Lenus (; E. Courtney (1995) reads the original dative form as in ''Musa Lapidaria: A Selection of Latin Verses'' 160, p. 152. agrees with dative in the following line.) was a Celtic god of healing, good fortune, and protection in battle, worshipped mainly in eastern

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

, where he was almost always identified with the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

god

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

Name

The

Gaulish Gaulish is an extinct Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, ...

theonym A theonym (from Greek (), 'god', attached to (), ) is a proper name of a deity. Theonymy, the study of divine proper names, is a branch of onomastics, the study of the etymology, history, and use of proper names. Theonymy helps develop an und ...

''Lenos'' has been derived from a stem ''lēno''-, which could mean 'wood, bocage' (cf. Welsh ''llwyn'' 'bush, grave, shrub'). His name most often appears in inscriptions as "Lenus Mars", rather than "Mars Lenus" as would be expected from other most syncretized names. His name also occasionally appears as "Mars Laenus". While the bulk of religious inscriptions to Lenus Mars are in Latin, there is one Latin-Greek bilingual inscription that identifies the god as "Lēnos ... Arēs" in the Greek version.

Cult

Lenus was an important god of the

Treveri The Treveri (Gaulish language, Gaulish: *''Treweroi'') were a Germanic peoples, Germanic or Celts, Celtic tribe of the Belgae group who inhabited the lower valley of the Moselle (river), Moselle in modern day Germany from around 150 BCE, if not ea ...

, who had large sanctuaries at medicinal springs at

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

and the Martberg by Pommern in what is now

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Two dedications to him are also known from southwestern

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

( Chedworth and Caerwent). Edith Wightman characterizes him as “one of the best examples of a

Teutates Teutates (spelled variously Toutatis, Totatis, Totates) is a Celtic god attested in literary and epigraphic sources. His name, which is derived from a proto-Celtic word meaning "tribe", suggests he was a tribal deity. The Roman poet Lucan's ...

, or god of the people, equated with Mars—protector of the tribe in battle, but also ..bestower of health and general good fortune” (p. 211).Edith Mary Wightman (1970). ''Roman Trier and the Treveri.'' Rupert Hart-Davis, London. His sanctuary "Am Irminenwingert" at Trier had a large temple, baths, smaller shrines and a theatre; that on the Martberg also included a large variety of buildings, probably including rooms for health-seeking pilgrims to stay. Notwithstanding his associations with healing, Lenus Mars is depicted classically as a warrior with Corinthian helmet in a bronze statuette from the Martberg. At Trier, Lenus Mars's divine partners were the Celtic goddess Ancamna and the Roman Victoria, as well as the Xulsigiae, who are perhaps water nymphs. An inscription from Kaul in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

appears to invoke Lenus Mars " Veraudunus" along with the Celtic goddess Inciona.Musée d'histoire et d'art, Luxembourg. 1974. ''Pierres sculptées et inscriptions de l'époque romaine'', catalogued by Eugénie Wilhelm, p.71. Lenus was not the only Celtic god identified with Mars by the Treveri; others, such as Iovantucarus (apparently a protector of youth), Intarabus,

Camulos Camulus or Camulos is a Celtic deity who was identified with Mars via ''interpretatio romana''. Camulus was an important god of Roman Britain and Gaul, especially among the Belgae and the Remi, Gaulish tribes that originate from the areas of ...

, and Loucetios were identified with Mars and perhaps, by extension, with Lenus. "Lenus Mars" is accompanied by the epithets "Arterancus" and "Exsobinus" on one inscription each. The epithet "Exsobinus" has been interpreted to mean 'fearless', a name shared with the Batavian goddess Exomna. In Britain, Lenus was identified with three other gods, namely the

, and the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

gods

Ocelus Ocelus is a Ancient Celtic religion, Celtic god known from three inscriptions in Roman Britain. He is twice invoked on dedications at Caerwent: one stone is the base of a statue of which only a pair of human feet and a pair of goose feet survive. ...

and Vellaunus, as can be evidenced from the following inscription found at the base of a statue in Caerwent:B. Collingwood and R.P. Wright. ''The Roman Inscriptions of Britain.'' Oxford. RIB 309. Quoted at Roman-Britain.org
archived version
. :DEO MARTI LENO SIVE OCELO VELLAVN ET NVM AVG M NONIVS ROMANVS OB IMMVNITAT COLLEGNI D D S D GLABRIONE ET HOMVLO COS X K SEPT :''To the god Mars Lenus or Ocelus Vellaunus and to the

Numen Numen (plural numina) is a Latin term for "divinity", "divine presence", or "divine will". The Latin authors defined it as follows:For a more extensive account, refer to Cicero writes of a "divine mind" (), a god "whose numen everything obeys", ...

of the

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

, Marcus Nonius Romanus dedicated this from the privilege of the college during the consulship of Glabrio and Homulus ten days before the Calends of September.''

Gallery

References

Bibliography

External links

Photograph of the Treveran Mars, by Paul Garland
{{Celtic mythology (ancient) Gaulish gods Health gods Martian deities