Litavis

Litavis was a Celtic mother or war deity worshiped by the Lingons along with Mars Cicollus . According to the Interpretatio Romana , she may be equated with the Roman goddess of war Bellona .

Etymology and localities

The name is considered to be the Gallic equivalent of the Indo-European name of gods * PltH ₂ uiH ₂ "width", "earth" ( Sanskrit Prthivī mātā ; old English fold ). The original meaning of the ancient Celtic hereditary word * litaṷī was probably the "breadth / breadth ...". The name was given in the insular Celtic name for Brittany , her name is on Old Irish Letha , on welsh Llydaw .

Dedicated inscriptions were found in the Roman provinces of Gallia Belgica and Germania superior , namely in Mâlain (today the Côte-d'Or department ), where Mars Cicollos was venerated together with the litavis or the Bellona. From the last inscription it can be deduced that Litavis was sometimes equated with the Roman goddess of war Bellona, ​​similar to Cicollos with the Roman god of war Mars . Another site is Aignay-le-Duc in the same department (Roman province Gallia Lugdunensis ).

See also

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

literature

• Helmut Birkhan : Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-7001-2609-3 .
• Bernhard Maier : Lexicon of Celtic Religion and Culture (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 466). Kröner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-520-46601-5 , p. 208.

Web links

• Bernhard Maier: Small lexicon of names and words of Celtic origin. CH Beck, 2010, ISBN 9783406601798 , p. 121.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 516.
2. ↑ CIL XIII, 5599 Marti Ci / collui et / Litavi
   CIL XIII, 5601 [Mar] ti Ci / [co] llui et Li / tavi / L (ucius) Mattius / Aeternus / ex voto
   CIL XIII, 5602 [Marti Cicollui] / et Litavi / ex voto / suscepto / v (otum) s (olvit) l (ibens) m (erito)
3. ↑ CIL XIII, 5598 [Ma] rti Cic [ollui] / [e] t Bell [onae]
4. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 652.
5. ↑ CIL XIII, 2887 Aug (usto) sac (rum) / deo Marti Ci / collui et Litavi / P (ublius) Attius Paterc [l] u [s] / v (otum) s (olvit) l (ibens) m ( erito)