Latis
Encyclopedia
In ancient Celtic polytheism
, Latis is the name of two Celtic deities
worshipped in Roman Britain
. One is a goddess (Dea Latis), the other a god (Deus Latis), and they are both known from a single inscription each.
, England
, in 1873. It reads simply:
The E is written as a ||. The stone is now in the Carlisle Museum.
She is known as the goddess of water and beer. She may have been associated with the nearby rivers.
, Burgh-by-Sands (also in Cumbria
) reads:
The altar-stone to Deus Latis was found near an image of a horned god named Belatucadros.
words *lati- meaning 'liquor', *lat- 'day', or *lāto- 'lust'.
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...
, Latis is the name of two Celtic deities
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...
worshipped in Roman Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
. One is a goddess (Dea Latis), the other a god (Deus Latis), and they are both known from a single inscription each.
Dea Latis
The dedication to Dea Latis was found at Birdoswald Roman Fort in CumbriaCumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1873. It reads simply:
- DIE LATI
- "For the goddess Latis"
The E is written as a ||. The stone is now in the Carlisle Museum.
She is known as the goddess of water and beer. She may have been associated with the nearby rivers.
Deus Latis
The dedication to Deus Latis, recovered on an altar-stone at the Roman fort of AballavaAballava
Aballava or Aballaba was a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall, between Petriana to the east and Coggabata to the west...
, Burgh-by-Sands (also in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
) reads:
- DEO LATI LVCIVS VRSEI
- "To the god Latis, Lucius Ursei [dedicates this]."
The altar-stone to Deus Latis was found near an image of a horned god named Belatucadros.
Etymology
The name 'Latis' may conceivably be related to the Proto-CelticProto-Celtic language
The Proto-Celtic language, also called Common Celtic, is the reconstructed ancestor language of all the known Celtic languages. Its lexis can be confidently reconstructed on the basis of the comparative method of historical linguistics...
words *lati- meaning 'liquor', *lat- 'day', or *lāto- 'lust'.