So I didn’t feel ready to write this essay for a long time, even though I have been researching it for months. This began with a UPG, but was stirred into action by Alan Ward’s Myths of the Gods, which gave me the necessary starting information. I admit I am hesitant to post this due to the rather unfortunate lack of precedent in academic study of the gods, but I would love to hear some thoughts on the matter.
Sucellus and Smith Gods
There are two known gods of smithing in Gaul: Gobannos and Ucuetis. Now, it’s very possible that the two are the same god with different epithets… Gobannos literally means “smith” (though it can be derived further into other proto-Celtic roots), and Ucuetis may mean “great breath”—a reference to bellows—and was worshiped by the smiths of Alesia. Gobannos is also known as Cobannos, of the rich Cobannos Hoard now displayed at the Getty Villa in California, thanks to the rule where C and G became at one time interchangeable in Gaulish. Now please stay with me as I propose a third potential god of smithing: Sucellos. This is not a theory that I’ve seen widely upheld, but I think it likely for reasons put forth below.
Firstly, we can look to linguistics. Thanks to Václav Blažek and The Indo-European “Smith” (published Journal of Indo-European Studies Monograph Series 58), I have a variety of roots to look at across the Indo-European language pool. The three most common roots I see come from *gobents- “fire-maker” or “skillful/wise” (as does Gobannos), “to strike/pound” as does Sucellos, and “copper/bronze” which I don’t think occurs in any of the three Gaulish cases above but does occur in Irish sources with Creidne. Ucuetis we only know to be a god of smiths because of his dedication:
Martialis Dannotali ieuru Ucuete sosin celicnon, etic gobedbi dugiiontiio Ucuetin in […] Alisia.
“Martialis, son of Dannotalos dedicates this keliknon (small temple?) to Ucuetis - together with the smiths, who (worship) Ucuetis in Alesia.”
Our second source is mythology. Our mythological sources for Celtic smith gods include Gofannon, Goibniu, Creidne, Luicne, the Fomorian Dolb, and the mortals Oc Aiche and Culann. Manawydan may also share traits of a smith god, as he is a craftsman. Lugh and Lugus we will ignore simply because of their multi-functional nature, although Blažek includes them in his analysis of the linguistic roots. Obviously the most defining trait of the Celtic smith is that he is a craftsman. He may not always be a smith. Creidne is a brazier and Luicne a carpenter. But all are craftsmen. Their qualities can be found in the linguistics: they “strike” and “pound” the material they work, they are “fire-makers” who work with meteorological metals, they work with “copper” and “bronze”, may be connected to “wolves” and “darkness” as Olc Aicha’s name by be (but ultimately may come from yet another root for “meteorological fire”), and “sorcery” (Dolb). The mythology gives further traits: they are divine hospitalers, brew the drink of the gods, possess animals of the otherworld, and preside over the otherworld feast. It may not be out of the question that the forge of the Celtic smith god existed in the burial mound. With all these put together, let’s go over the archaeological evidence.
The god we have the least evidence of is Ucuetis. The god’s name may come from a root for breath (if CeltNet is to be believed), and is perhaps a reference to the bellows of the forge or, more metaphorically, the breath which imbues life into raw form. He was dedicated by the smiths of Alesia and is the consort of the goddess Bergusia. Bergusia’s name means “mountain” or “city” depending on who you look at (my bets are that mountain came first with a connotation of city after, due to the prevalence of elevated oppida). This makes her probably a tutelary deity. Ucuetis appears with a hammer, and Bergusia appears with images of prosperity and fertility.
We have far more evidence of Gobannos. Most famous is probably the Berne zinc tablet, which reads: “ΔΟΒΝΟΡΗΔΟ ΓΟΒΑΝΟ ΒΡΕΝΟΔΩΡ ΝΑΝΤΑΡΩΡ (Dobnoredo Gobano Brenodor Nantaror)” The meaning of this is a little disputed, but the one I see most is “to Gobannus, the world-traveller, dedicated by the people of Brennoduron in the Arura valley.” Worth noting is the name of the place—Brennoduron, meaning “raven’s forum”—and the epithet Dubnoredo composed of “world” and “wheel”. Less well known is the Cobannos hoard, currently displayed by the Getty Villa museum in California. The hoard includes multiple dedications to Cobannos, including a statue dedicated to him and Augustus that assimilates the god with Mars. This is significant because at least once in the archaeological record of Gaul, victory dedications were made simultaneously to Mars and Vulcan (see Brunaux). Vulcan also features prominently on the Nautes Pillar—clearly an important deity in the Gallo-Roman world.
