Lugus was a deity widely hypothesized to have been worshipped in Gaul, Britain, Ireland, Spain and other ancient Celtic regions. Aside from a single Celtiberian inscription (from Peñalba de Villastar, Spain), no ancient Celtic-language dedications to Lugus have been discovered (though several Latin inscriptions containing dedications to the Lugoves, a plural form, have been found in Switzerland and Spain). His importance in the Celtic pantheon can be deduced from a multitutde of ancient placenames and from figures in later Celtic mythology, such as the Irish Lugh and Welsh Lleu Llaw Gyffyes (also spelled Llew Llaw Gyffes). A deity or a god, is a postulated preternatural being, usually, but not always, of significant power, worshipped, thought holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, or respected by human beings. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin Gallia, Greek Galatia) is the region of Western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... This article is about the European people. ... The Celtiberians dwelt in the Iberian Peninsula and spoke a Celtic language. ... Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, the apparent religion of the Iron Age Celts. ... Lugh (earlier Lug, modern Irish Lú, pronounced loo) is an Irish deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant past. ... Welsh mythology, the remnants of the mythology of the pre-Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts such as the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin. ... In Welsh mythology, Llew Llaw Gyffes was born a blob, a son of Arianrhod and brother of Dylan. ...

Gaulish Mercury

Julius Caesar in his De Bello Gallico identified six gods worshipped in Gaul, giving the names of their nearest Roman equivalents rather than their Gaulish names. He said that "Mercury" was the god most revered in Gaul, describing him as patron of trade and commerce, protector of travellers, and the inventor of all the arts. The Irish god Lug bore the epithet samildánach (skilled in all arts), which has led to the identification of Caesar's Mercury as Lugus. Juliette Wood interprets his name as deriving from Proto-Celtic *lugios, oath, which would support this identification of Mercury as a god of contracts. A bust of Julius Caesar. ... De Bello Gallico (literally On the Gallic Wars in Latin) is an account written by Julius Caesar about his nine years of war in Gaul. ... Roman mythology, the mythological beliefs of the people of Ancient Rome, can be considered as having two parts. ... This article treats Mercury in cult practice and in archaic Rome. ... The Proto-Celtic language, also called Common Celtic, is the putative ancestor of all the known Celtic languages. ...

Iconography

The assertion that Mercury was most revered in Gaul is supported by the number of Gaulish inscriptions to Mercury. His iconography includes birds, particularly ravens and the cock, now the emblem of France; horses; the tree of life; dogs or wolves; a pair of snakes (cf Hermes's Caduceus); mistletoe; shoes (one of the dedications to the Lugoves was made by a shoemakers' guild; Lugus's Welsh counterpart Lleu (or Llew) Llaw Gyffes is described in the Welsh Triads as one of the "three golden shoemakers of the island of Britain"); and bags of money. He is often armed with a spear. He is frequently accompanied by his consort Rosmerta ("great provider"), who bears the ritual drink with which kingship was conferred (in Roman mythology, Mercury's consort is Maia, meaning in Latin "she who provides"). Unlike the Roman Mercury, who is always a youth, Gaulish Mercury is occasionally also represented as an old man. Iconography is the study and interpretation of images in art. ... Species See text Many large black birds of the genus Corvus are called ravens. ... The Tree-of-Life is a fictional plant (the ancestor of yams, with similar appearance and taste) in Larry Nivens Known Space universe, for which all Hominids have an in-built genetic craving. ... Hermes bearing the infant Dionysus, by Praxiteles Hermes (Greek IPA ), in Greek mythology, is the god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of orators, literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures and invention and commerce in general, of liars, and of... ... Families Santalaceae(Viscaceae) Loranthaceae Mistletoe is the common name for various parasitic plants of the families Santalaceae (in the section of the family formerly separated as Viscaceae) and Loranthaceae. ... The Welsh Triads (Welsh, Trioedd Ynys Prydein) is used to describe any of the related Medieval collection of groupings of three that preserve a major portion of Welsh folklore and Welsh literature. ... Hunting spear and knife, from Mesa Verde National Park. ... In Continental Celtic mythology, Rosmerta was a goddess of fire, fertility and warmth, as well as flowers and death. ... Maia can mean several things: Maia (mythology), in Greek mythology, is the eldest of the Pleiades, the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. ...

