In Celtic mythology, Maponos or Maponus ("divine son") was a god of youth known mainly in northern Britain but also in Gaul. In Roman times he was equated with Apollo. A Celtic cross incorporating the Celtic knotwork motif associated with later Celtic cultures Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, the apparent religion of the Iron Age Celts. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (from Latin Gallia, c. ... Principal sites in Roman Britain Roman Britain is the term applied to that part of Britain lying within the Roman Empire (which never extended to the whole island). ... Apollo (Greek: Απόλλων, Apóllōn) is a god in Greek and Roman mythology, the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Artemis (goddess of the hunt). ...

The Welsh mythological figure Mabon ap Modron is certainly derived from Maponos, who by analogy we may assume was the son of the mother-goddess Dea Matrona. The Irish god Aengus, also known as the Mac Óg ("young son"), is probably related to Maponos, as are the Arthurian characters Mabuz and Mabonagrain. 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, Mabon (divine son) was the son of Modron (divine mother). He was a hunter god who was stolen from his mother three days after his birth. ... In Celtic mythology, Dea Matrona (divine mother goddess) was the goddess of the river Marne in Gaul. ... In Irish mythology, Aengus (Áengus, Óengus, Angus, Anghus) aka Aengus Óg (Aengus the Young), Mac ind Óg (son of the young) or Mac Óg (young son) was a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably a god of love, youth and beauty. ... King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Britain. ...

Etymology of the Name

In Gaulish, mapos means a young boy or (more rarely) a son. The -on- particle is frequently, but not exclusively, a divinising one. Besides the theonym Maponos, the root mapos is found in personal names such as Mapodia, Mapillus, and Maponius; mapo is also found in the Carjac inscription (RIG L-86). The root is Proto-Indo-European *mak^wos. (Delamarre 2003 pp.216-217). Gaulish is the name given to the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became dominant in Roman Gaul. ... 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. ...

In Insular Celtic languages, the same root is found in Welsh, Cornish and Breton mab meaning son (Delamarre 2003 pp.216-217), derived from Common Brythonic *mapos (identical to Gaulish). In Old Irish, macc also means son; it is found in Ogham inscriptions as the genitive maqui, maqqi, maqui (Sims-Williams 2003 pp.430-431) with a geminative expressive doubling *mak^wk^wos. (This is the source of Irish and Scottish names starting Mac or Mc). The Insular Celtic language hypothesis groups the Goidelic languages, which include Irish, Scottish Gaelic and the recently extinct Manx, together with the Brythonic languages, of which the modern ones are Welsh, Breton, and the moribund Cornish. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... The Cornish language (in Cornish: Kernowek, Kernewek, Curnoack) is one of the Brythonic group of Celtic languages that includes Welsh, Breton, the extinct Cumbric and perhaps the hypothetical Ivernic. ... Breton (Brezhoneg) is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany in France. ... The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family. ... Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language which can be more or less fully reconstructed from extant sources. ... Ogham (Old Irish Ogam) was an alphabet used primarily to represent Gaelic languages that was probably often written in wood in early times. ...

He therefore personified youthful masculinity, which fact would explain the syncretism with the Graeco-Roman god Apollo. Apollo (Greek: Απόλλων, Apóllōn) is a god in Greek and Roman mythology, the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Artemis (goddess of the hunt). ...

Evidence for Maponos

The evidence is mainly epigraphic. Maponos (“Divine Son”) is mentioned in Gaul at Bourbonne-les-Bains (CIL 13, 05924) and at Chamalières (RIG L-100) but is attested chiefly in the north of Britain at Brampton, Corbridge (in antiquity, Corstopitum), Ribchester (In antiquity, Bremetenacum Veteranorum) and Chesterholm (in antiquity, Vindolanda). Some inscriptions are very simple such as Deo Mapono (to the god Maponos) from Chesterholm (AE 1975, 00568). At Corbridge are two dedications (RIB 1120 and RIB 1121) Apollini Mapono (to Apollo Maponos) and one (RIB 1122) [Deo] / [M]apo[no] / Apo[llini] (To the god Maponos Apollo). The inscription at Brampton (RIB 2063) by four Germans is to the god Maponos and the numen of the emperor: Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (from Latin Gallia, c. ... Brampton is the name of a number of places in the world: Brampton, Ontario, United Kingdom Brampton, Eden, Cumbria, United Kingdom Brampton, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom Brampton, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom Brampton, Norfolk, United Kingdom Brampton, Suffolk, United Kingdom Brampton, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid... Corbridge is a town in Northumberland, England, situated 25 km (16 miles) west of Newcastle and 6 km (4 miles) east of Hexham. ... Corbridge is a town in Northumberland, England, situated 25 km (16 miles) west of Newcastle and 6 km (4 miles) east of Hexham. ... Map sources for Ribchester at grid reference SD649353 Ribchester is a village in Lancashire, England near the towns of Blackburn and Preston. ... ... Vindolanda was a Roman auxiliary fort located at Chesterholm, just south of Hadrians Wall in northern England, near the border with Scotland, guarding the Roman road from the River Tyne, to the Solway Firth, now known as the Stanegate. ...

