Visucius

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Locations of the inscriptions

Visucius , more rarely (erroneously?) Visuclus , was a Gallic deity in Celtic mythology who, according to the Interpretatio Romana, is equated three times with Mercurius . A goddess Visucia is named as a companion on a single inscription that has been found so far .

Mythology and Etymology

The name Visucius is preserved in a total of seven inscriptions. One in Bordeaux , three were found in the former tribal areas of the Treveri and Mediomatrics in the Roman province of Gallia Belgica and three others in the province of Germania superior .

A consecration tablet for Visugius discovered in Agoncillo ( Spain ) or, more recently, Visuceus could be dedicated to the same deity.

The consecration stone of a Decurio P. Quartionius Secundinus found in Köngen in 1843 is dedicated to Deo Marcurio Visucio et sanctae Visuciae . Of the pair of gods standing on the inscription stone, only the god's feet on the right and the goddess's garment hem and toes on the left are preserved.

The name is derived from the developed proto-Indo-European roots * wesu - / * wīsu-? (“Good”), * ki- (“this”) and derived from the Latin ending -us , means “this good God”. Another version derives it from the root * weiko- ("raven") or * witsu- ("knowing"), this would result in "the raven god" or "the wise, knowing god".

Visucius was the most widespread nickname of Mercurius in Gaul next to Cissonius .

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ CIL 13, 577 : Merc (urio) / Aug (usto) Visucio Iul (ius) / Montanus T (iti) Iul (i) / Secundi Fausti / lib (ertus) / v (otum) s (olvit) l (ibens ) m (erito) .
  2. ↑ CIL 13, 3660 : [Mer] curio / [Visu] cio / [–––] us / [–––] nalis / [v (otum) s (olvit)] l (ibens) [m (erito)] .
    CIL 13, 4257 : [In h (onorem)] d (omus) d (ivinae) / [Mercurio Vi] sucio / [––– Ac] ceptus / [–––] Mottio / [v (otum) s (olvit )] l (ibens) m (erito)
    CIL 13, 4478 : [In h (onorem)] d (omus) d (ivinae) / [–––] visuclo .
  3. ↑ CIL 13, 5991 : I (ovi) O (ptimo) M (aximo) / Apol [lini] / et Visu [cio] / Soli T
    CIL 13, 6347 : Visucio / Mercurio / Senilis / Masse / v (otum) s (olvit) l (ibens) l (aetus) m (erito)
    CIL 13, 6404 : Visucio / aedem cum signo / C (aius) Candidius / Calpurnianus / d (ecurio) c (ivium) c (ivitatis) S (ueborum) N (icretum) item dec (urio) [c (ivium)] / c (ivitatis) Nemet (um) fec (it) .
  4. ↑ AE 1976, 327 ; see Hispania epigraphica , no. 12397 : - - - - - - (?) / [Mercuriu] / Visuceu / votu [m] / [s (olvit)] libe (n) s .
  5. ↑ CIL XIII, 6384 Deo Mercurio Vi / sucio et Sa (n) ct (a) e Visu / ci (a) e P (ublius) Quartionius / Secundinus decu (rio) / [c] ivi (tatis) Suma (locennensis) ex iu (ssu) v (otum) s (olvit) l (ibens) m (erito)
  6. ↑ Christoph Unz: Grinario - The Roman fort and village in Köngen. Guide to archaeological monuments in Baden-Württemberg, Volume 8, Stuttgart 1982, pp. 96–97.