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Post by arth_frown on Sept 8, 2008 17:25:01 GMT -1
Ok <gulp> here we go. Please say if it's wrong and add other gods. I'll add one for now just to get started.
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Post by arth_frown on Sept 8, 2008 17:29:12 GMT -1
LATIS (copied from wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latis ) In ancient Celtic polytheism, Latis is the name of two Celtic deities worshipped in Roman Britain. One is a goddess (Dea Latis), the other a god (Deus Latis), and they are both known from a single inscription each. The dedication to Dea Latis was found at Birdoswald Roman Fort in Cumbria, England, in 1873. It reads simply: DIE LATI "For the goddess Latis"[1] The E is written as a ||. The stone is now in the Carlisle Museum. She is known as the goddess of water and beer. [2] She may have been associated with the nearby rivers.[3] The dedication to Deus Latis, recovered on an altar-stone at the Roman fort of Aballava, Burgh-by-Sands (also in Cumbria) reads: DEO LATI LVCIVS VRSEI "To the god Latis, Lucius Ursei [dedicates this]."[4] The altar-stone to Deus Latis was found near an image of a horned god named Belatucadros. [edit] Etymology The name 'Latis' may conceivably be related to the Proto-Celtic words *lati- meaning 'liquor', *lat- 'day', or *lâto- 'lust'.[5]
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Post by arth_frown on Sept 8, 2008 17:43:54 GMT -1
TARANIS en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taranis In Celtic mythology Taranis was the god of thunder worshipped in Gaul and Britain and mentioned, along with Esus and Toutatis, by the Roman poet Lucan in his epic poem Pharsalia as a Celtic deity to whom sacrificial offerings were made.[1] He was associated, as was the cyclops Brontes (‘thunder’) in Greek mythology, with the wheel and may have received human sacrifices. Many representations of a bearded god with a thunderbolt in one hand and a wheel in the other have been recovered from Gaul, where this deity apparently came to be syncretised with Jupiter.[2] He is likely connected with the Anglo-Saxon god Þunor, the Norse Thor, the Celtic Ambisagrus (likely from Proto-Celtic *Ambi-sagros = "Encircling-strength"), the Irish Tuireann, and the Roman Mars. The name Taranis has not yet been recovered from Gaulish inscriptions, but similar variants have, such as Taranucno-, Taranuo-, and Taraino-
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Post by Lee on Sept 8, 2008 18:11:35 GMT -1
i would add:
Rigantona/Rhiannon - Great Queen Tigernonos/Teyrnon- Great Lord Mabon/Maponos
the figures in the mabinogion get a little fuzzy, though i would be more confident with:
Gwydion, Amaethon, Beli Mawr, Don, Nudd/Nodens, Gofannon
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Post by arth_frown on Sept 8, 2008 18:28:07 GMT -1
one of my favourites. Revered in roman times I can only guess pre- Roman as Eire was revered in Ireland. Britannia www.roman-britain.org/rbgods.htmThe goddess Britannia was the celestial personification of the British Isles. Worshipped only in Britain, her altars are restricted to the militarized north of the province. York (643 [Britanniae Sanctae]); Castlecary (2152 [Britton...]); Auchendavy (2175 [Genio Terrae Britannicae]); Balmuildy (2195 [Campestribus et Britannia]).
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Post by Heron on Sept 8, 2008 19:30:12 GMT -1
I'm a bit dubious about the idea of just looking up gods and saying 'right we'll have those'. I am far from being against the book-learning approach to finding out about deities that have spoken to me, and however you interpret that 'spoken' it does seem to me to be an essential part of relating to the gods. I know that, in the ancient world, people would have had all these gods around them rather than having to find out about them, and to identify them by research may replicate this, but, for me at least, the attraction of polytheism is that certain gods are closer than others to any particular individual, and while we can, and probably should, get to know others, the idea of just compiling a list seems, to say the least, arbitrary.
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Post by Tegernacus on Sept 8, 2008 20:34:27 GMT -1
true, but, in those times you would grow up knowing the names of the gods. we've lost that almost entirely. names were and are powerful, and if we can put a name to the face, so to speak, that is really helpful. Not the be all and end all, but as a start it is worth doing.
