Mullo (god)
Encyclopedia
Mullo is a Celtic god
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...

. He is known from inscriptions and is associated with the god Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...

 in the form of Mars Mullo.

The cult of the god was popular in northern and north-western 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...

, particular in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...

 and Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

. The word may denote an association with horses or mules (it is the Latin word for "mule").

Mars Mullo had a circular temple at Craon
Craon
Craon is the name of several communes in France:* Craon, Mayenne, in the Mayenne department* Craon, former commune of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department, now part of Sionviller* Craon, Vienne, in the Vienne department...

 in the Mayenne
Mayenne
Mayenne is a department in northwest France named after the Mayenne River.-History:Mayenne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. The northern two thirds correspond to the western part of the former province of Maine...

, situated on a hillock commanding a confluence of two rivers. An inscription at Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....

 reflects the presence of a shrine there. An important cult centre must have existed at Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...

, the tribal capital of the Redones
Redones
The Redones or Rhedones are an ancient tribe of Gaul, in the Celtogalatia Lugdunensis of Ptolemy , placed by him west of the Senones and along the Liger . Their capital was Condate . But other authors contend that the Redones were not on the Loire. Pliny The Redones or Rhedones are an ancient...

: here inscriptions refer to the onetime presence of statues and to the existence of an official public cult. Town magistrates were instrumental in setting up urban sanctuaries to Mullo in the 2nd Century AD. At Allonnes
Allonnes, Sarthe
Allonnes is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in north-western France....

, Sarthe
Sarthe
Sarthe is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.- History :The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22, 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine which was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and...

 a shrine was set up to Mars Mullo as a healer of afflictions of the eye. His importance is suggested by his link with Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...

on a dedicatory inscription. Pilgrims visited the shrine offered numerous coins to the god, along with votive images of the afflicted parts of their bodies, the eye problems clearly manifest.
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