfaced as Borvo, a Breton God of hot springs.

Borvo – God of hot springs who replaced his mother, Sirona, in this function when her story was patriarchalized. The spring he ruled had great healing powers.

Bran The Blessed/Bran MacFebal – A giant associated with ravens.

Breasal – High King of the entire planet who made his home in the Otherworld which is sometimes called Hy- or I-Breasal in his honor.

Bregon – Minor Celtic figure who plays a role as either the human son of Milesius or the divine father of Bile and Ith.

Brenos – War God to whom the victories at Allia and Delphi were attributed.

Belenus – God of healing, name means “bright one”

Bres – God of fertility, tyrant ruler

Camulos – War God from the region of Colchester which was once called by the Latin name Camulodunum in his honor.

Canola – Believed to be one of the oldest of the Irish deities, Canolawas the inventor of Ireland’s long loved symbol, the harp.

Cernunnos – The Horned God, God of Nature, God of the Underworld. The Druids knew him as Hu Gadarn, the Horned God of Fertility.

Cian – God of medicine who went to retrieve a cow which had been stolen by Balor. Father of Lugh. Son of Diancecht. Husband of Ethne.

Condatis – God of confluence whose sacred places were wherever two rivers or bodies of water met.

Credne – God of metallurgy and smithing who worked in bronze. He created all the Tuatha’s weapons with the goldsmith Goibniu and the woodworker Luchtain.

Cromm Cruaich – Ancient deity about which little is known about today. Seen as a harvest, death and sacrificial God. It is thought human sacrifices were once made to him at Samhain.

Cronos – Minor harvest and Sun God with Greek roots who was imprisoned with his subordinate deities on a western island which could have been a Land of the Dead.

The Dagda – High King of the Tuatha Dé Danann. God of death and rebirth, master of all trades, lord of perfect knowledge.

Daronwy – In The Book of Taliesin, The “Song of Daronwy,” relates adventures of this God who does not appear elsewhere in Celtic mythology.

Dispater – Gaulish God, whose name means “the father,” was a primordial God of creation who later merged with both Don andCernunnos.

Dunatis – Gaulish Celtic God of fortifications. Protector of sacred spaces.

Dylan/Dyonas – Guardian deity of the mouth of the River Conway. Symbol was a silver fish, son of Gwydion and Arianrhod.

Easal – God of abundance and prosperity who came into legend as King of the Golden Pillars.

Epos Olloatir – Horse God often seen as either a male form of Epona or as her consort.

Essus – Harvest God worshiped in Brittany and in Gaul by the people known as the Essuvi.

Finvarra – A strong God who became known as a faery king of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Fionn MacCumhal – Legendary giant God/Warrior of Ireland who foresaw the coming of the Milesians and banished an invading giant from Scotland.

Gavida – Minor God of the forge.

Gog – Consort of Magog.

Goidniu – One of a triad of craftsmen with Luchtaine the wright and Creidne the brazier.

Grainne – Master herbalist and sun Goddess who was the daughter of King Cormac and who married Fionn MacCumhal.

Great Father – The Horned God, The Lord. Represents the male principle of creation.

Guaire – Guardian God/spirit of Bruigh na Boinne and father of Ebhlinne.

Gwawl Ap Clud/Gwawn – Son of the Goddess Clug. Thought to be a minor sun God.

Gwydion – Druid of the mainland gods, son of Don. Brother of Govannon, Arianrhod and Amaethon.

Gwyddno – At one time was a sea God. Came down in legend as a monster or faery of the ocean.

Gwynn Ap Nudd – King of the Fairies and the underworld.

Gwethyr – Opposite of Gwynn Ap Nudd. King of the Upperworld.

Hevydd Hen – Father of Rhiannon. Once part of a very old oral tradition which has been lost.

