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Celts · Gaul |
In ancient Celtic religion, Maponos or Maponus ("divine son") was a god of youth known mainly in northern Britain but also in Gaul. Celtic mythology is the Mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the Religion of the Iron Age Celts Like other Iron Age Celtic polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices of ancient Celts, prior to the Christianization of the Celtic-speaking lands The Gods and Goddesses or deities of the Celts are known from a variety of sources these include written Celtic mythology, ancient A druid was a member of the priestly and learned class in the ancient Celtic societies Etymology The word is a Loanword from descendant languages of Proto-Celtic *bardos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gwerh2 The earliest Latin writers used vates to denote "prophets" and soothsayers in general the word fell into disuse in Latin until it was revived by Virgil In Britain and Ireland the Iron Age lasted from about the 7th century BC until the Roman conquest and until the 5th century in non- Romanised Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Gallo-Roman religion was a fusion of Roman religious forms and modes of worship with Gaulish deities from Celtic polytheism. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 Welsh mythology, the remnants of the Mythology of the pre Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts Breton mythology is the Mythology or corpus of explanatory and herioc tales originating in Brittany, now in France. Taliesin (c 534 – c 599 (spelled as Taliessin in Alfred Lord Tennyson 's Idylls of the King and in some subsequent works was a Brythonic Cad Goddeu ( English: The Battle of the Trees) is a poem from the Book of Taliesin in which the legendary enchanter Gwydion The Welsh Triads ( Welsh Trioedd Ynys Prydein, literally "Triads of the Island of Britain " are a group of related texts in Medieval The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the Legends that concern the Celtic and legendary History of Great Britain, especially those King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders The Mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved shorn of its religious meanings Scottish mythology may refer to any of the mythologies of Scotland. The Inner and Outer Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland are made up of a great number of large and small islands The Tuatha Dé Danann ("peoples of the Goddess Danu " Modern Irish pronunciation /t̪ˠuːəhə dʲeː d̪ˠan̪ˠən̪ˠ/ Old Irish /tuːaθa ðʲeː The Mythological Cycle is one of the four major cycles of Irish mythology, and is so called because it represents the remains of the pagan Mythology of Texts in translation Most of the important Ulster Cycle tales can be found in the following publications Thomas Kinsella, The Táin, Oxford University The Fenian Cycle or Fiannaidheacht (modern Irish Fiannaíocht) also known as the Fionn Cycle, Finn Cycle, Fianna Cycle, Finnian An Immram (plural Immrama; Modern Irish: iomramh) is one of a class of Old Irish tales concerning a hero's sea journey to the Otherworld An Echtra or Echtrae (pl Echtrai) is one of a category of Old Irish literature about a hero's adventures in the Otherworld (see Tír na Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. The Celtiberians (or Celt-Iberians were a Celtic people of Hallstatt culture Prehistory Mesolithic (8000 BC - 4500 BC What little is known of pre- Christian Ireland comes from a few references in Roman writings Archaeology and Geology continue to reveal the secrets of prehistoric Scotland, uncovering a complex and dramatic past before the Romans brought Scotland Prehistoric Wales in terms of human settlements covers the period from about 230000 years ago the date attributed to the earliest human remains found in what is now Wales Celtic polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices of ancient Celts, prior to the Christianization of the Celtic-speaking lands Prehistoric Britain was a period in the human occupation of Great Britain that was the later part of Prehistory, conventionally ending with the Roman invasion Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western In Roman times he was equated with Apollo. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410
The Welsh mythological figure Mabon ap Modron is apparently derived from Maponos, who by analogy we may suggest was the son of the mother-goddess Dea Matrona. Welsh mythology, the remnants of the Mythology of the pre Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts In Welsh mythology, Mabon ("divine son" was the son of Modron ("divine mother" In Celtic mythology, Dea Matrona ("divine mother goddess" was the Goddess of the river Marne in Gaul. The Irish god Aengus, also known as the Mac Óg ("young son"), is probably related to Maponos, as are the Arthurian characters Mabuz and Mabonagrain. For similar names see Angus (disambiguation. In Irish mythology, Aengus ( Áengus, Óengus, Aonghus The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the Legends that concern the Celtic and legendary History of Great Britain, especially those
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Etymology of the name
In Gaulish, mapos means a young boy or (more rarely) a son. Gaulish or Gallic is the name given to the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became The suffix -on is augmentative. Besides the theonym Maponos, the root mapos is found in personal names such as Mapodia, Mapillus, and Maponius; mapo is also found in the Carjac inscription (RIG L-86). The root is Proto-Indo-European *makʷos. (Delamarre 2003 pp. 216-217).
