Litavis
Encyclopedia
Litavis is a goddess in Celtic mythology worshiped by the ancient Gaul
s. Her name is found in inscriptions found at Aignay-le-Duc
and Mâlain
of the Côte-d'Or
, France, where she is invoked along with the Gallo-Roman
god Mars Cicolluis
in a context which suggests that she might have been his consort. Also, a Latin
dedicatory inscription from Narbonne
(which was in the far south of Gaul), France, bears the words “MARTI CICOLLUI ET LITAVI” ("Mars Cicolluis and Litavis").,
Letavia or Letauia may be derived from a Proto-Indo-European
root *pelHa- "to spread out flat", via a zero-grade, suffixed formation, *PltHa-wiH, meaning "The Broad One". The name may thus be comparable to the Vedic
earth goddess “Prthvi
” and the Greek
place name Plataia, suggesting that Letavis is a mother or earth goddess.
In Latin texts, Brittany or Llydaw is given as “Letavia” (quae antiquitus letauia sive armorica uocata est [“which was anciently called Letavia or Armorica
”], from the Chronicle of Robert de Torigni
and in partes letaniae quae pars est armoricae siue britanniae minoris ["in the regions of Letania, which is a part of Armorica or Little Britain"] from the Life of Saint Goulven, showing the common confusion of the letter n
with u
or v
in medieval manuscripts). "Letavia" may be derived from "Litavis", so the place-name would mean "Land of Litavis".
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...
s. Her name is found in inscriptions found at Aignay-le-Duc
Aignay-le-Duc
Aignay-le-Duc is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in Bourgogne in eastern France.-Population:-Places of interest:The church of Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul dates back to the early 13th century. The Renaissance-influenced altar and the tower are classified as 'historical...
and Mâlain
Mâlain
Mâlain is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-References:*...
of the Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or is a department in the eastern part of France.- History :Côte-d'Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was formed from part of the former province of Burgundy.- Geography :...
, France, where she is invoked along with the Gallo-Roman
Gallo-Roman religion
Gallo-Roman religion was a fusion of the traditional religious practices of the Gauls, who were originally Celtic speakers, and the Roman and Hellenistic religions introduced to the region under Roman Imperial rule. It was the result of selective acculturation....
god Mars Cicolluis
Cicolluis
Cicolluis or Cicoluis is a god in Celtic mythology worshiped by the ancient Gaulish peoples and having a parallel in Ireland. The name is Gaulish and means “All-Breast” or “Great-Breasted” and is probably used to signify strength...
in a context which suggests that she might have been his consort. Also, a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
dedicatory inscription from Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
(which was in the far south of Gaul), France, bears the words “MARTI CICOLLUI ET LITAVI” ("Mars Cicolluis and Litavis").,
Letavia or Letauia may be derived from a 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 *pelHa- "to spread out flat", via a zero-grade, suffixed formation, *PltHa-wiH, meaning "The Broad One". The name may thus be comparable to the Vedic
Vedic
Vedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
earth goddess “Prthvi
Prithvi
Prithvi is the sanskrit name for earth and its essence Prithivi Tattwa, in the form of a mother goddess or godmother. Prithvi is also called Dhra, Dharti, Dhrithri, meaning that which holds everything. As Prithvi Devi, she is one of two wives of Lord Vishnu. His other wife is Lakshmi. Prithvi is...
” and the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
place name Plataia, suggesting that Letavis is a mother or earth goddess.
In Latin texts, Brittany or Llydaw is given as “Letavia” (quae antiquitus letauia sive armorica uocata est [“which was anciently called Letavia or Armorica
Armorica
Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast...
”], from the Chronicle of Robert de Torigni
Robert of Torigni
Robert of Torigni was a Norman monk and chronicler. He was born at Torigni-sur-Vire in central Normandy, at an unknown date. He entered the monastery of Le Bec in 1128 and became prior there about 1149. He was elected abbot of Mont-Saint-Michel in 1154, and served there until his death.Robert was...
and in partes letaniae quae pars est armoricae siue britanniae minoris ["in the regions of Letania, which is a part of Armorica or Little Britain"] from the Life of Saint Goulven, showing the common confusion of the letter n
N
N is the fourteenth letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.- History of the forms :One of the most common hieroglyphs, snake, was used in Egyptian writing to stand for a sound like English ⟨J⟩, because the Egyptian word for "snake" was djet...
with u
U
U is the twenty-first letter and a vowel in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The letter U ultimately comes from the Semitic letter Waw by way of the letter Y. See the letter Y for details....
or v
V
V is the twenty-second letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-Letter:The letter V comes from the Semitic letter Waw, as do the modern letters F, U, W, and Y. See F for details....
in medieval manuscripts). "Letavia" may be derived from "Litavis", so the place-name would mean "Land of Litavis".
General
- “Litavia” — article in Jones’ Celtic Encyclopedia by Mary Jones
- “Litavis” — Litavis in the will of LingonLingonesLingones were a Celtic tribe that originally lived in Gaul in the area of the headwaters of the Seine and Marne rivers. Some of the Lingones migrated across the Alps and settled near the mouth of the Po River in Cisalpine Gaul of northern Italy around 400 BCE. These Lingones were part of a wave of...
(in FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
); automatic Google translation into English - Etymological translations of “Litanus,” “Litaui/Litavi,” “Litauis/Litavis,” etc. by Patrick Cuadrado (in French); automatic Google translation into English