Triplism

Image of a tricephalic god identified as Lugus, discovered in Paris

Gaulish Mercury is associated with triplism: sometimes he has three faces, sometimes three phalluses, which may explain the plural dedications. This also compares with Irish myth. In some versions of the story Lug was born as one of triplets, and his father, Cian 'Distance', is often mentioned in the same breath as his brothers Cu 'Hound' and Cethen '?', who nonetheless have no stories of their own. Several characters called Lugaid, a popular medieval Irish name thought to derive from Lug, also exhibit triplism: for example, Lugaid Riab nDerg 'Lughaidh of the Red Freckles' and Lugaid mac Trí Con 'Lughaidh Son of Three Hounds' both have three fathers. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x808, 150 KB) Gravure dun dieu trichéphale, identifié souvent comme Lugus, dont le bas-relief est découvert à Paris en 1867 et préservé au musée Carnavalet. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x808, 150 KB) Gravure dun dieu trichéphale, identifié souvent comme Lugus, dont le bas-relief est découvert à Paris en 1867 et préservé au musée Carnavalet. ... This article treats Mercury in cult practice and in archaic Rome. ... Triple deities, legendary persons and mythological creatures (sometimes referred to as tripled, triplicate, tripartite, triune or triadic), are common throughout world mythology, typically fitting into one of the following general categories: triadic (forming a group of three): three beings inter-related in some way (life, death, rebirth, for example, or... The Latin word phallus (from the Greek phallos) and its derived adjective phallic, adopted in English and in many modern languages, refers to the penis. ... In Irish mythology, Cian (long, enduring), son of Dian Cecht of the Tuatha Dé Danann, is best known as the father of Lug by the Fomorian princess Ethniu. ... Lugaid (Lughaid, Lughaidh) is a popular medieval Irish name, thought to be derived from the god Lug. ... Lugaid Riab nDerg (Riabhdhearg, Réoderg, Sriab nDearg, Red Stripes) was a legendary High King of Ireland. ...

Rübekeil (2003:38) suggests that Lugus was a triune god, comprising Esus, Toutatis and Taranis, the three chief deities mentioned by Lucanus (who, at the same time, makes no mention of Lugus), and that pre-Proto-Germanic tribes in contact with the Celts (possibly the Chatti) moulded aspects of Lugus into the Germanic god Wodinaz. For other uses, see Trinity (disambiguation). ... In Continental Brythonic mythology, especially among the Essuvi of Gaul, Esus or Hesus (lord or master) was a god of agriculture, war and commerce. ... Toutatis or Teutates, ancient god of Celts and Gauls, whose name means father of the tribe. ... In Celtic mythology Taranis was a god of thunder worshipped in Gaul and Britain and mentioned, along with Esus and Toutatis, by the Roman poet Lucan in his epic poem Pharsalia. ... Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (November 3, AD 39-April 30, 65), better known in English as Lucan, was a Roman poet, and is one of the outstanding figures of the Silver Latin period. ... The Chatti (also Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe settled in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of the Weser river and in the valleys and mountains of the Eder, Fulda and Werra river regions, a district approximately corresponding to Hesse-Cassel, though probably... For other meanings of Odin, Woden or Wotan see Odin (disambiguation), Woden (disambiguation), Wotan (disambiguation). ...