Holly King and Oak King – Two sacrificial Gods who, in the manner of such deities, are two aspects of the same being. Holly King represents the waning year, and battles the Oak King at Midsummer (probably at Beltane sometime in the past) for leadership.

The Horned God – Opener of the Gates of Life and Death.

Ialonus – Fertility God who governed over all cultivated fields.

Ibath – A nomad who is believed to be a Tuatha ancestor/father God.

Iubdan of the Faylinn – An Ulster God usually known in popular legend as the king of the Ulster faeries.

Keevan of the Curling Hair – Lover of Cliodna who may have been a God of fertility and of the hunt. All myths aside the ones of Cliodna have been lost.

Lassair – Goddess of Midsummer, part of a triune with her sistersLatiaran and Inghean Bhuidhe. Her name means “flame.”

Latiaran – The youngest of the three sisters who made up a Triune Goddess. Latiaran represented the first harvest of Lughnasadh.

Latobius- god of mountains and sky equated with the Roman Mars and Jupiter.

Lenus – God of healing, associated with the Roman god Mars

Latis – Lake Goddess who later became a Goddess of ale and mead.

LeFay – Goddess of the sea and of the Isle of Avalon. She was an excellent healer and drinking water bless her provided an instant cure for all.

Leucetios – Thunder and storm God.

Llasar Llaesgyfnewid – Battle God who is always paired with Cymidei Cymeinfoll, his wife.

Lugh – God of the sun and craftsmanship, justice and rulership

Mabon – Minor sun God who also has power in darkness. Some traditions view him as the original being, the first God, first life carved out of the primal void of the divine womb.

MacCecht – Son of Oghma. God of the plow for the Tuatha.

MacCuill – Minor sea God of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

MacGreine – Son of Oghma, minor sun God of the Tuatha Dé Danann and husband of Eire.

MacKay – MacKay’s legend is possibly a reworking of an old story about a fire God.

Maponus – God of music, poetry and youth

Neit – Tuatha Dé Danann war God who is seen as both the husband of Nemain and of the entire Morrígu tribe

Nuada – God of healing, the sea and warfare

Ogma – A champion of the Tuatha who carried a huge club. He invented the Ogam script alphabet.Taranis – god of thunder

Pwyll – Sometimes the ruler of the underworld.

Segomo – War God called by the name Cocidius. His image is always seen with birds of prey such as the hawk or falcon.

Sucellos – A river and death God about whom nothing but his name is known about. However, some claim he was the consort of Nantosuelta, whose name means “of the meandering stream.”

Taliesin – Minor barley God worshipped through the 16th century. Do not confuse him with the bard, Taliesin, though some of the famous bard’s attributes were grafted onto him.

Tethra – King of the FirBolgs after they were banished into the sea. He is now seen as a minor death God.

Tuan MacCarell – Nephew of Partholan was a hero who was created a God of animals and the woodlands by the mother Goddess Dana.

Female

Adsullata – goddess of purification, hot springs and solar magic

Achtland – goddess of sex

Aerten – goddess of peace and fate

Aeval – goddess of lust, sex magic and wisdom

Agrona – goddess of war and slaughter

Aibell – goddess of protection, music, earth magic and ecological magic

Aibheaog – goddess of healing and midsummer well rituals

Aiofe – goddess of protection, general knowledge, teaching, path working, and law. Goddess and queen of the isle of shadow

Aimend – minor sun goddesss

Aine – goddess of love, summer, youth, wealth, sovreignity, crops, cattle and the moon

Airmid – goddess of medicene and healing arts

Almha – goddess of tuatha de danann

Ancasta - goddess who survives only in her name through a dedication on a stone

Andraste goddess of overcoming enemies and war

Anu/Anann/Catana – Mother Earth, Great Goddess, Greatest of all Goddesses, another aspect of the Morrígu.

Ardwinna – Woodland and animal Goddess who stalked the forests ofArdennes riding a wild boar.

