Ocelus
Ocelusis aCeltic godknown from three inscriptions inRoman Britain.He is twice invoked on dedications atCaerwent:one stone is the base of a statue of which only a pair of human feet and a pair of goose feet survive. The invocation is toMars Lenusor OcelusVellaunusand the "numen" (spirit) of the emperor, and was dedicated on 23 August AD 152. The second Caerwent inscription dedicates an altar to Mars Ocelus. The god was also venerated atCarlisle,where he was once more equated withMarsand again linked to the imperial cult. So Ocelus seems to have been a British, perhapsSiluriangod, associated with Mars, probably in the latter's Celtic capacity as a protector. At Caerwent he is linked with Lenus, a Treveran healing deity, and with Vellaunus, who is recorded among the GaulishAllobroges.
The Caerwent inscription uses the actual name of Ocelus and reads as follows:
DEO MARTI OCELO AEL AGUSTINUS OP V S L M
God Mars Ocelus Ael(ius) Agustinus Op(tio) Paid His Vow
(VSLM stood for Votum Soluit Libens Merito)
References
[edit]- Green, Miranda.Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend.Thames and Hudson Ltd. London. 1997
