Belatu-Cadros
Encyclopedia
In Celtic mythology
, Belatu-Cadros, also rendered Belatucadros or Belatucadrus, was a deity
worshipped in northern Britain, particularly in Cumberland
and Westmorland
. He may be related to Belenus
and Cernunnos
, and was equated in the Roman
period with Mars
. He appears to have been worshipped by lower-ranked Roman soldiers as well as by Britons.
Belatu-Cadros is known from approximately 28 inscriptions in the vicinity of Hadrian's Wall
, England. The spelling of the god's name varies a great deal, and dedications to Balatocadrus, Balatucadrus, Balaticaurus, Balatucairus, Baliticaurus, Belatucairus, Belatugagus, Belleticaurus, Blatucadrus and Blatucairus are generally accepted as variants of Belatu-Cadros. The most common of these forms is Belatucadrus, which as a result is the name generally used in modern writings. In five of these inscriptions, Belatu-Cadros is equated with the Roman god Mars
as Mars Belatucadrus.
The altars dedicated to Belatu-Cadros were usually small, simple and plain, leading to the suggestion that this god was mainly worshipped by people of low social status.
The name is frequently glossed as ‘fair shining one’ or ‘fair slayer’ presumably because the first syllable of the name is analogous to the reconstructible Proto-Celtic element *belo- ‘bright.’ This element is reconstructed as *belo- for Proto-Celtic in the Proto-Celtic lexicon http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/institutes/sassi/spns/ProtoCelt.pdf. The element is linked to the Indo-European root *bhel- ‘shine’ http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE50.html. However, a cursory glance at the Proto-Celtic lexicon http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/institutes/sassi/spns/ProtoCelt.pdf reveals that *belatu- is reconstructible for Proto-Celtic with the meaning ‘death’ and that *kadro- is a reconstructible element meaning ‘decorated.’ So the name Belatucadros may also be interpreted as a compound of two Gallic words descended from two Proto-Celtic elements *belatu- and *kadro- which together as a compound adjective
would literally mean ‘[the] death-decorated [one].’ Indeed, this is hardly an original proposal for the meaning of the name of this god associated with Mars: MacCulloch as early as 1911 (p135) glossed this god’s name as ‘comely in slaughter’ http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/rac/rac09.htm. So ‘fair shining one’ or ‘fair slayer’ is not the only gloss acceptable for this theonym.
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
, Belatu-Cadros, also rendered Belatucadros or Belatucadrus, was a 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....
worshipped in northern Britain, particularly in Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
and Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
. He may be related to Belenus
Belenus
In Celtic mythology, Bel, Belenos was a deity worshipped in Gaul, Cisalpine Gaul, and Celtic areas of Austria, Britain and Spain. He is particularly associated with Cornwall, West Cornwall being anciently called Belerion, the place of Bel...
and Cernunnos
Cernunnos
Cernunnos is the conventional name given in Celtic studies to depictions of the horned god of Celtic polytheism. The name itself is only attested once, on the 1st-century Pillar of the Boatmen, but depictions of a horned or antlered figure, often seated in a "lotus position" and often associated...
, and was equated in the Roman
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...
period 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...
. He appears to have been worshipped by lower-ranked Roman soldiers as well as by Britons.
Belatu-Cadros is known from approximately 28 inscriptions in the vicinity of Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
, England. The spelling of the god's name varies a great deal, and dedications to Balatocadrus, Balatucadrus, Balaticaurus, Balatucairus, Baliticaurus, Belatucairus, Belatugagus, Belleticaurus, Blatucadrus and Blatucairus are generally accepted as variants of Belatu-Cadros. The most common of these forms is Belatucadrus, which as a result is the name generally used in modern writings. In five of these inscriptions, Belatu-Cadros is equated with the Roman god 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...
as Mars Belatucadrus.
The altars dedicated to Belatu-Cadros were usually small, simple and plain, leading to the suggestion that this god was mainly worshipped by people of low social status.
The name is frequently glossed as ‘fair shining one’ or ‘fair slayer’ presumably because the first syllable of the name is analogous to the reconstructible Proto-Celtic element *belo- ‘bright.’ This element is reconstructed as *belo- for Proto-Celtic in the Proto-Celtic lexicon http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/institutes/sassi/spns/ProtoCelt.pdf. The element is linked to the Indo-European root *bhel- ‘shine’ http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE50.html. However, a cursory glance at the Proto-Celtic lexicon http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/institutes/sassi/spns/ProtoCelt.pdf reveals that *belatu- is reconstructible for Proto-Celtic with the meaning ‘death’ and that *kadro- is a reconstructible element meaning ‘decorated.’ So the name Belatucadros may also be interpreted as a compound of two Gallic words descended from two Proto-Celtic elements *belatu- and *kadro- which together as a compound adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
would literally mean ‘[the] death-decorated [one].’ Indeed, this is hardly an original proposal for the meaning of the name of this god associated with Mars: MacCulloch as early as 1911 (p135) glossed this god’s name as ‘comely in slaughter’ http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/rac/rac09.htm. So ‘fair shining one’ or ‘fair slayer’ is not the only gloss acceptable for this theonym.