Loucetios - Leucetius - Celtic god of Lightning
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.
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.
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.
For more information on the Celtic god Loucetios, please visit
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