Arentius (
Portuguese: ''Arâncio'') and Arentia (
Portuguese: ''Arância'') are considered to be a pair of indigenous deities that belong to the
Lusitanian pantheon, and attested mainly in epigraphy.
Epigraphy
Scholars report at least 13 epigraphies (14 inscriptions, as of 2022) attesting either ''Arentius'' or ''Arentia'', mostly located in central-eastern
Lusitania
Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province encompassing most of modern-day Portugal (south of the Douro River) and a large portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and Province of Salamanca). Romans named the region after th ...
, and, according to scholar Juan Olivares Pedreño, "well represented" in
Egitania.
Both deities are attested either in isolation, or, rarely, as a pair. Olivares Pedreño suggested that their attestation as a pair seems to hark back to similar votive altars of a male and female divine couple in Celtic areas.
The pair is also alternatively attested as ''Arantius'' and ''Arantia'', although this occurrence is rare.
In two inscriptions from
Beira Baixa, Arentius is attested as ''Arantio Tanginiciaeco'' and as ''Arentio Cronisensi''.
Etymology
Francisco Marco Simón suggested that the pair were aquatic deities, following
Hans Krahe
Hans Krahe (7 February 1898 – 25 June 1965) was a German philologist and linguist, specializing over many decades in the Illyrian languages. He was born in Gelsenkirchen.
Work
Between 1936 and 1946 he was a professor at the University of W ...
's study on
Old European hydronymy
Old European () is the term used by Hans Krahe (1964) for the language of the oldest reconstructed stratum of European hydronymy (river names) in Central and Western Europe.Hans Krahe, ''Unsere ältesten Flussnamen'', Wiesbaden Edition Otto Harr ...
that associates the stem ''*ar-'' with the names of
bodies of water
A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, wetlands, or more ra ...
.
Spanish historian seems to support this interpretation. Also, according to Blazquez,
Blanca María Prósper
Blanca María Prósper Pérez is a Spanish linguist and scholar of Celtic studies. Since 2019, she has been Professor ('' Catedrática'') in Indo-European linguistics at the University of Salamanca.
Biography
Blanca María Prósper earned a PhD in ...
believes that ''Arantio'' (another attested name for Arentius) refers to a river deity.
[Blázquez, José Mª. ''Arte Y Religión En El Mediterráneo Antiguo''. Ediciones Cátedra, 2008. p. 129.]
See also
*
Castro culture
Castro culture (, , , , meaning "culture of the hillforts") is the archaeological term for the material culture of the northwestern regions of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day northern and central Portugal together with the Spanish regions of ...
*
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed ...
*
Lusitanian language Lusitania
Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province encompassing most of modern-day Portugal (south of the Douro River) and a large portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and Province of Salamanca). Romans named the regio ...
*
National Archaeology Museum (Portugal)
The National Museum of Archaeology () is the largest Archaeology, archaeological museum in Portugal and one of the most important museums devoted to ancient art found in the Iberian Peninsula. Located in Lisbon, the museum was founded in 1893 b ...
*
Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
This is a list of the pre- Roman people of the Iberian Peninsula (the Roman Hispania, i.e., modern Portugal, Spain and Andorra). Some closely fit the concept of a people, ethnic group or tribe. Others are confederations or even unions of tribe ...
*
Proto-Indo-European mythology
Proto-Indo-European mythology is the body of myths and deities associated with the Proto-Indo-Europeans, speakers of the hypothesized Proto-Indo-European language. Although the mythological motifs are not directly attested – since Proto-Ind ...
*
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...
References
Bibliography
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* Redentor, Armando (2008). “Panorama da Teonímia Pré-romana em Trás-os-montes Oriental”. In: ''Divindades indígenas em análise''. Coord. José d’ Encarnação. Coimbra e Porto: Centro de Estudos Arqueológicos, Universidade de Coimbra, Universidade do Porto, pp. 105-124.
* .
{{refend
Lusitanian goddesses
Lusitanian gods