Finally, let us turn to Sucellos. Sucellos was a massively popular god of southern and central Gaul, alongside his consort Nantosuelta. His name means “The Good Striker”—recall that kuel- “to strike” is a common root for Indo-European smith gods—and he is often depicted with a long-handled hammer and some form of wine or brewing material. He was assimilated with Silvanus, further emphasizing the vegetative aspect of his worship: he was a god of the brewers and agricultural industry of Gallo-Roman wine country. In Celtic Iberia, however, he appears with a wolf pelt—a possible connection to Olc Aicha. He may also have connections to death—he is often cited as the Celtic Dis Pater, but while widely accepted, the connection is still tenuous. This does not, however, discount the theory—recall that the Celtic smith god is also the keeper of the underworld feast. So far he bears three marks of a smith deity: a hammer, brewing, and a name deriving from the verb “to strike.” The prefix of “good” indicates that not only does he strike, he is the best at striking! Finally, many modern Gaulish polytheists consider Sucellos to be the creator of mankind. If he is a smith god this becomes much more clear: Sucellos forges us with his hammer, then breathes in the life with his bellows, as does Ucuetis.
Finally, we should look at Nantosuelta, Sucellos’s companion. Her name means “winding river” or “sunwarmed valley,” though I am inclined towards the first because it aligns well with the meaning of Proto-Indo-European *pltHa wiHa. She is clearly a goddess of domesticity and prosperity: she comes accompanied by a long pole terminating in a small house, a beehive, a cornucopia, and a patera. She also comes accompanied by crows. This is the most important for our connection—recall again how Gobannos was honored by the people of “Raven’s Forum.” Whether her name means valley or river, her connection to the earth is clear. Recall again, Ucuetis’s companion Bergusia, whose name means “mountain” and whose symbols are those of fertility and prosperity. Finally, the house that she appears with gives her an aspect of the house and home, possibly as a domestic deity. This could link her, speculatively, with our mythological sources, where Goibniu is the husband of Brigid. This seems unlikely until we recall that both Brigid and Bergusia share similar etymologies—the root brig- meaning “elevated/high/hill” and bergusia of course meaning “mountain.” The connection is not as easy or certain as Sucellos, but it does provide food for thought.
Sources:
Mary Jones: Berne Zinc Tablet
The Celtic Gauls: Gods, Rites and Sanctuaries by Jean Louis Bruneaux
e-Keltoi: Journal for Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies Volume 6
The Indo-European “Smith” (Journal of Indo-European Studies Monograph Series 58) by Václav Blažek
The Myths of the Gods: Structures in Irish Mythology by Alan Ward
Symbol & Image in Celtic Religious Art by Miranda J. Green
Firstly, we can look to linguistics. Thanks to Václav Blažek and The Indo-European “Smith” (published Journal of Indo-European Studies Monograph Series 58), I have a variety of roots to look at across the Indo-European language pool. The three most common roots I see come from *gobents- “fire-maker” or “skillful/wise” (as does Gobannos), “to strike/pound” as does Sucellos, and “copper/bronze” which I don’t think occurs in any of the three Gaulish cases above but does occur in Irish sources with Creidne. Ucuetis we only know to be a god of smiths because of his dedication:
Martialis Dannotali ieuru Ucuete sosin celicnon, etic gobedbi dugiiontiio Ucuetin in […] Alisia.
“Martialis, son of Dannotalos dedicates this keliknon (small temple?) to Ucuetis - together with the smiths, who (worship) Ucuetis in Alesia.”
Our second source is mythology. Our mythological sources for Celtic smith gods include Gofannon, Goibniu, Creidne, Luicne, the Fomorian Dolb, and the mortals Oc Aiche and Culann. Manawydan may also share traits of a smith god, as he is a craftsman. Lugh and Lugus we will ignore simply because of their multi-functional nature, although Blažek includes them in his analysis of the linguistic roots. Obviously the most defining trait of the Celtic smith is that he is a craftsman. He may not always be a smith. Creidne is a brazier and Luicne a carpenter. But all are craftsmen. Their qualities can be found in the linguistics: they “strike” and “pound” the material they work, they are “fire-makers” who work with meteorological metals, they work with “copper” and “bronze”, may be connected to “wolves” and “darkness” as Olc Aicha’s name by be (but ultimately may come from yet another root for “meteorological fire”), and “sorcery” (Dolb). The mythology gives further traits: they are divine hospitalers, brew the drink of the gods, possess animals of the otherworld, and preside over the otherworld feast. It may not be out of the question that the forge of the Celtic smith god existed in the burial mound. With all these put together, let’s go over the archaeological evidence.
