Viridios
Encyclopedia
Viridios, or Viridius is the supposed deified masculine spirit
of verdure, in ancient Celtic polytheism
.
and altar-stones raised to him have been recovered in the United Kingdom
, at Ancaster
.
Ancaster is so far the only place where inscriptions to this god have been found. The Latin name "Visidius" is known from Cicero as the name of a brave and loyal Roman soldier ("Vis" means strength and force"). As the Ancaster inscriptions are in Latin it is therefore not unlikely that the name (as there is a similar Latin name documented) is also in Latin. The name is used in the form of the dative meaning "to"(the god). The nominative form, and therefore the name of this god would be "Viridius" http://apps.lincolnshire.gov.uk/modes/lincoln.asp?page=item&filename=lincoln.mdf&itemId=LCNCC%20:%201962.32
There are two possible Latin derivations:
1. "vir" meaning "man" plus the suffix "-idius" ( meaning "resembling" from the Greek "idios") In this case the Ancaster God Viridius could have been "Jupiter" under a different name.
2. "viridis" meaning "green, fresh, young verdant". The Ancaster God could then have been a God of Spring or of Agriculture. As Ancaster is a rural, traditionally agricultural place this makes sense too.
DEO VIRIDIO TRENICO ARCVM FECIT DE SVO DON
"For the god Viridius, Trenico made this arch, donated from his own funds."
Channel 4's Time Team
uncovered a second inscription, part of a late Roman or early Dark Age burial:
DEO VRIDI SANCTO
"To the holy god Viridius ..."
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
of verdure, in ancient Celtic polytheism
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...
.
Centres of worship
Viridios was worshipped in Roman BritainRoman 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...
and altar-stones raised to him have been recovered in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, at Ancaster
Ancaster Roman Town
Ancaster Roman Town was a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. Its name in Latin is unknown, although it is sometimes identified with Causennis . Today it is known as Ancaster, located in the English county of Lincolnshire.-Town development:The Romans built a fort over an Iron Age...
.
Ancaster is so far the only place where inscriptions to this god have been found. The Latin name "Visidius" is known from Cicero as the name of a brave and loyal Roman soldier ("Vis" means strength and force"). As the Ancaster inscriptions are in Latin it is therefore not unlikely that the name (as there is a similar Latin name documented) is also in Latin. The name is used in the form of the dative meaning "to"(the god). The nominative form, and therefore the name of this god would be "Viridius" http://apps.lincolnshire.gov.uk/modes/lincoln.asp?page=item&filename=lincoln.mdf&itemId=LCNCC%20:%201962.32
There are two possible Latin derivations:
1. "vir" meaning "man" plus the suffix "-idius" ( meaning "resembling" from the Greek "idios") In this case the Ancaster God Viridius could have been "Jupiter" under a different name.
2. "viridis" meaning "green, fresh, young verdant". The Ancaster God could then have been a God of Spring or of Agriculture. As Ancaster is a rural, traditionally agricultural place this makes sense too.
The Ancaster inscriptions
An inscribed stone, found in an Ancastrian church and originally part of an archway, says:DEO VIRIDIO TRENICO ARCVM FECIT DE SVO DON
"For the god Viridius, Trenico made this arch, donated from his own funds."
Channel 4's Time Team
Time Team
Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
uncovered a second inscription, part of a late Roman or early Dark Age burial:
DEO VRIDI SANCTO
"To the holy god Viridius ..."
Sources
- British MuseumBritish MuseumThe British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. - Lancaster Museum, Lancaster, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. - Newcastle Museum of Antiquities, NewcastleNewcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. - Penrith Museum, PenrithPenrith, CumbriaPenrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District.The authority's area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area....
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. - Verovicium Roman Museum, Housesteads Fort, NorthumberlandNorthumberlandNorthumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. - York CastleYork CastleYork Castle in the city of York, England, is a fortified complex comprising, over the last nine centuries, a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruinous keep of the medieval Norman castle is sometimes referred to as Clifford's...
MuseumMuseumA museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.