In Insular Celtic languages, the same root is found in Welsh, Cornish and Breton mab meaning son (Delamarre 2003 pp. The term Insular Celtic refers to those Celtic languages which originated in the British Isles, in contrast to the Continental Celtic languages of Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic For the Cornish-English dialect see West Country dialects and List of Cornish dialect words. The Breton language ( Brezhoneg) formerly often called Armoric or Armorican, is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany 216-217), derived from Common Brythonic *mapos (identical to Gaulish). The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being In Old Irish, macc also means son; it is found in Ogham inscriptions as the genitive maqui, maqqi, maqui (Sims-Williams 2003 pp. Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language, or rather the Goidelic languages, for which extensive written texts are possessed Ogham (ogam ˈɔɣam Modern Irish or, English) is an Early Medieval Alphabet used primarily to represent the Old Irish language (and 430-431) with a geminative expressive doubling *makʷkʷos. (This is the source of Irish and Scottish names starting Mac or Mc).
He therefore personified youthfulness, which would explain the syncretism with the Graeco-Roman god Apollo.
Evidence for Maponos
The evidence is mainly epigraphic. Maponos (“Divine Son”) is mentioned in Gaul at Bourbonne-les-Bains (CIL 13, 05924) and at Chamalières (RIG L-100) but is attested chiefly in the north of Britain at Brampton, Corbridge (in antiquity, Coria), Ribchester (In antiquity, Bremetenacum Veteranorum) and Chesterholm (in antiquity, Vindolanda). Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Bourbonne-les-Bains is a Spa town of eastern France, in the Champagne-Ardenne région, Haute-Marne département Chamalières is a town and commune in France, in the third-largest in the Puy-de-Dôme département. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Corbridge is a small town in Northumberland, England, situated 16 miles (25 km west of Newcastle and 4 miles (6 km east of Hexham Coria was a Fort and Town, located 25 miles (4km south of Hadrian's Wall, in the Roman province of Britannia. Ribchester is a village in the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England, northwest of Blackburn and east of Preston. Bremetennacum (also Bremetonnacum, Bremetenracum or Bresnetenacum Veteranorum) was a Roman fort which is now the village of Vindolanda was a Roman auxiliary Fort ( castrum) located at Chesterholm just south of Hadrian's Wall in northern England Vindolanda was a Roman auxiliary Fort ( castrum) located at Chesterholm just south of Hadrian's Wall in northern England Some inscriptions are very simple such as Deo Mapono (to the god Maponos) from Chesterholm (AE 1975, 00568). At Corbridge are two dedications (RIB 1120 and RIB 1121) Apollini Mapono (to Apollo Maponos) and one (RIB 1122) [Deo] / [M]apo[no] / Apo[llini] (To the god Maponos Apollo). The inscription at Brampton (RIB 2063) by four Germans is to the god Maponos and the numen of the emperor:
- Deo / Mapono / et n(umini) Aug(usti) / Durio / et Ramio / et Trupo / et Lurio / Germa/ni v(otum) s(olverunt) l(ibentes) m(erito)
This inscription (RIB 583) by a unit of Sarmatians based at Ribchester shows the association with Apollo and also can be precisely dated to the day (pridie Kalendas Septembres, or 29 August in the Roman calendar) and the year (241 CE, by mention of the two consuls). The Sarmatians, Sarmatae or Sauromatae ( Old Iranian Sarumatah 'archer' Σαρμάτες The Roman calendar changed its form several times in the time between the foundation of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. This is a list of Roman consuls Key Abbreviations Imp = Imperator suff
- Deo san(cto) / [A]pollini Mapono / [pr]o salute d(omini) n(ostri) / [et] n(umeri) eq(uitum) Sar/[m(atarum)] Bremetenn(acensium) / [G]ordiani / [A]el(ius) Antoni/nus |(centurio) leg(ionis) VI / vic(tricis) domo / Melitenis / praep(ositus) et pr(aefectus) / v(otum) s(olvit) l(ibens) m(erito) / [de]dic(atum) pr(idie) Kal(endas) Sep(tembres) / [Im]p(eratore) d(omino) n(ostro) Gord[i]/[ano A]ug(usto) II e[t] Pon[peia]no(!) co(n)s(ulibus)
The preceding inscriptions are all in Latin. The name is also found on the inscription from Chamalières, which is a relatively long magical text (12 lines) written in Gaulish on a rolled lead sheet. Gaulish or Gallic is the name given to the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became The second line calls for the help of Maponos (here in the accusative singular, Maponon: artiu maponon aruerriíatin (RIG L-100).
Two items of place-name evidence also attest to Maponos in Britain. Both are from the 7th-century Ravenna Cosmography. The Ravenna Cosmography was compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around AD 700 Locus Maponi (Richmond & Crawford #228) or "the place of Maponos", is thought to be between Lochmaben and Lockerbie (the name Lochmaben may be derived from Locus Maponi, with the p to b sound shift). Maporiton (Richmond & Crawford #163) or "the ford of Maponos" is thought to be Ladyward, near Lockerbie. The Lochmaben Stone lies near Gretna on the farm named Old Graitney, the old name for Gretna. The Lochmaben Stone is a Megalith standing in a field nearly a mile west of the Sark mouth on the Solway Firth, three hundred yards or so above high water The name Clachmabenm meaning 'stone of Maben or Maponos' has become corrupted to Lochmaben. This stone was probably part of a stone circle and the area is thought to have been a centre for the worship of Maponus.