Ariadne – goddess of protection, magic, manifestation, time

Arianrhod – goddess of beauty, fertility, reincarnation. Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess and is honoured at the full moon.

Arnamentia - goddess of spring waters who was once a minor solar deity.

Artio – Bear Goddess whose shrine once stood in what is now Bern, Switzerland. She is usually depicted as being surrounded by full baskets and animals.

Badb/Badb Catha - The cauldron of ever-producing life, war goddess and wife of Net, mother aspect of Triple Goddess; also, linked with the cauldron, crows, and ravens.

Ban-Chuideachaidh Moire – Old Goddess who appears in modern Irish legends as the midwife who assisted the Christian Virgin Mary with her birth, and was also a title applied to St. Bridget.

Banba – Part of a triad with Fotia and Ériu. They used magic to repel invaders.

Bechoil – Goddess whose legends have been lost. Perhaps an early version of Dana.

Becuma – Tuatha Goddess who ruled over magical boats and had a weakness for sleeping with High Kings at Tara.

Belisama – Goddess of the Mersey River.

Berecynthia – An Earth Goddess, perhaps even a local goddess.

Blai – A Fairy Queen with a burgh of her own Drumberg. Represents a personal or mascot deity to Ossian.

Blathnat – Probably a form of the more popular Welsh Goddess,Blodeuwedd.

Blodeuwedd/Wlodwin – Lily maid of Celtic initiation ceremonies. Known as the Ninefold Goddess of the Western Isles of Paradise. Created by Math andGwydion as a wife for Lleu.

Bo Dhu – Black cow Goddess who helped bring fertility to barren Ireland.

Bo Find – “White cow.” This is how she manifested long ago on the barren and fruitless mass that would become green Ireland.

Bo Ruadh – Red cow Goddess who helped bring fertility to barren Ireland.

Boann/Boyne – Goddess of the river Boyne.

Bodua – War Goddess much like the Irish Badb.

Branwen/Branwyn – Venus of the Northern Seas, of the three matriarchs of Britain. Lady of the Lake.

Briant – Goddess of the river which holds her name.

Brigantia/Britannia – A Goddess of sovereignty and often thought of as the Brigit of England. In 1667 Charles I had her face placed on the coinage where it remains today, reviving an old custom, first instated by the Romans who adopted her as their.

Brigit/Brigindo – Associated with Imbolc. She had an exclusive female priesthood at Kildare and an ever-burning fire. She had 19 priestesses representing the 19-year cycle of the Celtic “Great Year.”

Brigantia – Goddess of rivers and waters, poetry and crafts

Brigid – Goddess of fire, fertility, healing, cattle and poetry

Bronach – Crone Goddess linked to forgotten Samhain rituals. Reclaim this forgotten Samhain Goddess at your own seasonal rites.

Caer Ibormeith – Usually thought of as a Goddess of sleep and dreams and a less violent version of Mare.

Cailleach – Goddess in her Destroyer aspect.

Caireen – Once a protective Mother Goddess, a defender of youth and patron of children. Associated with holly leaves.

Cally Berry – Often equated with the Cailleach Bheur of Scotland, although in northern Irish legends, she appears as a maiden Goddess, representation of spring, the hunt and guardian of animals.

Campestres – Campestres is the Roman name of a lost Goddess of fields that was probably a fertility or harvest Goddess in Celtic Gaul.

Cailleach – goddess of the winds and winter

Cerridwen – Goddess and sorceress, poetic wisdom, prophecy, magic and rebirth

Caolainn – Goddess who was the guardian/queen of a magical well in County Roscommon in western Ireland. She helped grant wishes, usually ones which taught the wishers that they didn’t really want what they thought they did.

Carman – Goddess of County Wexford and source name for LochGarman, who was once honored at Lughnasadh. It is believed she has roots in the Greek grain Goddess, Demeter.

Carravogue – Local Crone Goddess from County Meath who was transformed into a huge snake for eating forbidden berries.

