In Gaulish religion, Sucellus or Sucellos was the god of agriculture, forests and alcoholic drinks of the Gauls, also part of the Lusitanian mythology.

Sculptures

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He is usually portrayed as a middle-aged bearded man, with a long-handled hammer, or perhaps a beer barrel suspended from a pole. His wife, Nantosuelta, is sometimes depicted alongside him. When together, they are accompanied by symbols associated with prosperity and domesticity.

In this relief from Sarrebourg, near Metz, Nantosuelta, wearing a long gown, is standing to the left. In her left hand she holds a small house-shaped object with two circular holes and a peaked roof - perhaps a dovecote - on a long pole. Her right hand holds a patera which she is tipping onto a cylindrical altar. To the right Sucellus stands, bearded, in a tunic with a cloak over his right shoulder. He holds his mallet in his right hand and an olla in his left. Above the figures is a dedicatory inscription and below them in very low relief is a bird, perhaps an eagle (Deyts p.129). This sculpture was dated by Reinach (1922, pp.217-232), from the form of the letters, to the end of the first century or start of the second century.

Inscriptions

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At least eleven inscriptions to Sucellus are known (Jufer & Luginbühl p.63), mostly from Gaul. One (RIB II, 3/2422.21) is from York in England.

In an inscription from Augst (in antiquity, Augusta Rauricorum) Sucellus is assimilated to Silvanus (AE 1926, 00040):

In honor(em) /

d(omus) d(ivinae) deo Su/

cello Silv(ano) /

Spart(us) l(ocus) d(atus) d(ecreto) d(ecurionum)

The assimilation of Sucellus to Silvanus can also be seen in artwork from Narbonensis. (Duval 78)

Etymology

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In Gaulish, -cellos means 'striker'. It is derived from IE *-kel-do-s from which also come Latin per-cellere ('striker'), Greek klao ('to break') and Lithuanian kálti ('to hammer, to forge') (Delamarre p.113). The prefix su- means 'good' or 'well' and is found in many Gaulish personal names (Delamarre pp.283-4). Sucellus thus means 'the good striker' a name that fits well with a hammer-carrying god.

References

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• Delamarre, X. (2003). Dictionnaire de la Langue Gauloise (2nd ed.). Paris: Editions Errance. ISBN 2-287772-237-6
• Deyts, S., Ed. (1998) A la rencontre des Dieux gaulois, un défi à César. Paris, Réunion des Musées Nationaux. ISBN 271183851X
• Paul-Marie Duval. (1957-1993) Les dieux de la Gaule. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France / Éditions Payot.
• Jufer, N. and T. Luginbühl (2001) Répertoire des dieux gaulois. Paris, Editions Errance. ISBN 2-87772-200-7
• Reinach, S. (1922) Cultes, mythes et religions

Celtic gods | Ancient Gaulish and British gods | Lusitanian mythology

Sucellus | Sucellos | Sucellus | Sucellus