Other Celtic epithets of Apollo
In Britain, dedications have been found to Apollo Anextiomarus, Apollo Anicetus Sol, Apollo Grannus and Apollo Maponus (the latter showing a Latinising influence, -os becoming -us). Anextiomarus is a Celtic epithet of the sun-god Apollo recorded in a Romano-British inscription from South Shields, England. In classical Celtic polytheism, Grannus (also Granus Mogounus Amarcolitanus) was a Deity associated with It can thus be difficult to tell from a simple dedication to Apollo whether the classical deity is meant or whether a particular Celtic deity is being referred to under a classical name. The situation in Gaul is even more complicated, with at least twenty epithets being recorded. (Jufer & Luginbühl pp. 94-96).
Later versions of Maponos
Welsh mythology
Maponos surfaces in the Middle Welsh narrative, the Mabinogion, as Mabon, son of Modron, who is herself the continuation of Gaulish Matrona (“Matronly Spirit”). Middle Welsh (Cymraeg Canol is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 14th centuries of which much more remains than for any earlier In Welsh mythology, Mabon ("divine son" was the son of Modron ("divine mother" In Welsh mythology, Modron ("divine mother" was a daughter of Avalloc, derived from the Gaulish Goddess Matrona. In Celtic mythology, Dea Matrona ("divine mother goddess" was the Goddess of the river Marne in Gaul. The theme of Maponos son of Matrona (literally, child of mother) and the development of names in the Mabinogi from Common Brythonic and Gaulish theonyms has been examined by Hamp (1999), Lambert (1979) and Meid (1991). The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being Gaulish or Gallic is the name given to the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became Mabon apparently features in the tale of a newborn child taken from his mother at the age of three nights, and is explicitly named in the story of Culhwch ac Olwen.
His name lives on in Arthurian romance in the guise of Mabon, Mabuz, and Mabonagrain. King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders In Welsh mythology, Mabon ("divine son" was the son of Modron ("divine mother"
Irish mythology
His counterpart in Irish mythology would seem to be Mac(c) ind Ó‘c (Hamp 1999) (“Young Son”, “Young Lad”), an epithet of Angus or Oengus, the eternally youthful spirit to be found in Newgrange called Bruigh na Bóinne, a pre-Celtic Neolithic barrow or chambered tomb. The Mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved shorn of its religious meanings For similar names see Angus (disambiguation. In Irish mythology, Aengus ( Áengus, Óengus, Aonghus Newgrange (Dún Fhearghusa is one of the Passage tombs of the Brú na Bóinne complex in County Meath, one of the most famous The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a Mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves A chamber tomb is a Tomb for Burial used in many different Cultures In the case of individual burials the chamber is thought to signify a higher status Irish mythology portrays him as the son of the Dagda, a king of the Irish gods, and of Boann, a personification of the River Boyne. The Mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved shorn of its religious meanings Boann (or Boand) is the Irish mythology goddess of the River Boyne, a river in Leinster, Ireland. In Irish mythology, the Macc Óc frequently features as a trickster and a lover. The Mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved shorn of its religious meanings
References
- Année Epigraphique (AE), yearly volumes.
- Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) vol XIII, Inscriptiones trium Galliarum et Germaniarum
- Collingwood, R. G. ; Wright, R. P. The Roman Inscriptions of Britain (RIB) Vol. 1: The Inscriptions on Stone.
- Delamarre, X. (2003). Dictionnaire de la Langue Gauloise (2nd ed. ). Paris: Editions Errance. ISBN 2-87772-237-6
- Hamp, E. (1999) Mabinogi and Archaism. Celtica 23, pp. 96-110. Available online PDF file
- Jufer, N. and Luginbühl, T. (2001) Répertoire des dieux gaulois. Paris, Editions Errance. ISBN 2-87772-200-7
- Lambert, Pierre-Yves (1979) La tablette gauloise de Chamalières. Études Celtiques XVI pp. 141-169
- Lambert, Pierre-Yves (ed)(2002) Receuil des Inscriptions Gauloises (R. I. G. ) Vol. 2. 2: inscriptions in the Latin alphabet on instrumentum (ceramic, lead, glass etc. ) (items L-18 – L-139)
- Meid, W. (1991) Aspekte der germanischen und keltischen Religion im Zeugnis der Sprache. Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft, Vorträge und kleinere Schriften, 52.
- Richmond, I. A. and Crawford, O. G. S. (1949) The British Section of the Ravenna Cosmography. Archaeologia XCIII pp. 1-50
- Sims-Williams, Patrick (2003) The Celtic Inscriptions of Britain: phonology and chronology, c. 400-1200 Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 1-4051-0903-3
Bibliography
- Ellis, Peter Berresford (1994) Dictionary of Celtic Mythology(Oxford Paperback Reference), Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508961-8
- MacKillop, James (1998) Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280120-1.
- Wood, Juliette, (2002) The Celts: Life, Myth, and Art. Thorsons Publishers. ISBN 0-00-764059-5
External links
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