Sucellus
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In Gaulish religion, Sucellus or Sucellos was the god of agriculture, forests and alcoholic drinks of the Gauls, also part of the Lusitanian mythology.
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[edit] Sculptures
He is usually portrayed as a middle-aged bearded man, with a long-handled hammer, or perhaps a beer barrel suspended from a pole. His wife, Nantosuelta, is sometimes depicted alongside him. When together, they are accompanied by symbols associated with prosperity and domesticity.
In this relief from Sarrebourg, near Metz, Nantosuelta, wearing a long gown, is standing to the left. In her left hand she holds a small house-shaped object with two circular holes and a peaked roof - perhaps a dovecote - on a long pole. Her right hand holds a patera which she is tipping onto a cylindrical altar.
To the right Sucellus stands, bearded, in a tunic with a cloak over his right shoulder. He holds his mallet in his right hand and an olla in his left. Above the figures is a dedicatory inscription and below them in very low relief is a bird, of a raven. This sculpture was dated by Reinach (1922, pp.217-232), from the form of the letters, to the end of the first century or start of the second century.
[edit] Inscriptions
At least eleven inscriptions to Sucellus are known (Jufer & Luginbühl p.63), mostly from Gaul. One (RIB II, 3/2422.21) is from York in England.
In an inscription from Augst (in antiquity, Augusta Rauricorum) Sucellus is assimilated to Silvanus (AE 1926, 00040):
- In honor(em) /
- d(omus) d(ivinae) deo Su/
- cello Silv(ano) /
- Spart(us) l(ocus) d(atus) d(ecreto) d(ecurionum)
The assimilation of Sucellus to Silvanus can also be seen in artwork from Narbonensis. (Duval 78)
[edit] Etymology
In Gaulish, -cellos means 'striker'. It is derived from IE *-kel-do-s from which also come Latin per-cellere ('striker'), Greek klao ('to break') and Lithuanian kálti ('to hammer, to forge') (Delamarre p.113). The prefix su- means 'good' or 'well' and is found in many Gaulish personal names (Delamarre pp.283-4). Sucellus thus means 'the good striker' a name that fits well with a hammer-carrying god.
[edit] References
- Delamarre, X. (2003). Dictionnaire de la Langue Gauloise (2nd ed.). Paris: Editions Errance. ISBN 2877722376
- Deyts, S., Ed. (1998) A la rencontre des Dieux gaulois, un défi à César. Paris, Réunion des Musées Nationaux. ISBN 2-7118-3851-X
- Paul-Marie Duval. (1957-1993) Les dieux de la Gaule. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France / Éditions Payot.
- Jufer, N. and T. Luginbühl (2001) Répertoire des dieux gaulois. Paris, Editions Errance. ISBN 2-87772-200-7
- Reinach, S. (1922) Cultes, mythes et religions
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