Atepomarus
Deity in Celtic Gaul From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Atepomarus[1] or Atepomaros[2] in Celtic Gaul was a healing god from Mauvières (Indre). Apollo was associated with this god in the form Apollo Atepomarus.
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At some of Apollo's healing sanctuaries (as at Sainte-Sabine, Burgundy) small figurines of horses were associated with him.
Names and etymology
The title also appears as Atepomerus.[3]
Scholarship suggests the name is a compound of at- (intensifier), -epo- (the Celtic word for "horse") and -marus ("large, great").[4][5] Thus, the epithet is sometimes translated as "Great Horseman"[6][7] or "possessing a great horse".[8][9]
Pierre-Yves Lambert rejects his connection with horses and suggests an etymology based on *ad-tepo, related to 'protection, refuge'.[10]
Role
As founder
A character named Atepomarus appears with a Momoros (fr) as a pair of Celtic kings and founders of Lugdunum. They escape from Sereroneus and arrive at a hill. Momorus, who had skills in augury, sees a murder of crows and names the hill Lougodunum, after the crows. This myth is reported in the works of Klitophon of Rhodes and in Pseudo-Plutarch's De fluviis.[11][4][12][8]
As a theonym
The name appears as a theonym attached to Graeco-Roman deities Apollo and Mercurius.[8][13] An inscription of Apollo Atepomarus was found in Mauvières, tied to the Gallic tribe of the Bituriges.[14][15]
References
Bibliography
Further reading
External links
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