Celtic Gods: The Gaulish God, Toliandossus (Blind Sleeper)

Toliandossus
A Gaulish God, also known as Toleandossus: Blind Sleeper

Toliandossus (Toleandossus) is a Gaulish god known from a single inscription found at Saint-Elix-Theux, France where he is assililated into the cult of Roman Hercules. He would seem to be a god of the 'Ogmios' type, an augury and source of divine inspiration.



Synonyms: Toleandossus
Gaul: Blind Sleeper

Toliandossus is a god known from a single inscription found at Saint-Elix-Theux in the Gers region of France where (CIL XIII 00434) he is invoked as Herculi Toliandoss[o] (Hercules Toliandossus). This wuoud seem to indicate that Toliandossus was a god of the Ogmios type. The old, club-wielding Celtic god of eloquence.

Unfortunately no iconography depicting Toliandossus has survived and even his name seems to lend itself to a rather peculiar interpretation. It can be derived from the reconstructed proto-Celtic elements: *tol-(e)je/o- (sleep) and *and- (blind) thus Toliandossus is the 'Blind Sleeper', In Celtic culture blindness was seen as a source of augury. Human sight exchanged for divine vision. Thus the 'Blind Sleeper' could be seen as one who gains visions in his dreams. This would be entirely in keeping with the Celtic Hercules' mastery of the awen the divine inspiration of the poetic muse.



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