Olloudius is a widely venerated{{cn, date=April 2013 Celtic god, known from locations as far apart as

Custom Shrubs Custom, customary, or consuetudinary may refer to: Traditions, laws, and religion * Convention (norm), a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted rules, norms, standards or criteria, often taking the form of a custom * Norm (social), a ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

and

Ollioules Ollioules (; oc, Oliulas) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a western suburb of Toulon. Population Notable people * Christophe Castaner (born 1966), lawyer and politi ...

in southern

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only durin ...

. The only existing image was found at the

Cotswold The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of J ...

site. The male figure is rendered in native style, with a small head and a large, elongated body, carrying a ''patera'' or offering plate and a double ''cornucopia'' and is dedicated to " Mars Olloudius". The god carries no military attributes, however, and he wears a cap and cloak rather than armour. Hence, Mars Olloudius belongs to important group of Celtic deities who adopted the name of Mars but were peaceful protectors, healers, and fertility spirits. The double horn of plenty stresses the prosperity function of the god among the

Dobunni The Dobunni were one of the Iron Age tribes living in the British Isles prior to the Roman conquest of Britain. There are seven known references to the tribe in Roman histories and inscriptions. Various historians and archaeologists have examine ...

of Gloucestershire. Another image was found at the same site, quite clearly the work of the same craftsman: on this second depiction Mars is represented with shield, spear, and sword, but again the ''cornucopia'' is present, this time indicating the hybrid nature of the god: in this peaceful region, the warrior is not combative in the true sense of the word, but instead plays the role of guardian against disease, barrenness, and other evils.

References

Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend. Miranda Green. Thames and Hudson Ltd. London. 1997 Gaulish gods Gods of the ancient Britons