Latin name for a shadowy deity of presumably Celtic origin whose name is known in inscriptions from Aquitaine in south-western France to the Gaul-German border. In some places a female consort, Visucia, forms a divine couple with him. Surviving evidence is ambiguous as to whether Visucius is a discrete figure or whether he is an aspect of both Gaulish Mars and Mercury.
Visucius
| Celtic Mythology: Visucius |
| Wikipedia: Visucius |
Visucius was a Gallo-Roman god, usually identified with Mercury. He was worshipped primarily in the east of Gaul, around Trier and on the Rhine; his name is recorded on about ten dedicatory inscriptions. One such inscription has also been found in Bordeaux. Visucius is, along with Gebrinius and Cissonius, among the most common indigenous epithets of the Gaulish Mercury.[1]
The name has sometimes been interpreted as meaning "of the ravens"[2] or "knowledgeable";[3] cf. the Proto-Celtic roots *weiko- 'raven' and *witsu- 'knowing'.[4]
The variant or mistaken spelling Visuclus is also attested.[5]
In one inscription, Visucius has the epithet Solitumarus; the same inscription also honours Jupiter Optimus Maximus and Apollo.[5]
Another inscription is co-dedicated to Sancta Visucia, as well as to Mercurius Visucius.[6] This goddess, apparently a companion or analogue of Visucius, has sometimes been likened to Rosmerta or Maia, who also accompany Mercury on many Gaulish dedications.
One inscription dedicated to Visugius has also been found at Agoncillo in Spain; this may perhaps refer to the same deity.[5]
References
- ^ Nicole Jufer & Thierry Luginbühl (2001). Les dieux gaulois : répertoire des noms de divinités celtiques connus par l'épigraphie, les textes antiques et la toponymie. Paris: Editions Errance. ISBN 2-87772-200-7.
- ^ Mary Jones. "Uisucius" Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia, 2004.
- ^ MERCURIUS - L'inventore di tutte le arte from Bifröst (in the original, Sapiente).
- ^ Proto-Celtic—English lexicon and English—Proto-Celtic lexicon. University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. (See also this page for background and disclaimers.)
- ^ a b c Table of results for Visucius, Visuclus, and Visugius from L'Arbre Celtique.
- ^ Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum XIII:6404, transcribed on Bifröst.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Learn More
 | Mars |
| Mercury |
| Souconna (mythology) |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Celtic Mythology. A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Copyright © James MacKillop 1998, 2004. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Visucius". Read more |
