Cocidius
InRomano-Britishreligion,Cocidiuswas adeityworshipped in northernBritain.The Romans equated him withMars,god of war and hunting, and also withSilvanus,god of forests, groves and wild fields.[1]LikeBelatucadros,he was probably worshipped by lower-ranked Romansoldiersas well as by the Britons for whom he was probably a tribal god[2]- agenius loci.[3]
Etymology
[edit]Rivet and Smith note that the name may be related toBritish Celticcocco-,'red', suggesting that statues of the god might have been painted red:.[4]the figure discovered in the 1980s in theOtterburn Training Areais known as the Red One.[5]
Representations and dedications
[edit]Fanocodiwas aRomanplace-name mentioned in theRavennaCosmographyfor a location close to theSolway Firth;the name has been derived fromFanum Cocidii,or temple of Cocidius, and the place identified withBewcastle.[6]There are dedications to Cocidius aroundHadrian's WallandCumbria,including the forts atBirdoswaldandBewcastle.Another inscription, atEbchester,refers to him asCocidius Vernostonus,Cocidius of thealdertree. A 2000-year-old carving of Cocidius was found in 2006 nearChesters Forton Hadrian's Wall.[7]This was dubbed thelittle manand shows a figure with its arms flung wide and legs braced firmly against the ground. Although the gender is not depicted, the shape and accessories are seemingly male, with a shield in the left hand, a sword in the right, and a scabbard hanging from the belt around his tunic. This is one of at least nine representations known in the Hadrian's Wall corridor, and a further 25 or so inscriptions dedicated to him. Most of these are along the western portion of the Wall, the most spectacular being found at Yardhope, where a figure in bas-relief brandishes spear and shield on a vertical rock-face at the entrance to a small shrine.[8]
In literature
[edit]William A. Young suggests that the characters of the 'Dark Man' in theBrythonicromanceOwain, or the Lady of the Fountain,the guardian of the chapel inGuillaume le Clerc'sFergus of Galloway,and the Brown Man of the Moor inJohn Leyden'sThe Cout o' Keeldar(1802) have their origins in Cocidius.[9]
See also
[edit]- Vernostonos,possibly an epithet of Cocidius
Further reading
[edit]- Young, William A. (2022),The Ghosts of the Forest: The Lost Mythology of the North,Inter-Celtic, Edinburgh,ISBN9781399920223
References
[edit]- ^F. Guirand ed.,New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology(London 1968) p. 237
- ^F. Guirand ed.,New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology(London 1968) p. 243
- ^William Atkins,The Moor(London 2014) p. 323
- ^A.L.F. Rivet and C. Smith (1979),Place Names of Roman Britain.
- ^William Atkins,The Moor(London 2014) p. 322
- ^Togidumnus (4 March 2011)."Fanum Cocidi".Retrieved31 October2013.
- ^Carving of 'northern god' foundBBC NEWS Online, Published Saturday, 11 March 2006. Accessed Online May 14, 2015
- ^Barnett, T. (2006). Gods on the Rocks.Current Archaeology204:618.
- ^Young, William A. (2022),The Ghosts of the Forest: The Lost Mythology of the North,Inter-Celtic, pp. 336 - 339, 431 - 459,ISBN9781399920223
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