Cathubodia – Occasionally seen as a Breton version of the Irish earth Goddess Banbha, most likely with origins in Gaul. Thought to be a war Goddess who shares Badb’s energies.

Cebhfhionn – Goddess of inspiration who was usually found next to the legendary Well of Knowledge from which she filled an endless vessel. She kept this sacred water from humans, feeling they could not handle its power.

Cerridwen – Moon Goddess, Grain Goddess. Welsh Bards called themselves Cerddorion (sons of Cerridwen). The Bard, Taliesin, founder of their craft was said to be born of Cerridwen and to have tasted a potent from her magic cauldron of inspiration.

Cessair – Of the race known as the Partholans who were among the first to occupy Ireland, she is the first ruler of Ireland. Well-known pre-Celtic Mother Goddess figure much like Dana. She led a journey of Partholans to the “western edge of the world” forty days before the great flood.

Cethlion – Goddess of the Formorians who was called “crooked teeth.” She prophesied the fall of her people to the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Chlaus Haistic – Ancient Goddess of unknown function who came down to earth as a powerful witch. Probably a crone Goddess.

Cliodna – Tuatha Dé Danann Sea and Otherworld Goddess who usually took the form of a sea bird and therefore symbolized the Celtic afterlife.

Clota – Well-known Goddess and namesake of the River Clyde. The waters in which she governed were believed to be especially useful in controlling seizures.

Coinchend – A semi-divine warrioress whose home was in the Otherworld.

Condwiramur – Goddess of sovereignty who appears shortly in the Grail legends as the wife of Sir Percival in which she is wedded and then bedded by Percival who then immediately sets off for the Grail castle to which he is finally admitted.

Corchen – Ancient snake Goddess about whom very little is known. She was probably once a regional mother earth Goddess, or Goddess of rebirth.

Corra – Prophecy Goddess who regularly appeared in the form of a crane. She symbolizes transcendent knowledge and transitions to the Otherworld.

Coventina – One of the most potent of the Celtic river Goddesses. Most likely Roman in origin. She was also the Goddess of featherless flying creatures which may have symbolized some type of blockage to passing into the Otherworld.

Cred – Fairy Queen Goddess who is associated with Dana’smountains, the Paps of Anu. She vowed never to sleep until she found a man who could create for her the most majestic poem ever penned.

Creiddylad – Connected with Beltane and often called the May Queen. Goddess of summer flowers.

Crobh Dearg – “The Red Claw.” War Goddess who is possibly a form of the crone Goddess of battle Badb. A Leinster fortress was named for her.

The Crone – Third aspect of the Triple Goddess. She signifies old age or death, winter, the end of all things, the waning moon, post-menstrual phases of women’s lives, all destruction that comes before regeneration through her cauldron of rebirth.

Cyhiraeth – Goddess of streams who later became thought of as a fairy spirit who was a portent of death, very similar to Ireland’s Beansidhe or Cornwall’s Washer at the Ford.

Cymidei Cymeinfoll – War Goddess who is always paired in stories with her husband, Llasar Llaesyfnewid. They own a magical cauldron into which they would cast warriors killed in battle.

Dahud-Ahes – Goddess of “debauchery” by her detractors, while some recent legends go so far as to make her the destroyer of her own realm through her excesses and her worship of “idols.”

Damara – Fertility Goddess associated with Beltane.

Damona – Cow Goddess which little is known about.

Danu – Major Mother Goddess, ancestress of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Deae Matres – “Mother Goddesses.” A triune of earth Goddesses given this singular Latin name on the continent.

Dechtere – A triplicate unto herself, this Goddess throughout her myth say she alternately takes on the images of maiden, mother and crone.

Devona – Goddess of the rivers of Devon.

Diancecht – Physician-magician of the Tuatha.

Dil – Very old cattle Goddess about whom nothing is known about today. She could have been a derivative of the nearly forgotten Damona of Gaul.

