Borvo - Celtic God of Healing and Healing waters 

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Borvo was the Celtic god of healing and healing waters (or spas) and his worship was popular across much of western Europe.

Borvo's name means "One who boils". He was the son of the the goddess Sirona, one of the Celtic goddesses of cattle. The devine companion or consort of Borvo was Damona, who was the Celtic goddess of cattle although in some areas, such as Saone-et-Loire in Bourbon-Lancy (France) he is accompanied by Bormana, who was the female equivalent of Borvo.

Borvo was worshipped in areas with spas because the waters , especially thermal waters, were thought to have the capacity to heal.

The remains of shrines to the god have been discovered in towns, such as Aix-en-Diois and Aix-en-Diois, principally in Gaul (modern day France).

Inscibed tablets have been found which were offerings made by Borvo's worshippers asking for his help in healing themselves or someone they knew.

Borvo was worshipped across most of western Europe, from Gaul to Portugal, the Netherlands and to the British Isles. He would have therefore been a well-known god in Celtic culture. The god seems to have been particularly poplular in areas, such as Bourbon-Les-Bains and Bourbon-Lancy, where a significant number of inscriptions have been discovered in these towns. The name Bourbon is thought to have originated from Borvo.

Apollo, the Roman god of healing, and Borvo were usually joined with together as a latin version. Roman deities were often associated with Celtic gods due to a similarity in their powers, as in this case healing. Depictions of this kind were common during the time of Roman occupation of Gaul and other countries in Europe because it encouraged the idea of a harmonious relationship between the conquered Celts and the Romans.

Numerous depictions have been found of Borvo in Europe with the most well-known one representing the god as a warrior, holding a helmet and shield , and facing a large,raised snake (Vicky in France). Borvo is also shown sitting on a rock holidng a cup of bubbling liquid (Vichy in France and Colbridge in England). Others depict him holding a bag of money, a plate of fruit as well as a goblet which indicates he may have also been associated with fertility and the prosperity of cities in some areas (Entrains in France).

The influence of Borvo may still be found today with spas in Europe, such as the one at Bourboule in France, deriving an ancient link to the past in their literature.

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Epona - Goddess of Horses in Celtic Mythology

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Epona, meaning "Divine Mare", was the goddess of horses, including those who worked with them, as well as fertility during the Iron age. Her worship originated with nomadic Celts in Gaul and extended throughout Continental Europe and the Roman Empire. Epona was the only Celtic deity venerated in Rome itself.

The myth states Epona was the beautiful child of a horse and human male. The importance of horses in Celtic culture may have contributed to her cult spreading from Gaul to Germany and eventually to Rome. For example, Celtic nobles were usually buried with their horses and saddles indicating horses were important in the after-life. The extensive worship of Epona may also be the reason why the Celts did not eat horse meat.

The connection between Epona and horses was also present in the rites of Celtic kings as the goddess was thought to bestow on the king his authority to rule during a ritual. Epona's importance was later signified with a shrine in nearly every stable in the Roman Empire because she protected not only the horses but also those who worked with them.

Epona's cult spread from Gaul to Germany and the Roman Empire between 1AD and 3AD. The goddess was worshipped not only by ordinary people but by Roman soldiers, especially the cavalry. It is possible the spread of the cult was principally due to the recruitment of the Roman cavalry, such as the Imperial Horse Guard, from Gaul and Germany. The Romans are credited with introducing her worship into not only areas of the Roman Empire, such as Britain, but also to Rome itself.

Epona was the only Celtic goddess to be venerated in Rome and was officially included in the gods of the Emperor as "Epona Augusta" and "Epona Regina". The 18th December was dedicated to Epona and was celebrated in the Roman calendar as a feast day.

A large number of depictions of Epona have been found all over Europe and the British Isles, particularly in Gaul and the Rhineland. For example, statues have been found on the remains of stables and barns. Epona is usually represented as woman riding side-saddled on a white horse, such as those found in the Rhineland, which was the symbol of purity. The goddess was occasionally accompanied by a dog, a foal or holding ears of corn, such as those found in England, the symbol of fertility. Other representations show her surrounded by horses or feeding a horse. The "Uffinton White Horse" on White Horse hill in England is supposed to be an Iron Age representation of Epona.

Epona is also depicted holding a key or set of keys, denoting a link to the after-life. The goddess was supposedly carrying souls of those who died on her horse to and from the Other-world.

The various incarnations of Epona included the goddesses associated with horses such as Rhiannon in Wales, Macha in Ireland, the cult of Rigatonia in Britain and the Celtic goddess Edain.

The early Christians absorbed Epona and other Celtic dieties into the religion. Remnants of the goddess may be found today with the pantomime horse and the eleventh century legend of Lady Godiva.

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Loucetios - Leucetius - Celtic god of Lightning

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Loucetios was a Celtic god of lightning and was possibly an air god who originated in Gaul. He was predominantly worshipped in France, Britain and and Germany during the era of the Roman Empire where he was equated to the Roman god Mars.

Loucetios, meaning "Shining One" or "Bright One", was the god of thunder and lightning, and would have been known across the Celtic world. The Latin version of his name was Leucetius.

