Celtic Gods: The Gaish god, Ilixio (Curer of Infirmity)

Ilixo
A Gaulish God: Curer of Infirmity

Ilixo is a Gaulish god known from five inscriptions all from the region of Luchon, France. He is the patron of a local healing water source and votive offerings were left to him by those cured by the waters.



Synonyms:
Gaul: Curer of Infirmity

Ilixo is known from Luchon (CIL XIII 00345 to 00348, inclusive) and Montauban-de-Luchon (AE 1939, 50), Haute-Garonne, France where numerous votive inscriptions to this deity inscribed by those cured by this god's miraculous waters. He would therefore seem to be a deification of the water source which yields the hot springs of Luchon. Indeed, the name Luchon itself is a derivation of Ilixo generated by linguistic drift.

Ilixo is only known in this region of the Pyrennes and can therefore be considered as a local deity. His name may be derived from the proto-Celtic root *lexsk-jo- (weakness) which is proably more a description of what this deity could cure rather than a description of the deity himself (indeed, the name also contains the proto-Celtic stem *iakk- [healthy] within it). Thus the god's name could be interpreted as 'Curer of Weakness' or 'Curer of Infirmity'.



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