Sacred Sites

High places (Mercurii Montes), including Montmartre, the Puy-de-Dôme and the Mont de Sène, were dedicated to him. In Christian times he seems to have been assimilated into the archangel Michael, and many of the former Mercurii Montes became "St Michael's Mounts". Montmartre seen from the centre Georges Pompidou (1897), a painting by Camille Pissarro of the boulevard that led to Montmartre as seen from his hotel room. ... General view Puy-de-Dôme, a cumulo-dome (tholoid) volcano, is one of the youngest volcanoes in the Chaîne des Puys region of Massif Central in south-central France. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. ... An Archangel is a superior or higher-ranking angel. ... Guido Renis archangel Michael (in the Capuchin church of Sta. ...

Continuity in later Celtic narratives

In Ireland, Lug was the victorious youth who defeats the monstrous Balor “of the venomous eye.” He was the godly paradigm of priestly kingship, and another of his appellations, lámhfhada “of the long arm”, carries on an ancient Proto-Indo-European image of a noble sovereign expanding his power far and wide. His festival, called Lughnasadh (“Festival of Lugh”) in Ireland, was commemorated on 1 August. When the Emperor Augustus inaugurated Lugdunum ("fort of Lugus", now Lyon) as the capital of Roman Gaul in 18 BC, he did so with a ceremony on 1 August. At least two of the ancient Lughnasadh locations, Carmun and Tailtiu, were supposed to enclose the graves of goddesses linked with terrestrial fertility. The acronym LUG may refer to: Linux User Group Lesbian until graduation Lego User Group This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... In Irish mythology, Balor (Balar, Bolar) of the Evil Eye was a king of the Fomorians, a race of giants. ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... Roman Emperor is the term historians use to refer to rulers of the Roman Empire, after the epoch conventionally named the Roman Republic. ... The famous statue of Octavian at the Prima Porta Caesar Augustus (Latin:IMP·CAESAR·DIVI·F·AVGVSTVS) ¹ (23 September 63 BC–19 August AD 14), known to modern historians as Octavian for the period of his life prior to 27 BC, is considered the first and one of the most... Colonia Copia Claudia Augusta Lugdunum (modern: Lyon) was an important Roman city in Gaul. ... City motto: Avant, avant, Lion le melhor. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC - 10s BC - 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s Years: 23 BC 22 BC 21 BC 20 BC 19 BC 18 BC 17 BC 16 BC 15 BC 14 BC 13 BC... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... In Irish mythology, Carman or Carmun was a warrior-woman and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub (black), Dother (evil) and Dian (violence). She used her magical powers to destroy all the fruit of... Tailtiu (Tailltiu, Tailte, Teia Tephi) is the name of a presumed goddess from Irish mythology and the town in County Meath that was named after her. ...

Lugus has also been suggested as the origin not only of Lug and Llew Llaw Gyffes, but also the legendary British king Lud and the Arthurian characters Lancelot and Lot. Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniæ (English: The History of the Kings of Britain) was written around 1136. ... Lud was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. ... King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Britain. ... In the Arthurian legend, Sir Lancelot (Lancelot du Lac, or Lancelot of the Lake; also Launcelot) is one of the Knights of the Round Table. ... Lot in Arthurian Legend was the king of Lothian, Orkney, and Norway which leads to his name which essentially means King of Lothian. He is the father of most popularly Gawain, Gareth, and in Welsh tradition, Mordred. ...

Foreign Parallels

It has been suggested that the Germanic deity Wotan (English Woden) was influenced by Gaulish Mercury (see "triplism" above), and his name is possibly reflected in Germanic Loki. There is no one-to-one correspondence between Germanic and Celtic gods, however, and Lug is also likely related to Frea and her brother Freyr. For other meanings of Odin and Wotan see Odin (disambiguation) Odin (Old Norse Óðinn, Swedish Oden) is usually considered the supreme god of Germanic and Norse mythology. ... This picture, from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript, shows Loki with his invention - the fishing net. ... In J.R.R. Tolkiens Middle-earth legendarium, Fréa was the fourth King of Rohan. ... This 19th century representation of Freyr shows him with his boar Gullinbursti and his sword. ...