Domnu – Goddess of the Formorians, who are sometimes referred to as the Fir Domnann in her honor.

Don/Donn – Sometimes called a Goddess and sometimes called a God. Ruled over the land of the dead.

Druantia – “Queen of the Druids.” Fir Goddess.

Dubh Lacha – Early Irish Goddess of the sea of whom little is known. Possibly another version of the Druidess Dubh.

Eadon – Goddess of poetry who may have also been a bard.

Epona – Horse goddess, fertility and cornucopias, horses and mules

Eriu – goddess of fertility, abundance, sovereignity and ireland itself

Ebhlinne – Goddess of Munster who was until recent times honored at the Midsummer Sabbat in her mountain home in County Tipperary.

Echtghe/Aughty – Believed to be another form of Dana by some, the first Great Mother Goddess of Ireland.

Eibhir – First wife of Ossian who is described as being a yellow-haired “stranger from another land.”

Eithne – Old Goddess whose original form likely traveled with the Celts across the continent over many generations from the Middle East.

Elaine – Maiden aspect of the Goddess.

Queen of Elphame – Goddess of death and disease who is often equated with the Greek Goddess Hecate.

Eostre – Goddess for whom the Ostara Sabbat is named for a.k.a. Easter. She is viewed as spring personified.

Erce – Earth Mother and Harvest Goddess represented by a womb or over-flowing Horn of Plenty who is believed to be Basque in origin.

Eri of the Golden Hair – Virgin Goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann. In one legend, Eriwas at the bank of a river when a man in a silver boat floated down to her on a beaming ray of the sun.

Ériu/Erin – One of the three queens of the Tuatha Dé Danann and daughter of the Dagda.

Fachea – Goddess of poetry and patron of bards.

Fea – War Goddess whose root name means “the hateful one.” She is a subordinate deity of the Morrígu. Daughter of Brugh and Elcmar.

Finncaev – Minor Princess among the Tuatha Dé Danann. Thought to be a Goddess of love and beauty.

Fland – Daughter of woodland Goddess Flidais. A lake Goddess who is viewed in modern folklore as an evil water faery who lures swimmers to their death.

Flidais – She rode in a chariot drawn by deer. Ruler of wild beasts, forests, woodlands.

Garbh Ogh – Giantess and Goddess of the hunt whose chariot was drawn by elks.

Garmangabis – Goddess who was brought to Britain with the Romans and survives only through cryptic inscriptions.

Goewin – Goddess of sovereignty who held the feet of Math while he reigned. She was only exempt from doing this when he went to war.

Goleuddydd – Sow Goddess, mother of Culwch who ran in an insane rush to the deep woodlands to give him birth. Aunt of King Arthur.

Great Mother – The Lady. Represents the female principle of creation.

Grian – Fairy Goddess from County Tipperary is still thought to live in a burgh beneath Pallas Green Hill.

Gwen – A young female who was so beautiful that almost no one could live if they gazed upon her for long.

Habetrot – A “spinning” Goddess who is thought to either be a goddess of spell casting or the wheel of the year since “spinning” refers to them both.

Habondia – Goddess of abundance and prosperity who was later demoted to a mere witch in medieval English lore in order to strip her of her great power in the minds of the rural folk who depended upon her benevolence for their crops and herds.

Harimella – Goddess of Tungrain origin who used to be worshiped inDunfriesshire. Most likely a Goddess of protection.

Henwen – Sow Goddess much like her Welsh counterpart, Cerridwen. She is the deity who brought abundance to the land by giving birth to an array of “litters” throughout England.

Inghean Bhuidhe – Her name means “yellow-haired girl.” Much of her story has been lost, however, we do know that she was the middle girl of three sisters who made up a Triple Goddess.

Kele-De – Very old Goddess whose early all-female following was allowed to flourish by the early church. Their High Priestess reserved the right to take any and all lovers they chose.

