Belenus
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In Celtic mythology, Belenus (also Belinus, Belenos, Belinos, Belinu, Bellinus, Belus, Bel) was a deity worshipped in Gaul, Britain and Celtic areas of Italy and Austria. He had shrines from Aquilea on the Adriatic to Inveresk in Scotland. His name means "shining one" and he is associated with fire and healing. He may be the same deity as Belatu-Cadros. In the Roman period he was identified with Apollo. His wife was Belisama.
Was this god the British Apollo?
The difficulty of working out to which deity inhabitants of Roman Britain are referring when they mention Apollo is profound. In ancient Gaul, Apollo may have been equated with fifteen different Celtic gods. The solar implications of Belenus (“ The Brilliant One”) would have encouraged syncretism with the god Apollo. Some of the soubriquets of Belenus, such as Grannus (“Boiling”) and Borvo (“Heat”) link Belenus with healing, with which Apollo was also associated. “Boiling Brilliance” (Belenus Grannus) and “Brilliant Heat” (Belenus Borvo) would naturally be linked to healing by virtue of the logical connection with the therapeutic capacity of warmth, whether of water, fire or sun.
Continuity in Welsh Mythology
Welsh ancestor-deity Beli may be derived from Belenus, although his character and attributes are different. The Irish festival of Beltaine may also be connected, or may derive from the same Celtic root, bel-, "shining". The Irish mythical figure Bile ("sacred tree") is sometimes linked with Belenus, but neither the linguistics nor the myths match. 19th century attempts to link him with the Semitic deity Baal are even more tenuous and are now rejected.
The legendary kings Belinus and Heli in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain are probably also derived from this god.
The name of the ancient British king Cunobelinus means "hound of Belenus".
External links
- Associations between the Welsh Beli and the Irish Bile (http://www.shadowdrake.com/celtic/belibile.html)fr:Belenos