Celtic Gods: The Gaulish god, Cissonius (Protector of Transport)

Cissonius
A Gaulish God, also known as Cisonius: Protector of Transport

Cissonius (Cisonius) is a Gaulish god, known from the borders of Northern France and Southern Germany. Most typically he is conflated with Roman Mercury and the interpretation of his name as 'Protector of Transport' indicates that he many have been a god of travellers and merchants.



Synonyms: Cisonius
Gaul: Protector of Transport

Cissonius is a deity known from several inscriptions found at locations around northern France and southern Germany. Inscriptions have been found at Cologne (AE 1981, 672 and CIL 08237) where he is equated with Mercury as well as Heddernheim (CIL XIII 07359), Miltenberg, Stettfeld (CIL XIII 06345) and Trier (CIL III 03659) and in all of these he is equated with Mercury and Kreutzwald CIL XIII 04500) in Germany as well as Strasbourg and Besançon (CIL XIII 05373), Doubs, France and Avenches (CIL XIII 11476) and Promontogno (AE 1992, 1300) in Switzerland (where he is equated with Mercury Matutinus). An inscription from Saintes, Aquitaine, France (ILA-Sant 1001.1) reads Mercurio Cisonio C(aius) V(otum) S(olvit) L(ibens) M(erito) (To Mercury Cissonius, Caius gladly and freely fulfills his vow). However, the most interesting evidence for Cissonius comes from Rheinzabern, Germany (CIL XIII 06085; AE 1990, 766; AE 1990 767) where a carved stone has been discovered that bears the image of Cissonius as well as the inscription DEO MERCURIO CISSONIO C[AIUS] ATU ... GORGIAS V[OTUM] S[OLVIT] (To the God Mercury Cissonius, Caius Atu.. Gorgias fulfils this offering).

As Cisonius he is known from Hohenburg in Germany (CIL XIII 0619) and Saintes, Charente-Maritime in France where he is equated with Mercury.

The etymology of Cissonius is uncertain though it has been proposed that the name may mean something like 'the Protector of Transport', the name being related to the proto-Celtic *snād- (protect). Which would not be incompatible with his syncretization with Mercury.



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