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Post by arth_frown on Sept 9, 2008 10:48:03 GMT -1
true, but, in those times you would grow up knowing the names of the gods. we've lost that almost entirely. names were and are powerful, and if we can put a name to the face, so to speak, that is really helpful. Not the be all and end all, but as a start it is worth doing. I can only agree with you there, Teg. I know there are more Gods out as Craig has stated on another thread. I'm most of us will have our own personal Gods, some of the pantheon won't be of interest to some. I doubt that a person who does knitting will be interested in a blacksmith God. ;D
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Post by Blackbird on Sept 9, 2008 11:20:23 GMT -1
I think 'pantheon' is the wrong phrase, and I wonder how useful a list of gods really is?
To me, pantheon implies a specific family, or grouping of gods, whereas within Britain, there doesn't seem to have been anything as coherent as that. Especially as we're taking evidence from diverse sources. I expect (speculate) that your average pre-Xian Briton would have honoured the gods of the tribe, the gods of their surrounding land, and perhaps the gods of their profession. So each person may have had quite an individual religious practice, to which a 'pantheon' may not be a relevant idea.
I think a list is useful as part of an encyclopaedia/wiki type thing, as a reference tool. I don't think a list is necessary for our identity as Brython... for me, at least, the relationship I have with my gods is very personal and wouldn't really be relevant or applicable to anyone else.
It might be more useful to discuss, or have resources on, gods more generally. Perhaps look at how gods are, or have been, associated with rivers or hills, look at the way in which humans have been inspired by gods, or how humans have chosen to honour gods... that type of thing.
Don't mean to rain on the parade, I just feel the list might be a red herring.
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Post by Francis on Sept 9, 2008 11:34:28 GMT -1
true, but, in those times you would grow up knowing the names of the gods. Do we know that's true?
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Post by megli on Sept 9, 2008 11:49:52 GMT -1
No, but I think it's extremely likely. All these names are titles or attributive adjectives anyway (as in fact are most people's names, ultimately).
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Post by Tegernacus on Sept 9, 2008 12:06:00 GMT -1
so maybe it would be useful to have a guide to naming then?
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Post by littleraven on Sept 9, 2008 17:21:28 GMT -1
A useful start on Gods could be easily be Caesars' list: Mercury, Apollo, Mars, Jupiter and Minerva. We know the Gaulish Druids would go to Britannia so I really have no issue with a common set of religious beliefs on this.
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Post by megli on Sept 9, 2008 19:40:47 GMT -1
I'm not sure that IS terribly useful actually. First - how up on Gaulish religion was he? OK he saw more of it than any other author we have evidence from, but his list of gods doesn't look much like the epigraphic evidence. Secondly, he's (as was usual) applied the interpretatio romana - is Jupiter Taranis? Is Mercury Lugos? Is Minerva so crafty/warlike goddess, perhaps Brigindo or Belisama? Who knows?! Not us!
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Post by littleraven on Sept 9, 2008 21:41:02 GMT -1
I'm not sure that IS terribly useful actually. First - how up on Gaulish religion was he? OK he saw more of it than any other author we have evidence from, but his list of gods doesn't look much like the epigraphic evidence. Secondly, he's (as was usual) applied the interpretatio romana - is Jupiter Taranis? Is Mercury Lugos? Is Minerva so crafty/warlike goddess, perhaps Brigindo or Belisama? Who knows?! Not us! Indeed Caesar employed the IR, but I am inclined to think that on the rather less political aspects of his reportage we can detect the commentary of the acquaintance of Caesar, Diviciacus, Druid of the Aedui.
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Post by megli on Sept 10, 2008 7:12:38 GMT -1
A very interesting issue - have you seen what Hutton has to say about Divia(c/t)icus, and indeed about the weirdness of the whole passage about the druids? There's definitely something fishy going on.
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Post by littleraven on Sept 10, 2008 7:27:09 GMT -1
A very interesting issue - have you seen what Hutton has to say about Divia(c/t)icus, and indeed about the weirdness of the whole passage about the druids? There's definitely something fishy going on. I don't recall it tbh, but I had got out Hutton's 'Druids' to re-read it in preperation for the 'oncoming storm'. I'll find the passage later on.
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Post by Lee on Sept 10, 2008 8:29:37 GMT -1
how will we know who each other is at flag fen?
red carnations?
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Post by Tegernacus on Sept 10, 2008 8:42:53 GMT -1
fairy-heads impaled on sticks? Gold torcs?
Warriors went to Flag Fen, gold-torc'd, fairy-on-spears in array...
(sorry, I'm being flippant. Arth and Broch are on the Facebook group, maybe a few more could join up there and get to know each other by face before ye go.)
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