Tarvos Trigaranus

The Tarvos Trigaranus ("bull with the three cranes") is a Celtic deity . The name is made up of the Celtic word for bull tarvos ( Old Irish tarb , Kymrian tarw , Breton taro, tarv , Cornish tarow , corresponding to the Latin taurus ) and the adjective “who has three cranes” (see Kymrian tri “three”, garan "Crane").

The name is only known from an inscription, no mythology is known about it.

iconography

The relief of Tarvos Trigaranus on the pillar of the Nautae Parisiaci

As Tarvos Trigaranus he appears on a cuboid of the pillar of the Nautae Parisiaci ("Paris boatmen's guild"), where he is depicted as a bull standing behind a tree. He carries three cranes on his head and back, behind which a forest is indicated. This is also the only known mention of the name.

A bull's head with three cranes (?) Is depicted on a votive stele from Trier . This anatomorphic hybrid creature is apparently hiding on a tree that seems to be felled by the god Esus . Esus can also be recognized next to Tarvos on the cuboid of the pillar of the Nautae Parisiaci. Whether there is a myth with Tarvos and Esus is suspected, but is currently not verifiable.

A bronze statuette was found in the Gallo-Roman temple of Maiden Castle , showing a bull and three birds with women's or boy's heads. Numerous depictions of the "bull with three horns" are known from Gaul, but an iconographic connection with the established depictions of Tarvos Trigaranus is extremely questionable.

It is completely unclear to what extent the Tarvos Trigaranus can be identified with the bull on the Gundestrup cauldron . A relationship with the island Celtic idea of ​​the " water bull " ( Irish : Tarbh Uisge ) is sometimes assumed. The Irish god Midir is also sometimes depicted with three cranes.

See also

• Celtic religion
• List of Celtic gods and legendary figures

literature

• Fritz Moritz Heichelheim : Tarvos Trigaranus. In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume IV A, 2, Stuttgart 1932, Col. 2453-2457.
• Gerhard Bauchhenß :  Tarvos Trigaranus . In: Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (LIMC). Volume VII, Zurich / Munich 1994, pp. 848-850.
• 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 , p.
• Bernhard Maier : Lexicon of Celtic Religion and Culture (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 466). Kröner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-520-46601-5 , pp.?.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 447.
2. ↑ CIL 13, 3026 Tib (erio) Caesare / Aug (usto) Iovi Optum / o / Maxsumo (!) S (acrum) / nautae Parisiac [i] / publice posierun / [t (!)] // Eurises // Senant U [s] eiloni (?) // Iovis // Tarvos (?) Trigaranus // Volcanus // Esus // [C] ernunnos // Castor // [3] // Smert [ri] os // Fort [una ?] //] TVS [// D
3. ^ Bernhard Maier: Lexicon of the Celtic religion and culture . P. 309 f.
4. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 709.
5. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 674.