Mullo - Celtic God of Healing and Mules in Mythology
Mullo - Mars Mullo - Celtic God of Healing and Mules in Gaul
Mullo was a popular Celtic god of healing and mules in northern and north-western Gaul, or modern-day France. Followers of Mullo's cult associated the god with afflictions of the eye. Archaeological evidence suggests Mullo gained a high status as Mars Mullo in Gaul during the era of the Roman Empire.
Mullo may be translated as "mule", "hill" or "heap". The god was known as a deity of healing and mules including those who tended and worked with mules.
He became known across the Celtic world as Mars Mullo. Mars, the Roman god of war, was joined to the Celtic god Mullo as an important local and tribal deity. The Roman god Mars also changed into a god of healing because of Celtic influences. Mars Mullo was portrayed as a single god in Gaul during the Roman occupation.
Modern historians believe Mars Mullo was possibly the most widely venerated Romanised Celtic god in Amorica, or modern-day Brittany and eastern Normandy..
It has also been pointed out that a god of mules would not have been considered unusual as they were important as pack animals. Mules were held in high esteem because of their strength, endurance, sturdy nature and longevity.
The cult of Mars Mullo was very popular among the Celtic tribes in Amorica in northern and north-western Gaul. Armorica may be translated as "near the sea" because it was found on the coastal peninsula of modern-day Brittany and eastern Normandy in France.
Amorica was the last area in Gaul to fall to Julius Caesar and was never fully Romanised. The Redones, the Veneti and other Celtic tribes in the region preferred to keep their native customs and culture during the Roman occupation.
The Redones was the tribe most closely associated with Mars Mullo and venerated him as an important tribal god. They lived on eastern coasts of Brittany, nearest the English Channel. The Roman army respected them as they earned a reputation for being exceptionally skilled horsemen.
The Redones were one of the earliest tribes in the Gaul to mint their own coins. Their long association with horses was celebrated on coins that showed the body of a man with the head of a horse. The veneration of a mule god followed in the same tradition as mules are the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.
The tribe's ancient capital was Condate Riedonum and now known as the city of Rennes in Brittany. Five inscriptions dedicated to Mars Mullo were unearthed in Rennes dating back to the second century. The inscriptions were honorary statue inscriptions and mentioned important men of the city including Titus Flavius Postuminus.
The Romans also considered Mars Mullo to be an important Celtic god. Evidence has been found of a flamen, or an official Roman priest, called Titus Flavius Postuminus who was appointed the official priest of Mullo's cult. The flamen devoted his time and duties to the worship of just one deity.
The presence of the flamen suggests the temple of Mars Mullo was the official center of the god's cult in the region and Mars Mullo was the official god and protector of Rennes. Rennes became a thriving city during the Roman occupation. Mullo's cult would have been the responsibility of the city's wealthier citizens in Rennes and other areas of Gaul. For example, shrines were built in Gaul to Mullo as a regional god and were the responsibility of public officials.
The high status of Mars Mullo was also confirmed when archaeologists found two inscriptions in Rennes linking the god to the Imperial Cult of the Roman Emperors.
Some historians believe Mars Mullo may also have been the official god of Nantes in Brittany as an inscription to the god was found and again linked to the Imperial Cult.
The inscription reads "To the Augustus, to Mars Mullo, Agedovirus, son of Moricus, raised a (or the) statue (of the god) with his temple and all his ornaments, in his name and in the name of his daughter Toutilla. He has fulfilled his wish with good heart and with good reason". It seems an aristocrat from a Romanised family in Gaul was responsible for the dedication to Mars Mullo in Nantes.
The native tribe known as the Namnetes venerated Mars Mullo in and around the area known today as Nantes. The Namnetes were neighbours of the Redones.
Important circular temples were also dedicated to Mars Mullo on the top of a hill in Provenchères and in Craon in the Mayenne in the north-west of France.
Pilgrims visited a healing shrine to Mars Mullo at Allonnes in the hope the god would cure them. A number of offerings were made to Mars Mullo in the sanctuary in the form of coins and sculptures of afflicted limbs, with diseases of the eye being most prominent.
The large temple complex dedicated to the cult of Mars Mullo in Allonnes was built as new a temple during the era of the Roman Empire. It was most likely built over an ancient pagan shrine. (Le Mans).
One of the inscriptions was dedicated to Mars Mullo by a public slave called Crescens. The inscription said, "To Auguste and Mars Mullo Crescens, public slave (has high this monument) of his good will and with good reason". Mars Mullo was seemed to be a major Celtic god as he was linked to the Imperial cult at Rennes, Allonnes and other areas in Gaul because the name of Emperor Augustus was mentioned.
The evidence suggested Mullo was a major Celtic god in Brittany and Normandy both before and after the Roman occupation of Gaul, or modern-day France. The god's importance was recognised by the Romans when Mullo became linked with Mars, one of the main Roman gods. Mars Mullo's high status in Gaul was confirmed as he was linked with the official Imperial Cult of Rome.
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