There seems to have been only a handful of "air gods" in the Celtic religion. Modern scholars have identified Vintios who was probably a god of wind, Taranis the god of thunder, Sulis in Bath in England who was a goddess of the sun, Belenus who was also a god associated with the sun and Loucetios who was the god of lightning. The reason why this should be the case still eludes modern historians.

Inscriptions found in Bath in England and Angers in France refer to the goddess Nemetona, the goddess of the "Sacred Grove", as being the divine consort of Loucetios. The association with Nemetona suggests he may also have been a god of healing.

The centre of his worship seems to have been eastern Gaul and archaeological evidence indicates the Rhenish tribe called the Vangiones was most closely associated with the god.

The Vangiones were a Celtic tribe who were defeated by Julius Caesar in 58BC. They were allowed to join the Roman army and were used for garrison duty on Rome's northern frontier of Britain, specifically Hadrian's Wall.

The inscriptions in eastern Gaul, such as the modern day towns of Maintz and Altripp, refer to a connection between Loucetios and the Roman god Mars, the god of war.

At least a dozen inscriptions dedicated to Loucetios have been discovered in Britain, France and Germany.

The worship of Loucetios was confirmed when an altar was found in Bath and similarly in other spa towns. The town of Luguvalium, which is the modern day city of Carlisle, was named after him.

Loucetios was also known as Leu in Belgium and may have been the basis of the Celtic "God of Light" as Lugh in Ireland and Lleu in Wales.

The influence of Loucetios in modern culture consists of a reference to him in a book called "American Gods" (by Neil Galman) and companies involved with electrical lighting named after him.

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Belenus or Belenos - a "Sun God" in Celtic Mythology

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Belenus and Belenos means "the Shining God". He was worshipped as a "Sun God" by the Celts across Continental Europe, Britain and Ireland and is regarded by modern historians as a common Celtic god.

The term "Sun God" describes Belenus in the context of an important pastoral deity who was associated with the restorative and healing powers of the sun. The Irish festival of Beltaine or the "Fires of Bel" was held on first of May and fires were lit to encourage the Sun's heat. Cattle were purified by herding them between these fires before being put out to pasture. Historical evidence suggests the ancient Celts did not worship the sun but used it in a descriptive way such as images.

The festival marked the beginning of summer in Ireland. The ritualistic purpose of such festivals in Ireland and Europe was to ask for the god's help in encouraging the crops to grow and protect the herds of cattle from disease. The festival of Beltane was one of the most important festivals in Celtic culture. The Beltane Festival is still celebrated in Scotland and Ireland as as an artistic festival on the traditional date of 30th April or 1st May.

Belenos was usually depicted riding the sun across the sky in a horse drawn chariot. A model horse and chariot carrying a sun-disc was found in Denmark and thought to be a representation of Belenus.

Other representations include Belenus riding a horse throwing thunder-bolts while using his wheel as a shield. The wheel, a head with solar rays and halos are associated with Belenus. The goddess Belisama in Gaul is sometimes shown as the consort of Belenus.

Healing shrines with a duel Roman association to the god Apollo and Belenus, such as the one found in Sainte-Sabine in Burgundy, demonstrates the god's association with healing and regeneration. Objects in the shape of limbs found at Sainte-Sabine suggest they were left as a payment for the prayers which were offered. Clay horses were also discovered and are thought to be representations of Belenus. Shrines to Belenus have been also found at Inveresk in Scotland and Bourbon-Les-Bains in France, which was apparently named after him.

The cult of Belenus spread from Italy to Gaul, modern day Austria, Britain and Ireland. The thirty one or more archaeological finds in Europe, Britain and Ireland are the most found for any Celtic god. These finds demonstrate not only the importance the cult of Belenus but that he was a common god in Celtic culture until the introduction of Christianity.

The most famous and most numerous finds of Belenus were inscriptions dedicated to him from the emperors Maximian and Diocietian in Aquileia in Italy. References were made to Belenus by Roman historians, such as Herodianos in 278BC, who described Roman soldiers seeing an image of Belenus (the protector of the city) in the sky during the siege of Aquileia by the emperor Maximus. Tertullian mentions the worship of Belenus in the Norican Alps in 4AD.

Archaeological evidence of Belenus also include a coin found in 1AD depicting Belenus with large brown eyes, a heavy moustache and his hair shown in a corona representing the rays of the sun. A carved piece of jewellery found in Nimes (France) depicts Belenus as an old man wearing a tunic with solar symbols and an inscription.

Julius Caesar apparently referred to Belenus as the god Apollo and this association was common throughout the Celtic-Roman world. A number of gods in other countries were based on him such as Beli, the god of death, in Welsh mythology and Belatucadros whose cult flourished in northern England. The god Bile in Irish Celtic mythology is credited with being another incarnation of Belenus.

In Medieval times, Beli Mawr, a mythological king in Britain, was apparently the basis of Pellinor, the father of Sir Percival, in Arthurian legends.

Belenus's influence can be found in the modern day Europe. For example the name Llywelyn is thought to be a combination of the god Lugus and Belenus. Billinsgate in England is also thought to named after the god.

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