Artio
Encyclopedia
Artio was a Celtic bear goddess
. Evidence of her worship has notably been found at Bern (Switzerland) whose name according to legend is derived from the word Bär, "bear".
shows a large bear facing a woman seated in a chair, with a small tree behind the bear. The woman seems to hold fruit in her lap, perhaps feeding the bear. (Deyts p.48, Green pp.217-218). The sculpture has a large rectangular bronze base, which bears an inscription. (CIL 13, 05160)
To the Goddess Artio (or Artionis), from Licinia Sabinilla. If the name is Gaulish but the syntax is Latin, a dative Artioni would give an i-stem nominative *Artionis or an n-stem nominative *Artio. That would perhap correspond to a Gaulish n-stem nominative *Artiu.
Other inscription to the goddess have been discovered in Daun
(CIL 13, 4203), Weilerbach
(CIL 13, 4113), Heddernheim (CIL 13, 7375 [4, p 125]), and Stockstadt
(CIL 13, 11789).
word artos, bear (Delamarre 2003 p. 55-56). Other Celtic languages have similar words, such as Old Irish
art, Welsh
arth - which may also be the source for the modern name Arthur
.
Bear worship
Bear worship is the religious practice of the worshiping of bears found in many North American and North Eurasian ethnic circumpolar religions such as the Sami, Nivkh, Ainu, and pre-Christian Finns...
. Evidence of her worship has notably been found at Bern (Switzerland) whose name according to legend is derived from the word Bär, "bear".
Representations and inscriptions
A bronze sculpture from Muri, near Bern in SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
shows a large bear facing a woman seated in a chair, with a small tree behind the bear. The woman seems to hold fruit in her lap, perhaps feeding the bear. (Deyts p.48, Green pp.217-218). The sculpture has a large rectangular bronze base, which bears an inscription. (CIL 13, 05160)
- Deae Artioni / Licinia Sabinilla
To the Goddess Artio (or Artionis), from Licinia Sabinilla. If the name is Gaulish but the syntax is Latin, a dative Artioni would give an i-stem nominative *Artionis or an n-stem nominative *Artio. That would perhap correspond to a Gaulish n-stem nominative *Artiu.
Other inscription to the goddess have been discovered in Daun
Daun
Daun may refer to:* Daun, Germany, a town* Kreis Daun, the former name of the district Vulkaneifel in Germany* Karl Daun, German theologian* Count Leopold Joseph von Daun , Austrian field marshal...
(CIL 13, 4203), Weilerbach
Weilerbach
Weilerbach is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated approx. 11 km north-west of Kaiserslautern....
(CIL 13, 4113), Heddernheim (CIL 13, 7375 [4, p 125]), and Stockstadt
Stockstadt
Stockstadt is the name of at least two places in Germany:*Stockstadt am Rhein, in Groß-Gerau district, Hesse*Stockstadt am Main, in Aschaffenburg district, Bavaria...
(CIL 13, 11789).
Etymology
Her name is derived from the GaulishGaulish language
The Gaulish language is an extinct Celtic language that was spoken by the Gauls, a people who inhabited the region known as Gaul from the Iron Age through the Roman period...
word artos, bear (Delamarre 2003 p. 55-56). Other Celtic languages have similar words, such as Old 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...
art, Welsh
Welsh 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...
arth - which may also be the source for the modern name Arthur
Arthur
Arthur is a common masculine given name. Its etymology is disputed, but its popularity derives from its being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur....
.
