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Sinatis
A Gaulish God, Father of Storms
Sinatis is a Gaulish god known from a single inscription from Seckau, Austira where he is equated with Roman Mars. He is a deity of high places, equated with native thunder gods and was probably a local deity of the 'tribal protector' type. |
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Gaul: Father of Storms
Sinatis is deity known from a single inscription found at Seckau (Flavia Solva, Noricum) Austria. The inscription itself (CIL III 05320) reads MARTI LATOBIO MARMOGIO SINATI TOUTATI MOG[et]IO C[aius] VAL[erius] [v]ALERINVS EX VOTO (To Mars Latobius, Marmogius, Sinatis, Toutatis, Mogetius. Caius Vaerius Valerinus [offers this] in fulfilment of his vows). This inscription equates Roman Mars with several native Gaulis deities, namely Latobius, Marmogius, Sinatis, Toutatis and Mogetius.
No other inscriptions to Sinatis have been found which indicates that he was a local deity, though considered of equal importance with the 'Great Gods' Toutates and Mogetius and in common with Latobius he may have been considered as a tribal protector. When describing the inscription above in 1904 in his La Religeon de Celtes derived Sinatis' name as 'The Judge God'. However, recent work on the reconstructed proto-Celtic lexicon seems to make this etymology untenable. In my opinion it is more likely that Sinatis' name is derived from the reconstructed proto-Celtic elements *sīnā-/*sīnƒ- (weather; a word which gives the Irish word sín and the Cymric hin) and may also contain the element *atír (father); thus Sinatis may be the 'Father of Weather' or the 'Father of Storms'. As a deity associated with high places this would be fitting, especially as he is invoked along with the thunder god Toutates.
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