The Lady Of the Lake – To some, she is a fairy woman, but to others, she is a potent deity of life, death and regeneration.

Mabb – Warrioress believed to be a Welsh version of Ireland’s QueenMaeve. Today in Welsh folklore she is a faery who brings nightmares and is a midwife to the Welsh fairy folk.

Macha – goddess of life, death, war, land, horses

Medb – Goddess of sovereignty and motherhood

Morrigan – Goddess of war and death, fate and battle

Naas – Goddess. Wife of Lugh, she died in County Kildare at a site which still bears her name.

Nair – This Goddess is best-known for escorting High King Crebhan to the Otherworld where she gave him great treasures. Her name means “modesty.”

Nehalennia – Dog Goddess who was the patron deity of sea traders, perhaps an image derived from Sirius (The Dog Star, which was once an important navigational star.

Nemetona – Guardian Goddess of all sacred places such as circles or magical groves.

Nemausicae – Mother goddess, fertility and healing

Nerthus – Goddess of fertility, peace and prosperity

Oanuava – Very old Earth Goddess from Celtic Gaul. A Mother Goddess who was regionally worshiped as the source from which all life flowed.

Ratis – Goddess of protective fortifications whose name means “of the fortress.”

Rhiannon – “The Great Queen.” Goddess of birds and horses. She rides a swift white horse.

Rosmerta – Goddess of both Celtic and Roman Gaul. After Rome conquered the region, Rosmerta was taken into the local Roman pantheon where she became a consort of their God Mercury.

Saitada – She is known only from one inscription in the Tyne Valley. It is thought she was a Goddess of mourning.

Scathach – Underworld Goddess, Goddess in her Destroyer aspect. A warrior woman and prophetess who lived in Albion, most likely on the Isle of Skye and taught the martial arts.

Sequana – Earth Goddess who lived beneath the rivers of Britain and could only be seen if the rivers were drained or low from drought.

Sul/Sulevia – Goddess of hot springs whose sacred waters was always hot. Prince Bladud built a shrine to her near Aquae Sulis where the popular modern-day spa is located.

Tamara – Goddess of the River Tamar which divides the Duchy of Cornwall from the rest of England. Most likely as much a protective force as she was a water deity.

Tamesis – Goddess of the River Thames, later replaced in patriarchal times by Llud, for whom Ludgate Hill in London is named.

Tlachtga – Goddess of sacrifice. She died giving birth to triplets fathered by three different men.

Uairebhuidhe – Bird Goddess whom little is known about today. Most likely a goddess of death or Otherworld. Maybe even a consort of the better-known bird God Nemglan.

Uathach – Goddess who trained warriors to fight. One of the many mistresses Cuchulain had over his life.

Wachilt – Minor sea Goddess later called a “witch” in English mythology. Mother of Wayland the Smith who is a German God honored in England.

White Lady – Dryad of Death. Queen of the Dead. The crone form of the Goddess.

[solsticefires]

hi hello! my name is anne and i'm a 35 y/o woman living in the upper midwestern us. i share a home with my fiancé, our housemate, two cats, and far too many books, rocks, plants, and jars.

this is a spot for me to explore and share my spiritual practices, as well as little bits of my daily life. i've been a polytheist and occultist of various stripes since i was a kid — over 20 years — and i have a lot to say. but i still have a lot to learn, too.

all the minutiae below the cut.

⋮► traditional witchcraft, whatever that means these days. magic, alchemy, herbalism, divination, astrology, etc etc etc — all informed to a greater or lesser degree by folklore and historical record.

what i practice:

⋮► a weird mishmash of interrelated polytheisms — mostly roman, with a some heaping scoops of gaulish and brittonic mixed in. also a couple of greek and kemetic deities. help me.

