Grannus

Grannus ( Gallo Grannos ) is the name of God's salvation of the Celts and was equated by the interpretatio romana with Apollo. His partner was the goddess Sirona.

Worship

Grannus was apparently the Celtic god with the greatest spread. The center of his worship was in the provinces Germania Inferior, Germania Superior and Raetia, including the Agri decumates. Especially in Faimingen, Lauingen (Donau) and Blenheim on the Danube, all in the Roman province of Raetia, now Bavarian Swabia, many of the Grannus consecrated inscriptions were found. In Faimingen is endowed by the Emperor Caracalla Apollo Grannus Temple. But dedications can be found from Musselburgh in Scotland and Astorga, Province Citerior Hispania (Spain ) to Ephesus on the Aegean Sea. A bronze bucket with an inscription on Apollo Grannus even comes from a grave mound in Fycklinge in Västerås (Sweden). In an inscription from Horbourg- Wihr (Alsace ), he has been dubbed Mogounus " Mighty " or " youth " and an inscription from Branges ( Saône -et- Loire) is the Amarcolitanus, the dedicated " Weithinschauenden " or " far-sighted ".

Grannus was revered not only by Celts. After some Alemanni with certain charms and spells the emperor Caracalla ( 211-217 ) had made ill, he begged in vain Apollo Grannus ( Γράννος ), Asclepius and Serapis for healing.

Grannus was worshiped especially in spas and location of Aachen, where hot springs from the earth arise, was called in Roman times probably Aquae Granni ( "water of Grannus "). After this God the Gallo- Roman source sanctuary of Grand on the old Roman road Lyon -Trier is also (now Grand (department Vosges) ) named where three dedicated to Grannus inscriptions were found. The Sironabad at Nierstein on the Rhine is dedicated to the divine couple Apollo Grannus and Sirona.

One other cult centers of Apollo Grannus could have been in the temple area Treves in Altbachtal.

Name

The Gallic name Grannos is interpreted mostly as the "sun " ( Old Irish Grian "Sun" ) and that his partner Sirona as " Big Star ". But it is a derivation from Indo-European * Guhr - Sno -s " warmer " ( Celtic * Grasnos ) is more likely, especially since spas are fed by natural hot springs. In Old Irish then has the meaning of " warm" secondary shifted to " Sun".

Birkhan cited Whatmougs Dialects of Ancient Gaul ( 1971), who calls an alleged Gallic word Aachen City ( "Bart ", " mustache", and " eyebrow "); However, there are also a Germanic equivalent, compare the German word awn. In the Dictionary of the Irish Language ( 1983) cited on p 370 medium grenn Irish or Breton grann leave a Celtic form but seem quite possible. This could indicate that adult manhood and beauty of God. The derivation in Olmsted doubts Birkhan However, since it is of â difficult to reconcile with the a- vocalism.

Other known Celtic gods of healing names like Belenus, Bormo / Borvo and Toutiorix provide the current state regional variants of the same Celtic god of healing dar.