Celtic Gods: The Gaulish Goddess, Artio, The Bear Goddess

Artio
A Gaulish goddess: The Bear Goddess

This deity is known from a number of inscriptions found in Switzerland, Luxembourg anf Germany and is a goddess of the harvest and of fertility who, typically, is depicted in bear form.


Synonyms:
Gaul: The Bear Goddess


Artio of Muri, usually depicted in the form of a bear, was the continental Celtic goddess of the bear cult. Known from inscriptions in the Bern region of Switzerland, inscriptions to this goddess have been found at Daun and Stockstadt in Germany as well as Weilerbach in Luxembourg.

The Muri statuette of Artio, now housed in the Historisches Museum in Bern, depicts the goddess seated, facing a bear. In one hand she holds a bowl and in the other she has flowers and fruit. A representation of this is shown here.

From the attributes presented with her it can be assumed that Artio was a harvest and fertility deity. Her name is derived from the reconstructed proto-Celtic root *arto- (bear) along with the deictic particle *-ī-. Thus Artio's name can be interpreted fully as 'The Bear Goddess', which is entirely in keeping with the sole depiction we have of her.



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