⋮► bioregional animism, expressed through closeness with the natural world. i try to live with the rhythm of the seasons and to be a good steward of the land, her creatures, and her spirits.

who i honor:

⋮► the aventine triad (ceres, liber, and libera), juno, mercury, trivia, rosmerta, and sirona. the holy family, as part of my ancestral practice.

⋮► the matres, lares, penates, and my ancestors. my teachers and guides, both living and dead. the witch mother and witch father.

[xartus]

Okay this is some heavy as fuck speculation on my part:

Wođanaz- Lugus, "Gaulish Mercury"

Frijju (Frigg)- Rosmerta

Thunaraz- Taranis (this is the most solid one)

Cathubodua- Valkyries

Hel- Nantosuelta? Here me out in this one; Hel is the goddess of the dead who rules over the dead. Nantosuelta is the goddess who rules over the dead and the valley of the dead in the otherworld. My other guess is Nerthus. Either way I believe Hel is a later name for something earlier or a grim reaper type personification. Maybe a death matronae?

Lugus and Rosmerta is associated with the warband culture which us exactly what Woden and Frigg do, and the name "Wođanaz" is connected to the celtic "watis" which means seer. I think they originally came from the same source and Taranis even earlier.

[eyes-of-the-fox]

mercury, 9H, 12H?

mercury ⇢ are you a talkative person? In person? No, not at all. I have happily gone days without uttering a single word. Via written text? That depends on my mood and circumstances.

9H ⇢ what languages ​​would you like to learn? I am working on/have worked on: German, ASL, a local indigenous language I will not mention out of respect, French, Italian, Spanish, Latin... I have dabbled in: Romanian, Russian, Mandarin, Punjabi, Dutch, Gaulish, Irish, Scottish, Japanese, Hebrew, Turkish, Icelandic, and Tibetan. Fictional languages I know things in (naturally) include Vulcan, Romulan, and Klingon and at one time I knew a few things in Elvish. (I see a language, I take its number.) I suppose it's just a matter of building fluency. I struggle with Romance languages and pronunciation. The sounds I learned in German growing up tend to take over when trying to adapt to others. I would hate to mispronounce a variety of French words.

12H ⇢ which is/are your biggest fear(s)? What is left to fear? Decaf coffee.

Thank you! <3

[donnodubus]

The Reims Stela (Autel de Reims) is one of the more impressive and complete survivals of Cernunnos iconography.

Because the weathered stone is so dull, I've always wanted to see it restored to its former polychromy glory — so I experimented with some digital colorization!

[mask131]

Everybody speaks about the “triple goddess” or the triple goddesses... But what about the triple god? Not many people seem interested into the concept of a male equivalent of the Triple Goddess.

I mean... the Wiccan God is sometimes depicted as a triple-deity to match the Wiccan Goddess’ triple nature, but from what I heard it is mostly done by a minority of Wiccan, or as a side-interpretation of the God, who is mostly perceived as a singular entity to oppose the Goddess’ multiplicity.

So, putting aside this case, let’s have a shout-out for some importat mythological trinities of male deities, all possible incarnations of a triple god.

# Zeus, Poseidon and Hades from Greek mythology.

# The Archaic Triad of Roman religion: Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus.

# Odin and his two brothers - Vili and Vé for some, Hoenir and Lodurr for others.

# The three Celtic brothers of the Tuatha dé Danann: the Dagda, Nuada and Ogma (unless you follow the “two brothers” tradition of the Dagda and Ogma).

# The three faces of Ra in Ancient Egypt: Khepri, Khnum and Horakhty. 

# The Trimurti of Hinduism: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

# Lugus, or the “Gaulish Mercury”, which was an undisputable triple-deity -though it is unknown if he was another manifestation of the Irish Lugh (who himself had a pretty strong “triple deity” thing going on, being born out of three fathers, being part of a set of triplets, having founded three annual fairs...) ; or if he was a mash-up of the three most important gods of the populations of Gaul - Esus, Taranis and Toutatis. 