Etymology

Lugus's name has been interpreted as deriving from the Indo-European root *leuk-, light, and he has long been considered a sun god. This etymology is problematic because Proto-Indo-European *k did not under any known circumstances become *g- in Proto-Celtic, but remained *k. The direct descendent of the Proto-Indo-European root *leuk- (white light) in Proto-Celtic is *leuk- as in the name of the Celtic lightning god Leucetios. So if one applies the principles of Occam's razor, *leuk- is not the most plausible etymology (though some have suggested that PIE *leuk had a variant form *leug-, which could indeed produce a Common Celtic *lug-). Etymology is the study of the origins of words. ... A solar deity is a deity who represents the Sun. ... The Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) is the hypothetical common ancestor of the Indo-European languages. ... The Proto-Celtic language, also called Common Celtic, is the putative ancestor of all the known Celtic languages. ... Lightning is a powerful natural electrostatic discharge produced during a thunderstorm. ... Michelangelos depiction of God in the painting Creation of the Sun and Moon in the Sistine Chapel This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and derived henotheistic forms. ... In Celtic mythology, Leucetios was a Gaulish god of thunder. ... William of Ockham Occams Razor (also spelled Ockhams Razor) is a principle attributed to the 14th-century English logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham. ...

The contemporary compilation of etymological lexica at the universities of Leiden and Wales ([1] [2] )are providing greater insight into the proto-linguistics of Celtic words. These lexica suggest that this name is derived from Proto-Celtic *Lug-u-s, but this Proto-Celtic lexeme exhibits great ambiguity in its semantics both in Proto-Celtic and in Proto-Indo-European. Leyden redirects here. ... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... Historical linguistics (also diachronic linguistics or comparative linguistics) is primarily the study of the ways in which languages change over time, by means of examining languages which are recognizably related through similarities such as vocabulary, word formation, and syntax, as well as the surviving records of ancient languages. ... The Celtic languages are the languages descended from Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, spoken by ancient and modern Celts alike. ... Definition A lexeme is an abstract unit of morphological analysis in linguistics, that roughly corresponds to a set of words that are the same in basic meaning. ... A word, phrase, sentence, or other communication is called ambiguous if it can be interpreted in more than one way. ... In the main, semantics (from the Greek and in greek letters σημαντικός or in latin letters semantikos, or significant meaning, derived from sema, sign) is the study of meaning, in some sense of that term. ...

The Proto-Celtic lexeme *Lug-u-s may be related to the initial morpheme in the Proto-Celtic *lug-rā moon (sometimes proposed as the proto-form behind Welsh lloer, though Eric Hamp suggests an alternative etymology for lloer, from Common Celtic *lus-rā, where the root would be cognate with that of Latin luridus [earlier *lus-idus] "pale yellow"). Another possibility is Proto-Indo-European *leug- meaning blackness, dimness, darkness (thought by Pokorny to be the root of the ill-attested Gaulish word lugos raven), or *leug- swamp, peat-bog. Proto-Celtic *Lug-u-s may equally be related to Proto-Celtic *lug- meaning "oath, pledging, assurance" on the one hand and "deceive" on the other (derived from Proto-Indo-European *leugh- avowal, deception). Conversely, the name may be derived from a Proto-Celtic compound such as *φlū-wgū-s, which would convey the meaning of ‘flowing vigour,’ or else from *φlūgū-s meaning ‘flight, flying, soaring, etc.’ In Morpheme-based morphology, a morpheme is the smallest language unit that carries a semantic interpretation. ... The Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) is the hypothetical common ancestor of the Indo-European languages. ... Proto-Celtic, also called Common Celtic, is the putative ancestor of all the known Celtic languages. ...

The name may also be related to Old Irish lug "lynx", perhaps indicating the existence of a Proto-Celtic root that denoted an animal with "shining eyes", from PIE *leuk- "to shine" (compare Greek lunx "lynx", perhaps from a zero-grade form *luk- with infixed nasal).

