Condatis ( Gaulish: 'confluence') was an ancient Celtic deity worshipped primarily in northern Britain but also in Gaul.''L'Arbre Celtique.'
"Condatis"
/ref> He was associated with the confluences of rivers, in particular the

River Wear The River Wear (, ) in North East England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At long, it is one of the region's longest rivers, wends in a steep valley through th ...

which runs its course largely within

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. Condatis is known from several inscriptions in Britain and a single inscription found at Alonnes, Sarthe, France. In each case he is equated with the Roman god Mars.

Name

The theonym ''Condatis'' derives from the stem ''condāt''-, meaning 'confluence', itself from Proto-Celtic *''kom-dati-'', from an earlier ''kom-d^hh₁-ti-'' ('put with, put together', i.e. 'grouping, reunion'). The stem ''condāt''- is also attested in personal names, including ''Condatus'', ''Condatius'', and ''Condatie'', as well as in toponyms such as ''Condé'', ''Condat'', '' Candé'', '' Conte'', ''Condes'', '' Candes'', ''Cosnes'', ''Condate'' (the old name of

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

and

Northwich {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...

), ''Condom'', ''Condéon'' (both from *''Condate-o-magos''), ''Cond'' (< *''Condate-dunum''), '' Kontz'', ''Conz'' ( Trier), and ''Canstatt'' ( Condistat).

Cult

In 1886, a Roman altar was discovered near the Roman station at Chester-le-Street, where the

Cong Burn The Cong Burn is a small river in County Durham, England. It has its origin in a number of streams, among them Wheatley Green Burn, that rise on the southern and eastern slopes of Wheatley Hill, north of the village of Burnhope, and other strea ...

joins the River Wear. The altar was buried six feet deep in soil of an alluvial character. The inscription, which was to DEO marti CONDATI, was formed by a series of punctures. The altar probably belonged to the end of the second or the beginning of the third century. A fragmentary altar bearing the Inscription MARTI CONDATI has been found in Bowes, near Barnard Castle in County Durham and another in Piercebridge, the site of a Roman fort, also in County Durham. Recently a new inscription to Condatis has been discovered at Cramond in the Lothian region of Scotland (AE 1978, 451; dedicated to d(eo) M(arti) Con ati. In Roman times he was equated with Mars, probably in his healing function. The association with the confluence of waters would tend to link this deity with the prevalent Celtic cult of thermal waters rather than solely with war. Again, this may reflect the origins of Condatis as a protector of aberau (the confluence of waters) with his martial aspect only being predominant in the Roman world.

References

Bibliography

* * * Gaulish gods Gods of the ancient Britons Health gods Sea and river gods Personifications of rivers {{Celt-myth-stub