The god we have the least evidence of is Ucuetis. The god’s name may come from a root for breath (if CeltNet is to be believed), and is perhaps a reference to the bellows of the forge or, more metaphorically, the breath which imbues life into raw form. He was dedicated by the smiths of Alesia and is the consort of the goddess Bergusia. Bergusia’s name means “mountain” or “city” depending on who you look at (my bets are that mountain came first with a connotation of city after, due to the prevalence of elevated oppida). This makes her probably a tutelary deity. Ucuetis appears with a hammer, and Bergusia appears with images of prosperity and fertility.
We have far more evidence of Gobannos. Most famous is probably the Berne zinc tablet, which reads: “ΔΟΒΝΟΡΗΔΟ ΓΟΒΑΝΟ ΒΡΕΝΟΔΩΡ ΝΑΝΤΑΡΩΡ (Dobnoredo Gobano Brenodor Nantaror)” The meaning of this is a little disputed, but the one I see most is “to Gobannus, the world-traveller, dedicated by the people of Brennoduron in the Arura valley.” Worth noting is the name of the place—Brennoduron, meaning “raven’s forum”—and the epithet Dubnoredo composed of “world” and “wheel”. Less well known is the Cobannos hoard, currently displayed by the Getty Villa museum in California. The hoard includes multiple dedications to Cobannos, including a statue dedicated to him and Augustus that assimilates the god with Mars. This is significant because at least once in the archaeological record of Gaul, victory dedications were made simultaneously to Mars and Vulcan (see Brunaux). Vulcan also features prominently on the Nautes Pillar—clearly an important deity in the Gallo-Roman world.
Finally, let us turn to Sucellos. Sucellos was a massively popular god of southern and central Gaul, alongside his consort Nantosuelta. His name means “The Good Striker”—recall that kuel- “to strike” is a common root for Indo-European smith gods—and he is often depicted with a long-handled hammer and some form of wine or brewing material. He was assimilated with Silvanus, further emphasizing the vegetative aspect of his worship: he was a god of the brewers and agricultural industry of Gallo-Roman wine country. In Celtic Iberia, however, he appears with a wolf pelt—a possible connection to Olc Aicha. He may also have connections to death—he is often cited as the Celtic Dis Pater, but while widely accepted, the connection is still tenuous. This does not, however, discount the theory—recall that the Celtic smith god is also the keeper of the underworld feast. So far he bears three marks of a smith deity: a hammer, brewing, and a name deriving from the verb “to strike.” The prefix of “good” indicates that not only does he strike, he is the best at striking! Finally, many modern Gaulish polytheists consider Sucellos to be the creator of mankind. If he is a smith god this becomes much more clear: Sucellos forges us with his hammer, then breathes in the life with his bellows, as does Ucuetis.
Finally, we should look at Nantosuelta, Sucellos’s companion. Her name means “winding river” or “sunwarmed valley,” though I am inclined towards the first because it aligns well with the meaning of Proto-Indo-European *pltHa wiHa. She is clearly a goddess of domesticity and prosperity: she comes accompanied by a long pole terminating in a small house, a beehive, a cornucopia, and a patera. She also comes accompanied by crows. This is the most important for our connection—recall again how Gobannos was honored by the people of “Raven’s Forum.” Whether her name means valley or river, her connection to the earth is clear. Recall again, Ucuetis’s companion Bergusia, whose name means “mountain” and whose symbols are those of fertility and prosperity. Finally, the house that she appears with gives her an aspect of the house and home, possibly as a domestic deity. This could link her, speculatively, with our mythological sources, where Goibniu is the husband of Brigid. This seems unlikely until we recall that both Brigid and Bergusia share similar etymologies—the root brig- meaning “elevated/high/hill” and bergusia of course meaning “mountain.” The connection is not as easy or certain as Sucellos, but it does provide food for thought.
Sources:
Mary Jones: Berne Zinc Tablet
The Celtic Gauls: Gods, Rites and Sanctuaries by Jean Louis Bruneaux
e-Keltoi: Journal for Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies Volume 6
The Indo-European “Smith” (Journal of Indo-European Studies Monograph Series 58) by Václav Blažek
The Myths of the Gods: Structures in Irish Mythology by Alan Ward
Symbol & Image in Celtic Religious Art by Miranda J. Green