This god’s name may also be cognate with Latin lugubris "mournful, pertaining to mourning," from lugere "to mourn," from a Proto-Indo-European base *leug- "to emotionally upset, disturb" (cf. Greek lygros "mournful, sad," Sanskrit rujati "breaks, torments," Lettish lauzit "to break the heart"). This would give the Proto-Celtic word *lugu-s a meaning akin to “upsetting power,” making him etymologically cognate with the Norse god Loki. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The Proto-Indo-Europeans are the hypothetical speakers of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language, a prehistoric people of the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. ... Sanskrit ( संस्कृतम्) is an Indo-European Classical language of India and a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. ... Latvian, also called Lettish, is a language spoken by 1. ... Proto-Celtic, also called Common Celtic, is the putative ancestor of all the known Celtic languages. ... Norse is related to Scandinavia, and may mean: Ancient Norse mythology Medieval Norsemen, i. ... Michelangelos depiction of God in the painting Creation of the Sun and Moon in the Sistine Chapel This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and derived henotheistic forms. ... This picture, from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript, shows Loki with his invention - the fishing net. ...

The name may equally be analysed as a compound of two Proto-Indo-European bases: *pleu- "flow, float" (cf. O.E. flowan, from P.Gmc. *flo-;. Du. vloeien "to flow," O.N. floa "to deluge," O.H.G. flouwen "to rinse, wash"; cf. Skt. plavate "navigates, swims," plavayati "overflows;" Armenian helum "I pour;" Gk. plyno "I wash," pleo "swim, go by sea;" L. pluere "to rain;" O.C.S. plovo "to flow, navigate;" Lith. pilu "to pour out," plauti "rinse") and *gheu- “to pour out.” The would enable the reconstruction of a Proto-Celtic word *φlu-gu-s connoting the notions of “flowing gush” and “floating gust.” The Proto-Indo-Europeans are the hypothetical speakers of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language, a prehistoric people of the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. ... Proto-Celtic, also called Common Celtic, is the putative ancestor of all the known Celtic languages. ...

Survival of the name in toponyms

His name was commemorated in numerous place-names, such as Lugdunum (Celtic *Lugdunon or *Lugudunon, "fort of Lugus"; modern Lyon, France), capital of the Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis. Other such place-names include Lucus Augusti in the Galician area of Spain (modern Lugo, Spain), Lugdunum Clavatum (modern Laon, France) and Luguvallium (modern Carlisle, England). Colonia Copia Claudia Augusta Lugdunum (modern: Lyon) was an important Roman city in Gaul. ... The Celtic languages are the languages descended from Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, spoken by ancient and modern Celts alike. ... City motto: Avant, avant, Lion le melhor. ... Map of the Roman Empire, with the provinces, after AD 120. ... Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis, 120 AD Gallia Lugdunensis was a province of the Roman Empire roughly encompassing the regions of Brittany, Normandy and the area around Lutetia Parisiorum (Paris) in what is now the modern country of France. ... Lugo is a city in northwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Lugo in the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain. ... Laon is a city and commune of France, préfecture (capital) of the Aisne département. ... Carlisle is a city in the extreme north west of England, some 10 miles from the border with Scotland. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st...

Other places which are likely named after him include:

Loudun and Montluçon in France; Loudon in Scotland; Dinlleu in Wales; Leiden in the Netherlands; Loudun is a small town of approximately 9,000 inhabitants in the Vienne département of France. ... Montluçon is a city and commune in central France. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... Leyden redirects here. ...

Bibliography

• Ellis, Peter Berresford, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology(Oxford Paperback Reference), Oxford University Press, (1994): ISBN 0195089618
• MacKillop, James. Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0192801201.
• Rübekeil, Ludwig. Wodan und andere forschungsgeschichtliche Leichen: exhumiert, Beiträge zur Namenforschung 38 (2003), 25–42.

External links

• Lugus: the Many-Gifted Lord, an essay by Alexei Kondratiev
• Lugus: the Gaulish Mercury