Vellaunus
Vellaunus is the name of a Celtic god who, according to the Interpretatio Romana, was equated with Mars and Mercurius .
Locations and etymology
The name Vellaunus can be found on two dedicatory inscriptions, one from Caerwent , Roman Venta Silurum ( Monmouthshire , Wales ) and one from Hières-sur-Amby ( Isère , France ). In the first inscription Vellaunus is equated with the Roman god Mars, in the second with Mercurius.
The inscription from Caerwent is on the base of the remains of a statue, which only shows a pair of human and goose feet, here Vellaunus is also associated with the gods Lenus and Ocelus (the inscription is dated to 152 AD) :
- [DEO] MARTI LENO / [S] IVE OCELO VELLAVN ET NVM AVG / M NONIVS ROMANVS OB / IMMVNITATEM COLLEGNI / DDS / GLABRIONE ET H [OM] VLO COS DXK SEPT
- ("To the god Mars Lenus also Ocelus Vellaunus and the imperial numen , M. Nonius Romanus, privileged by the college, dedicated his vows using his own property, during the consulate of Glabrio and Homulo ten days before the calendar of September")
The second inscription comes from the area of the Allobrogians in southern Gaul , it reads:
- AVG SACR DEO / MERCVRIO / VICTORI MAC / NIACO VEILAVNO / C CAPITOIVS MACRI / NVS RESTITVIT
- ("For Augustus and the god Mercurius, the victorious Macniacus Vellaunus, C. Capitojus Macrinus restored this sacred object")
The root word * uellauno- (“good” ?, “leader”?) Can be found in many Celtic names, for example in Cassivellaunus , known in Welsh as the legendary figure Caswallawn; with Vercassivellaunus, the companion of Vercingetorix with Alesia ; with the tribe of the Catuvellaunen in south-east Britain ; probably linguistically in connection with the Catalaunian fields (near Châlons-sur-Marne ) and Catalonia (Catalaunia). A possible connection to the Latin decorative epithet victor ("victorious") could be made through the inscription from Hières-sur-Amby.