Deo / Mapono / et n(umini) Aug(usti) / Durio / et Ramio / et Trupo / et Lurio / Germa/ni v(otum) s(olverunt) l(ibentes) m(erito)

This inscription (RIB 583) by a unit of Sarmatians based at Ribchester shows the association with Apollo and also can be precisely dated to the day (pridie Kalendas Septembres, or 29 August in the Roman calendar) and the year (241 CE, by mention of the two consuls). Sarmatian Cataphract from Tanais: compare Pausanias description of armor (text below) Sarmatians, Sarmatae or Sauromatae (the second form is mostly used by the earlier Greek writers, the other by the later Greeks and the Romans) were a people whom Herodotus (4. ... The Roman calendar changed its form several times in the time between the foundation of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. ... The List of Roman Consuls from the Death of Commodus 193 Q. Pompeius Sosius Falco, C. Iulius Erucius Clarus Vibianus 194 Imp. ...

Deo san(cto) / [A]pollini Mapono / [pr]o salute d(omini) n(ostri) / [et] n(umeri) eq(uitum) Sar/[m(atarum)] Bremetenn(acensium) / [G]ordiani / [A]el(ius) Antoni/nus |(centurio) leg(ionis) VI / vic(tricis) domo / Melitenis / praep(ositus) et pr(aefectus) / v(otum) s(olvit) l(ibens) m(erito) / [de]dic(atum) pr(idie) Kal(endas) Sep(tembres) / [Im]p(eratore) d(omino) n(ostro) Gord[i]/[ano A]ug(usto) II e[t] Pon[peia]no(!) co(n)s(ulibus)

The preceeding inscriptions are all in Latin, except for the inscription from Chamalières, which is a long (12 lines) magical text written in Gaulish inscribed on a rolled lead sheet. The second line calls for the help of Maponos (here in the accusative singular, Maponon: artiu maponon aruerriíatin (RIG L-100). Gaulish is the name given to the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became dominant in Roman Gaul. ...

Two items of place-name evidence also attest to Maponos in Britain. Both are from the 7th-century Ravenna Cosmography. Locus Maponi (Richmond & Crawford #228) or "the place of Maponos", is thought to be between Lochmaben and Lockerbie (the name Lochmaben may be derived from Locus Maponi, with the p to b sound shift). Maporiton (Richmond & Crawford #163) or "the ford of Maponos" is thought to be Ladyward, near Lockerbie. The Ravenna Cosmography was a 7th century map of the known world, named from the city of Ravenna in Italy where it was constructed. ...

Was this god the British Apollo?

The difficulty of working out to which deity inhabitants of Roman Britain are referring when they mention Apollo is profound. In Britain, dedications to Apollo Anextlomarus, Apollo Anicetus Sol, Apollo Grannus and Apollo Maponus (the latter showing a Latinising influence, -os becoming -us. It is thus difficult to tell from a simple dedication to Apollo whether the Classical deity is meant or whether a particular Celtic deity is being referred to. The situation in Gaul is even more complicated, with at least twenty epithets being recorded. (Jufer & Luginbühl pp.94-96). Apollo (Greek: Απόλλων, Apóllōn) is a god in Greek and Roman mythology, the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Artemis (goddess of the hunt). ... Principal sites in Roman Britain Roman Britain is the term applied to that part of Britain lying within the Roman Empire (which never extended to the whole island). ... Apollo (Greek: Απόλλων, Apóllōn) is a god in Greek and Roman mythology, the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Artemis (goddess of the hunt). ...

