Borvo
Encyclopedia
In Lusitanian
and Celtic polytheism
, Borvo (also Bormo, Bormanus, Bormanicus, Borbanus, Boruoboendua, Vabusoa, Labbonus or Borus) was a healing deity
associated with bubbling spring
water
.
, he was particularly worshipped at Bourbonne-les-Bains
, in the territory of the Lingones
, where ten inscriptions are recorded.
Two other inscriptions are recorded, one (CIL 13, 02901) from Entrains-sur-Nohain
and the other (CIL 12, 02443) from Aix-en-Savoie in Gallia Narbonensis
.
Votive tablets inscribed ‘Borvo’ show that the offerers desired healing for themselves or others.
Many of the sites where offerings to Borvo have been found are in Gaul
: inscriptions to him have been found in Drôme
at Aix-en-Diois
, Bouches-du-Rhône
at Aix-en-Provence
, Gers
at Auch
, Allier
at Bourbon-l'Archambault
, Savoie
at Aix-les-Bains
, Saône-et-Loire
at Bourbon-Lancy
, in Savoie
at Aix-les-Bains
, Haute-Marne
at Bourbonne-les-Bains
and in Nièvre
at Entrains.
However, findings have also been uncovered in the Netherlands
at Utrecht
, where he is called Boruoboendua Vabusoa Labbonus, and in Portugal
at Caldas de Vizella and at Idanha a Velha, where he is called Borus and identified with Mars
. At Aix-en-Provence
, he was referred to as Borbanus and Bormanus but at Caldas de Vizella in Portugal
, he was hailed as Bormanicus, and at Burtscheid
and at Worms
in Germany
as Borbetomagus.
. Many local gods were identified with Apollo in his capacity of god of healing. He bore similarities to the goddess Sirona
, who was also a healing deity associated with mineral springs, but he is clearly distinct from her. Variant forms of his name include Bormo and Bormanus (in Gaul
) and Bormanicus (in Portugal
). The names Bormanus, Bormo and Borvo are found on inscriptions as names of river or fountain gods.
. Here is an example of one of them (CIL 13, 05911):
In other areas, Borvo's partner is the goddess Bormana
. Bormana was, in some areas, worshipped independently of her male counterpart. Gods like Borvo, and others, equated with Apollo, presided over healing springs, and they are usually associated with goddesses, as their husbands or sons. He is found in Drôme
at Aix-en-Diois
with Bormana
and in Saône-et-Loire
at Bourbon-Lancy
and in Haute-Marne
at Bourbonne-les-Bains
with Damona
but he is accompanied by the ‘candid spirit’ Candidus
in Nièvre
at Entrains. In the Netherlands
at Utrecht
as Boruoboendua Vabusoa Lobbonus, he is found in the company of an Celtic Hercules
, Macusanus and Baldruus.
berw ‘boiling.’ and the Goidelic bruich,
‘boil, cook’. The words are variants of a Proto-Indo-European
base *bhreue- ‘to bubble, boil, effervesce’ (cf. Skt. Bhurnih ‘violent, passionate,’ Gk. Phrear ‘well, spring,’ L. fervere ‘to boil, foam,’ Thracian Gk. Brytos ‘fermented liquor made from barley;’ O.E. beorma ‘yeast;’ O.H.G. brato ‘roast meat’ ) from which the English
word
brew also derives. The Proto-Celtic forms of the name variants most probably were *Boru-s, *Borwon-, *Borumāno-s and *Borumān-iko-s and the names most probably meant the ‘Bubbler.’ The base of these names is furthermore the source of the name of the River Barrow
. In Irish
, the river is called Bearú
, the ‘Boiling, Bubbling’ and in Irish mythology
it was Dian Cecht
, a great healer of the Tuatha Dé Danann
, who first caused the river to ‘boil’. *Borvo- is the stem Macbain reconstructs for the Irish
borbhan, ‘a purling sound,’ and which he also relates to the Welsh berw, ‘seethe,’ French Bourbon and the Latin fervo, ‘boil’.
Lusitanian mythology
Lusitanian mythology is the mythology of the Lusitanians, the Indo-European people of western Iberia, in the territory comprising most of modern Portugal, Extremadura and a small part of Salamanca....
and Celtic polytheism
Celtic polytheism
Celtic polytheism, commonly known as Celtic paganism, refers to the religious beliefs and practices adhered to by the Iron Age peoples of Western Europe now known as the Celts, roughly between 500 BCE and 500 CE, spanning the La Tène period and the Roman era, and in the case of the Insular Celts...
, Borvo (also Bormo, Bormanus, Bormanicus, Borbanus, Boruoboendua, Vabusoa, Labbonus or Borus) was a healing deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
associated with bubbling spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
.
Centres of worship
In GaulGaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
, he was particularly worshipped at Bourbonne-les-Bains
Bourbonne-les-Bains
Bourbonne-les-Bains is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.-Spa:Bourbonne is a health resort due to hot springs. These thermal springs were known to the Gauls and to the Romans who built baths...