# Peckols, Perkunas and Patrimpas of Baltic mythology.

... And at this point I run out of male trinities I know of. (Yes, for the note, there is the Christian Trinity, so I’ll also leave it here).

If you ever have any more example of the “Triple God”, don’t hesitate to add them to the list!

[lightsalt94]

Death of a Centurion

AD 70

The warm night air brushed across the face of Sextus Junius Marius as his cavalry file proceeded on its patrol. To his right the city of Jerusalem smoldered, to his left, past his second in command, the twinkling of torches outlined the mighty legions as they competed amongst themselves to build the wall which the brave general Titus had commanded. Pride had begged Sextus to refuse tonight’s patrol so that his company could share in the honor of the contest, while duty compelled his heart to keep safe his brothers while they laboured. Deeper in his heart the viper which dwelled in the darkness had whispered “this patrol may lead to the pleasure of a whetted blade.” And now his unit cantered south from their post on the usual patrol. “What ails you brother?'' Tiberius Felcinius Cordus, second in command and longtime friend. Where Sextus was the epitome of the Roman man Cordus took more after his Gaulish mother. “Surely,’ Tiberius continued “it cannot be that you pine to lift stone all covered in dust and sweat when there is hunting to be done?” “what is there to hunt out here?’ Sextus retorted ‘the hungry and starving scavengers that slink from the walls as soon as the dark can cover them in obscurity? Or perhaps the prey you speak of is that of those seeking to escape with a belly full of gold?” Sometimes, Sextus remarked to himself, it was hard to tell if the viper in the dark spoke with Tiberious’ voice or Tiberius with the viper’s. Tiberius laughed, “you speak well, but those like us must seek quarry where we can lest we grow dull like a hound no longer set to work. For then what would happen, if in such a state, the hounds fall in among the boars?” Sextus quickly gave the halt signal, ahead in the dark something moved. Possibly a dozen or so people carrying a box. With quick commands the file switched to a charge line and in moments had efficiently struck down the those fleeing the city. As the line wheeled around from the charge it appeared that the unit had done their job as well as any legionnaire could be expected to. Until one of the slain who had fallen over the box started shaking. Laughing at the feeble efforts of the wounded man the new recruit Julius spurred his mount closer. The rest of the unit, minus Sextus, started to dismount for looting.Julius leaned over and lanced the man through the chest with a sickening shatter mingled with breaking wood as the spear came out of the man and embedded itself in the box underneath. As Julius went to remove the spear, Sextus came to a realization. The man had been dead since the first attack, there was something in the box. In the time it took for this thought to race through Sextus’ mind, Julius pulled loose his lance and the night was shredded by the howl of one facing torment with even the gates of Tartarus being closed. As the echo faded 3 of his men lay already dead as the creature moved like Mercury through them, taking heads, limbs, and flesh in a vain attempt to sooth its own pain by inflicting what it could on others. With a thrill from the viper in his heart Sextus reflexively spurred his stead into a charge, burying his lance halfway up the haft through the creature. With a savage and flailing blow it tried to reach up for Sextus and instead backhanded a hole into the skull of his horse, dropping the beast and pinning one of Sextus’ legs underneath. Tiberius with a howl of delight launched his spear adding it to Sextus’ in the creature's chest. Not phased by the new lance protruding from its torso it leaned over Sextus, plunging a hand into his chest. As he roared in pain he could feel the being squeeze tighter and tighter for what felt like an eternity until, in what at first seemed to be a trick of pain, the creatures’ head slid off its shoulders spraying Sextus and Tiberius with blood. With a triumphant shout Tiberius lifted his gladus in celebration, never seeing the arm of the creature flailing towards him in the final spasms of death. “Well’ Sextus thought to himself as his mind faded, “we got it.”

[hochgouez-nerzhus]

Votive stele of Cernunnos - Apollo - Mercury - Private Park near Reims - France