Belenus, also known as Belenos, Belinus, Bel, or Beli Mawr, is a significant deity from Celtic mythology, revered primarily as the god of the sun. By the 3rd century, he had become the patron god of Aquileia, an important city in Italy. Often referred to as the “Fair Shining One” or “The Shining God,” Belenus ranks among the oldest and most widely celebrated figures in Celtic religious practices. His festive associations include the ancient fire festival and the contemporary Wiccan celebration of Beltane. Alongside the symbolism of the horse, evidenced by clay horse figurines found at his shrine in Burgundy, he also symbolizes the wheel. Similar to the Greek god Apollo, Belenus was believed to traverse the sky in a chariot drawn by horses, delivering the sun’s light.
Cultic Worship
There are 51 inscriptions that reference Belenus, predominantly located in the regions of Cisalpine Gaul (including Aquileia and Carni), Noricum, and Gallia Narbonensis. However, his worship also spread across Celtic Britain and Iberia. Representations of Belenus often depict him alongside a female figure, likely Belisama, a Gaulish goddess. Tertullian, a Christian theologian writing around 200 AD, recognized Belenus as the national deity of Noricum. Although inscriptions related to Belenus were primarily found in the Eastern Alps and Gallia Cisalpina, his popularity surged during the Roman era. Notably, the emperors Diocletian and Maximian honored Belenus with inscriptions in Aquileia. Furthermore, six votive inscriptions were discovered in locations such as Altinum, Concordia, and Iulium Carnicum. During a siege of Aquileia in 238 AD, soldiers reported witnessing Belenus defending the city from above.
Name and Etymology
In historical texts, variations of Belenus’s name, including Belinus and Bellenus, can be found. Some variations might stem from transcription errors or local dialects. For instance, an inscription from Oulx records the name as Belanus, and the writer Herodian mentions Belin. The origins of the name are debated. While there are parallels drawn with Apollo, whose wide-ranging attributes include light, healing, and music, establishing a definitive linkage proves challenging. The most commonly accepted interpretation suggests that the name Belenus translates to “bright” or “shining one,” derived from a root word meaning “to shine,” thereby linking him as a solar deity—this is also seen in the word Beltane, meaning “bright fire.”
Another theory proposes that the name might derive from a Proto-Celtic root *Guelenos, which relates to a “source” or “well,” indicating a connection to healing springs. Additionally, Renaissance scholar Pierre Pithou suggested a link to the Greek word belos, meaning “arrow,” which could symbolize the sun’s rays. However, many later scholars questioned the simplistic notion that Apollo and Belenus were interchangeable as sun gods. A comparison has also been made between Belenus and the Semitic deity Bel, although such comparisons remain largely theoretical due to the geographical and cultural distances between these ancient religions.
One more suggestion, posited by Schrijver in 1999, points to a relation with the henbane plant, historically called belenuntia, renowned for its psychoactive properties, which were likely utilized by Celtic druids. The Latin term for henbane was apollinaris herba, directly linking the herb to Apollo.
Epithets and Related Names
Belenus, throughout ancient Gaul and Britain, may have been associated with numerous different epithets, akin to how Apollo was identified with various names, including Grannos, Borvo, and Maponus. One notable epithet for Belenus could be Vindonnus, related to Apollo Vindonnus, worshipped at a temple situated near a curative spring in Burgundy, where votive offerings were common.
Additionally, inscriptions have referred to Belenus by the name Teutorix, a designation that suggests the Germanic name Theodoric was originally a theonym borrowed from the Gaulish language.
Various names have derived from Belenus, including the Welsh name Llywelyn, which merges the deities Lugus and Belenus. The name Cunobelinus, attributed to an ancient British king, is believed to signify “hound of Belinos” or, in a modern Welsh interpretation, “precursor to Belinos.” Moreover, related interpretations stemming from the kennings of Cuno and Belinos describe a “Shining/Excellent Warrior.”
In Geoffrey of Monmouth’s tales, the legendary king Belinus is likely linked to this sun deity, alongside the figure of Beli Mawr (“Beli the Great”) from medieval Welsh texts, who has also been tied to this divine name. Diodorus Siculus recorded the name Belerion for Cornwall, possibly meaning “shining land,” further connecting the landscape to the attributes of light and divinity.
