Celtic Gods: The Gaulish god, Britovius (The Judge)

Britovius
A Gaulish God also known as Britus and Brutus: The Judge

Britovius (Britus, Brutus) is a Gaulish god known from several inscriptions found in France. His equation with Roman Mars indicates he might have been a protector or warrior deity, a judge on the battlefield. He may also be remembered as Brutus, father of the Britons.



Synonyms: Britus, Brutus
Gaul: The Judge

A Gaulish godd known from an inscription at Nímes in France, where he is equated with Mars.

The name of this deity may be derived from the reconstructed proto-Celtic lexical elements *brito-/ā- (judgement) along with the Latinized masculine ending -us. Thus Britovius' name can be interpreted as: 'The Judge'. His association with Mars gives him a warrior aspect and he may have been the judge on the battlefield; selecting those who will live and those who will die.

The tribe at Níes were the Volcae Arecomici and Britovius may be a patron deity of this tribe.

As Britus, this deity is also known from Dijon and Antigny, Vienne, France. There is also an interesting link to the early British chronicles. Both Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae and in Nennius' Historia Brittonum who both tell how how survivors of Troy eventually made their way to, and populated, Britain. According to legend, the leader of the expatriated Trojans was named Brutus. This may simply have been an attempt at grafting a Classical origin for the insular Celts, however, there may be a confabulation here between the Greek Brutus and some surviving legend or folk memory of a native Britus, god of judgement. Of course, this can be little more than speculation as no references to Britus or Britovius has survived in the Insular sources. However, the poems of the Cymric gogynfeirdd (ancient bards) do point to them knowing about the tale of the Trojan origin of the Britons Trioedd Ynys Prydain lending some credence to the antiquity of the tale as told by Nennius.



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