Later versions of Maponos

Welsh Mythology

Maponos surfaces in the Middle Welsh narrative, the Mabinogion, as Mabon, son of Modron, who is herself the continuation of Gaulish Matrona (“Matronly Spirit”). The theme of Maponos son of Matrona (literally, child of mother) and the development of names in the Mabinogi from Common Brythonic and Gaulish theonyms has been examined by Hamp (1999), Lambert (1979) and Meid (1991). Mabon apparently features in the tale of a newborn child taken from his mother at the age of three nights, and is explicitly named in the story of Culhwch ac Olwen. Middle Welsh (Cymraeg Canol) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. ... The Mabinogion is a collection of prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts. ... In Welsh mythology, Mabon (divine son) was the son of Modron (divine mother). He was a hunter god who was stolen from his mother three days after his birth. ... In Welsh mythology, Modron (divine mother) was a daughter of Avalloc, derived from the Gaul goddess Dea Matrona. ... In Celtic mythology, Dea Matrona (divine mother goddess) was the goddess of the river Marne in Gaul. ... The Mabinogion is a collection of prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts. ... The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family. ... Gaulish is the name given to the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became dominant in Roman Gaul. ...

His name lives on in Arthurian romance in the guise of Mabon, Mabuz, and Mabonagrain. King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Britain. ... In Welsh mythology, Mabon (divine son) was the son of Modron (divine mother). He was a hunter god who was stolen from his mother three days after his birth. ...

Irish Mythology

His counterpart in Irish mythology would seem to be Mac(c) ind ӑc (Hamp 1999) (“Young Son”, “Young Lad”), evidently another epithet for Angus or Oenghus, the eternally youthful spirit to be found in Newgrange called Bruigh na Bóinne, a pre-Celtic Neolithic barrow or chambered tomb. Irish mythology portrays him as the son of Dagda or Daghda, king of the Irish gods and husband of Angus ’s mother Boann, an apparent personification of the River Boyne. In Irish mythology, Youthful Spirit frequently features as a trickster god and a love god. The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ... Angus (Aonghas in Gaelic) is one of the traditional counties and also one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland and a Lieutenancy area. ... Newgrange, Ireland Entrance slab with megalithic art Newgrange, one of the passage tombs of the Brú na Bóinne complex in County Meath, is the most famous of all Irish prehistoric sites. ... The Neolithic, (Greek neos=new, lithos=stone, or New Stone Age) was a period in the development of human technology that is traditionally the last part of the Stone Age. ... Barrow may refer to: A tumulus A castrated pig (the OED reports this as obsolete except in dialect usage in the UK: the term is still used in some parts of the southern US) Clyde Barrow, an American gangster Barrow, Alaska, United States Barrow, Gloucestershire, England Barrow, Lancashire, England Barrow... A chamber tomb is a place for multiple burials used in many different cultures. ... The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ... The Dagda is an important god of Irish mythology. ... The Dagda is an important god of Irish mythology. ... Angus (Aonghas in Gaelic) is one of the traditional counties and also one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland and a Lieutenancy area. ... In Irish mythology, Boann or Boand (white cow) was the goddess of the river Boyne. ... The Boyne is a river in Leinster, Ireland, which course is about 70 mi (112 km) long. ... The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ...

References

• Année Epigraphique (AE), yearly volumes.
• Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) vol XIII, The Gauls and Germanies.
• Collingwood, R.G.; Wright, R.P. The Roman Inscriptions of Britain (RIB) Vol. 1: The Inscriptions on Stone.
• Delamarre, X. (2003). Dictionnaire de la Langue Gauloise (2nd ed.). Paris: Editions Errance. ISBN 2-287772-237-6
• Hamp, E. (1999) Mabinogi and Archaism. Celtica 23, pp. 96-110. Available [online]
• Jufer, N. and Luginbühl, T. (2001) Répertoire des dieux gaulois. Paris, Editions Errance. ISBN 2-87772-200-7
• Lambert, Pierre-Yves (1979) La tablette gauloise de Chamalières. Études Celtiques XVI pp.141-169
• Lambert, Pierre-Yves (ed)(2002) Receuil des Inscriptions Gauloises (R.I.G.) Vol. 2.2: inscriptions in the Latin alphabet on instrumentum (ceramic, lead, glass etc.) (items L-18 – L-139)
• Meid, W. (1991) Aspekte der germanischen und keltischen Religion im Zeugnis der Sprache. Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft, Vorträge und kleinere Schriften, 52.
• Richmond, I. A. and Crawford, O. G. S. (1949) The British Section of the Ravenna Cosmography. Archaeologia XCIII pp.1-50
• Sims-Williams, Patrick (2003) The Celtic Inscriptions of Britain: phonology and chronology, c.400-1200 Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 1-4051-0903-3

Bibliography

• Ellis, Peter Berresford (1994) Dictionary of Celtic Mythology(Oxford Paperback Reference), Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195089618
• MacKillop, James (1998) Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192801201.
• Wood, Juliette, (2002) The Celts: Life, Myth, and Art. Thorsons Publishers. ISBN 0007640595

External Links

• http://www.liminalityland.com/maponos.htm
• Locus Maponi
• Maporitum