, in the territory of the Lingones
Lingones
Lingones were a Celtic tribe that originally lived in Gaul in the area of the headwaters of the Seine and Marne rivers. Some of the Lingones migrated across the Alps and settled near the mouth of the Po River in Cisalpine Gaul of northern Italy around 400 BCE. These Lingones were part of a wave of...
, where ten inscriptions are recorded.
Two other inscriptions are recorded, one (CIL 13, 02901) from Entrains-sur-Nohain
Entrains-sur-Nohain
Entrains-sur-Nohain is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-Demographics:At the 1999 census, the population was 975. On 1 January 2007, the estimate was 900.-References:*...
and the other (CIL 12, 02443) from Aix-en-Savoie in Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in southern France. It was also known as Gallia Transalpina , which was originally a designation for that part of Gaul lying across the Alps from Italia and it contained a western region known as Septimania...
.
Votive tablets inscribed ‘Borvo’ show that the offerers desired healing for themselves or others.
Many of the sites where offerings to Borvo have been found are in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
: inscriptions to him have been found in Drôme
Drôme
Drôme , a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.-History:The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution...
at Aix-en-Diois
Aix-en-Diois
Aix-en-Diois is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-History:Aix-en-Diois belonged to the counts and later to the bishops of Die . Later, it belonged to the Princes of Orange, and finally to the La Tour du Pin family...
, Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
at Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, Gers
Gers
The Gers is a department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in the southwest of France named after the Gers River.Inhabitants are called les Gersois or Gersoises.-History:...
at Auch
Auch
Auch is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Midi-Pyrénées, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony.-The Ausci:...
, Allier
Allier
Allier is a department in central France named after the river Allier.- History :Allier is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Auvergne and Bourbonnais.In 1940, the government of Marshal...
at Bourbon-l'Archambault
Bourbon-l'Archambault
Bourbon-l'Archambault is a spa town and a commune in the Allier department in Auvergne in central France.-Population:-Personalities:In 1681, Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Tours, the third daughter of Louis XIV and his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan died there at...
, Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
at Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is situated on the shore of Lac du Bourget, by rail north of Chambéry.-Geography:...
, Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
at Bourbon-Lancy
Bourbon-Lancy
Bourbon-Lancy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a rural town on the Loire River with a walled medieval area on the dominant hill...
, in Savoie
Savoie
Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
at Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is situated on the shore of Lac du Bourget, by rail north of Chambéry.-Geography:...
, Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne is a department in the northeast of France named after the Marne River.-History:Haute-Marne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
at Bourbonne-les-Bains
Bourbonne-les-Bains
Bourbonne-les-Bains is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.-Spa:Bourbonne is a health resort due to hot springs. These thermal springs were known to the Gauls and to the Romans who built baths...
and in Nièvre
Nièvre
Nièvre is a department in the centre of France named after the Nièvre River.-History:Nièvre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
at Entrains.
However, findings have also been uncovered in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
at Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, where he is called Boruoboendua Vabusoa Labbonus, and in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
at Caldas de Vizella and at Idanha a Velha, where he is called Borus and identified with Mars
Mars (mythology)
Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...
. At Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, he was referred to as Borbanus and Bormanus but at Caldas de Vizella in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, he was hailed as Bormanicus, and at Burtscheid
Burtscheid
Burtscheid is a town in western Germany, near Aachen. It was founded in the year 997 AD and was an independent town till 1897. From 1816 it was administrative capital of the district of Aachen. In 1897 Burtscheid became part of the city of Aachen...
and at Worms
Worms, Germany
Worms is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Rhine River. At the end of 2004, it had 85,829 inhabitants.Established by the Celts, who called it Borbetomagus, Worms today remains embattled with the cities Trier and Cologne over the title of "Oldest City in Germany." Worms is the only...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as Borbetomagus.
Epithets
In all of his centers of worship where he is assimilated to a Roman god, Borvo was equated with ApolloApollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
. Many local gods were identified with Apollo in his capacity of god of healing. He bore similarities to the goddess Sirona
Sirona
In Celtic mythology, Sirona was a goddess worshipped predominantly in East Central Gaul and along the Danubian limes. A healing deity, she was associated with healing springs; her attributes were snakes and eggs. She was sometimes depicted with Apollo Grannus or Apollo Borvo...
, who was also a healing deity associated with mineral springs, but he is clearly distinct from her. Variant forms of his name include Bormo and Bormanus (in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
) and Bormanicus (in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
). The names Bormanus, Bormo and Borvo are found on inscriptions as names of river or fountain gods.
Divine entourage
Borvo was frequently associated with a divine consort. Eight of the inscriptions mention the goddess DamonaDamona
In Gallo-Roman religion, Damona was a goddess worshipped in Gaul as the consort of Apollo Borvo and of Apollo Moritasgus. Mary Jones interprets Damona's name as "Divine Cow" based on its resemblance to damos or "cow". She has sometimes been linked with the Irish goddess Boand on the basis of this...
