Abandinus
Encyclopedia
Abandinus was a name used to refer to a Celtic god
or male spirit
worshipped in Godmanchester
in Cambridgeshire
during the Romano-Celtic period.
and is therefore thought to have been a local god of the Roman fort at Godmanchester
in Cambridgeshire
, possibly associated with either a natural spring or a stream in the neighbourhood
The Roman fort at Godmanchester
, a strategic site on Ermine Street
at the crossing of the River Great Ouse
, is thought to have been called Durovigutum
. The god is known only from an inscribed bronze feather, very likely some sort of votive object, dedicated to him
.
The inscription on the bronze feather reads:
of the theonym are unknown. All the same, linguistic
knowledge of Proto-Celtic lexis
permits a narrowing of the likely possibilities of the theonym’s semantics. The name could be interpreted as an extended form of a stem composed of Proto-Celtic elements deriving from Proto-Indo-European
roots *ad- ‘to’ + either *bʰend- ‘sing, rejoice’ or *bʰendʰ- ‘bind’. Along these lines, the name would mean ‘(the god) who sings to (something/someone)’ or ‘(the god) who binds (something/someone) to (something/someone).’ However, it is also possible to see the name as an extended form of a variant form of the Proto-Celtic word
*abon- ‘river,’ derived from the Proto-Indo-European
root *ab-, *h₂eb- ‘water, river’. The Romano-Celtic name for the Humber
is documented as having been Abus which suggests that a shorter element *abo- existed in the Proto-Celtic lexicon as a word for ‘river’ or ‘water.’ This *abo- element could have been the source of the Ab-- element in the theonym Abandinus. So the name can also be analysed as *Ab-Andinus ‘Andinus
of the River,’ Andinus
being a theonym attested elsewhere in the ancient Roman Empire
.
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...
or male spirit
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 Godmanchester
Godmanchester
Godmanchester is a small town and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, in England. It lies on the south bank of the River Great Ouse, south of the larger town of Huntingdon, and on the A14 road....
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
during the Romano-Celtic period.
Epigraphic evidence
Abandinus is represented in Britain on a single altarstone. He is unknown throughout the rest of the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and is therefore thought to have been a local god of the Roman fort at Godmanchester
Godmanchester
Godmanchester is a small town and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, in England. It lies on the south bank of the River Great Ouse, south of the larger town of Huntingdon, and on the A14 road....
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, possibly associated with either a natural spring or a stream in the neighbourhood
The Roman fort at Godmanchester
Godmanchester
Godmanchester is a small town and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, in England. It lies on the south bank of the River Great Ouse, south of the larger town of Huntingdon, and on the A14 road....
, a strategic site on Ermine Street
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
at the crossing of the River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
, is thought to have been called Durovigutum
. The god is known only from an inscribed bronze feather, very likely some sort of votive object, dedicated to him
.
The inscription on the bronze feather reads:
"DEO ABANDINO VATIAVCVS D S D"
- ‘To the god Abandinus, Vatiacus dedicates this out of his own funds’.
Semantics of the theonym
The semanticsSemantics
Semantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata....
of the theonym are unknown. All the same, linguistic
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
knowledge of Proto-Celtic lexis
Lexis
Lexis may refer to:*Lexis , the total bank of words and phrases of a particular language, the artifact of which is known as a lexicon*Lexis *Lexis.com, part of the LexisNexis online information database-People with the name:...
permits a narrowing of the likely possibilities of the theonym’s semantics. The name could be interpreted as an extended form of a stem composed of Proto-Celtic elements deriving from 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...
roots *ad- ‘to’ + either *bʰend- ‘sing, rejoice’ or *bʰendʰ- ‘bind’. Along these lines, the name would mean ‘(the god) who sings to (something/someone)’ or ‘(the god) who binds (something/someone) to (something/someone).’ However, it is also possible to see the name as an extended form of a variant form of the Proto-Celtic 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...
*abon- ‘river,’ derived from the 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...
root *ab-, *h₂eb- ‘water, river’. The Romano-Celtic name for the Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
is documented as having been Abus which suggests that a shorter element *abo- existed in the Proto-Celtic lexicon as a word for ‘river’ or ‘water.’ This *abo- element could have been the source of the Ab-- element in the theonym Abandinus. So the name can also be analysed as *Ab-Andinus ‘Andinus
Andinus
Andinus is a theonym used in the Roman Empire to refer to a god worshipped in the area of modern-day Kačanik, once upper Moesia - Dardania. It may be related to Andis. The theonym has been classified as a Continental Celtic deity but has also been taken to be an Illyrian divine name...
of the River,’ Andinus
Andinus
Andinus is a theonym used in the Roman Empire to refer to a god worshipped in the area of modern-day Kačanik, once upper Moesia - Dardania. It may be related to Andis. The theonym has been classified as a Continental Celtic deity but has also been taken to be an Illyrian divine name...
being a theonym attested elsewhere in the ancient Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.