Artio

Artio is a Gallic hunter and bear goddess who was worshiped by the Helvetians and Treverians . Her name is derived from artos , the Gallic word for "bear" ( Altir. Art ; kymr. Arth ). In the Interpretatio Romana , Artio is equated with Diana .

Archaeological finds

Artio-Plastik from Bern

Artio inscription near Weilerbach

An approx. 20 cm high bronze sculpture found in Muri near Bern depicts a seated goddess with a fruit basket. In front of her is a huge bear, to which she apparently offers the fruit. On the base of the sculpture is the inscription: DEAE ARTIONI LICINIA SABINILLA , translated into German “The goddess Artio. Licinia Sabinilla (donated this) ”. This sculpture is now in the Historical Museum in Bern .

In a canyon at Weilerbach in Sauertal : the cut into the rock inscription found ARTIONI BEAVER .

It is unclear whether Ertae , a name found on Auzon's rune box , is the Anglicized form of the name of this goddess.

More Celtic bear deities

Several inscriptions dedicated to the goddess Andarta ("Great Bear") were found in the French department of Drôme . A male bear god Artaios was worshiped near Grenoble . The Lingons knew a bear god Matunus .

See also

• List of Celtic gods and legendary figures
• Celtic religion
• Celtic mythology

literature

• Sylvia and Paul F. Botheroyd: Lexicon of Celtic Mythology. Diederichs, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-424-01077-4 .
• Bernhard Maier : Lexicon of Celtic Religion and Culture (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 466). Kröner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-520-46601-5 .
• Maximilian Ihm : Artio dea . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume II, 2, Stuttgart 1896, Col. 1454 f.
• Maximilian Ihm : Artio dea . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Supplement volume I, Stuttgart 1903, column 145.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Otto Holzapfel: Lexicon of Occidental Mythology . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1993, ISBN 3-451-05500-7 , p. 59
2. ↑ CIL 13, 05160
3. ^ Bernhard Maier: Lexicon of the Celtic religion and culture. P. 27 f.
4. ↑ CIL 13, 04113
5. ↑ JA Massard & G. Geimer: On the trail of the brown bear on this side and on the other side of the Sauer. In: Heimatkalender 2010 Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm, Bitburg 2009, pp. 95–98. (PDF; 207 kB)