. Here is an example of one of them (CIL 13, 05911):
- Deo Apol/lini Borvoni / et Damonae / C(aius) Daminius / Ferox civis / Lingonus ex / voto
In other areas, Borvo's partner is the goddess Bormana
Bormana
Bormana is a Celtic goddess, the female equivalent of the god Borvo . Bormana was often worshipped alongside of Bormanus as his consort. The pair of them were, for example. worshipped at Die Bormana is a Celtic goddess, the female equivalent of the god Borvo (Bormanus). Bormana was often worshipped...
. Bormana was, in some areas, worshipped independently of her male counterpart. Gods like Borvo, and others, equated with Apollo, presided over healing springs, and they are usually associated with goddesses, as their husbands or sons. He is found in Drôme
Drôme
Drôme , a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.-History:The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution...
at Aix-en-Diois
Aix-en-Diois
Aix-en-Diois is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-History:Aix-en-Diois belonged to the counts and later to the bishops of Die . Later, it belonged to the Princes of Orange, and finally to the La Tour du Pin family...
with Bormana
Bormana
Bormana is a Celtic goddess, the female equivalent of the god Borvo . Bormana was often worshipped alongside of Bormanus as his consort. The pair of them were, for example. worshipped at Die Bormana is a Celtic goddess, the female equivalent of the god Borvo (Bormanus). Bormana was often worshipped...
and in Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire
Saône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
at Bourbon-Lancy
Bourbon-Lancy
Bourbon-Lancy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a rural town on the Loire River with a walled medieval area on the dominant hill...
and in Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne
Haute-Marne is a department in the northeast of France named after the Marne River.-History:Haute-Marne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
at Bourbonne-les-Bains
Bourbonne-les-Bains
Bourbonne-les-Bains is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.-Spa:Bourbonne is a health resort due to hot springs. These thermal springs were known to the Gauls and to the Romans who built baths...
with Damona
Damona
In Gallo-Roman religion, Damona was a goddess worshipped in Gaul as the consort of Apollo Borvo and of Apollo Moritasgus. Mary Jones interprets Damona's name as "Divine Cow" based on its resemblance to damos or "cow". She has sometimes been linked with the Irish goddess Boand on the basis of this...
but he is accompanied by the ‘candid spirit’ Candidus
Candidus
In Latin, candidus/candida means "clear and white". Candidus became a common Roman cognomen. Candidus may also refer to:- Pen names :*Pen name of Alexander Campbell, Restoration Movement Leader*Pen-name of Loyalist Lt. Col...
in Nièvre
Nièvre
Nièvre is a department in the centre of France named after the Nièvre River.-History:Nièvre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
at Entrains. In the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
at Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
as Boruoboendua Vabusoa Lobbonus, he is found in the company of an Celtic Hercules
Ogmios
Ogmios was the Celtic deity of eloquence. He looked like an older version of Heracles. He was also a binding god who would use his powers of persuasion to bind men onto himself and then lead them into the underworld....
, Macusanus and Baldruus.
Etymology
The variants Borus ~ Borvo ~ Bormo ~ Bormanus seem to be based on a root *boru-. This root in turn is thought to be a variant of the Proto-Celtic root *beru- ‘boil’ and may have meant ‘to bubble.’ Cognate with the names is the WelshWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
berw ‘boiling.’ and the Goidelic bruich,
‘boil, cook’. The words are variants of a Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European language
The Proto-Indo-European language is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans...
base *bhreue- ‘to bubble, boil, effervesce’ (cf. Skt. Bhurnih ‘violent, passionate,’ Gk. Phrear ‘well, spring,’ L. fervere ‘to boil, foam,’ Thracian Gk. Brytos ‘fermented liquor made from barley;’ O.E. beorma ‘yeast;’ O.H.G. brato ‘roast meat’ ) from which the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
word
Word
In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own...
brew also derives. The Proto-Celtic forms of the name variants most probably were *Boru-s, *Borwon-, *Borumāno-s and *Borumān-iko-s and the names most probably meant the ‘Bubbler.’ The base of these names is furthermore the source of the name of the River Barrow
River Barrow
The Barrow is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest and most prominent of the three rivers...
. In Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
, the river is called Bearú
River Barrow
The Barrow is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest and most prominent of the three rivers...
, the ‘Boiling, Bubbling’ and in Irish mythology
Irish mythology
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
it was Dian Cecht
Dian Cecht
In Irish mythology, Dian Cécht , also known as Cainte, Canta, was the God of healing to the Irish people. He was the healer for the Tuatha Dé Danann and the father of Cian, Cú, and Cethen...
, a great healer of the Tuatha Dé Danann
Tuatha Dé Danann
The Tuatha Dé Danann are a race of people in Irish mythology. In the invasions tradition which begins with the Lebor Gabála Érenn, they are the fifth group to settle Ireland, conquering the island from the Fir Bolg....
, who first caused the river to ‘boil’. *Borvo- is the stem Macbain reconstructs for the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
borbhan, ‘a purling sound,’ and which he also relates to the Welsh berw, ‘seethe,’ French Bourbon and the Latin fervo, ‘boil’.