Runesocesius the Lord of the Javelin
Lusitanian · deity · Roman period · Recorded classification
Name leads with the English phrase 'the Lord of the Javelin'; attested form Runesocesius. The 'javelin' sense depends on segmenting the name as Runesus Cesius (Cesius = gaesius/*gaiso-). Known from a single inscription with no iconography and no narrative.
Domains
- war weaponry
Powers
- preside over the javelin or spear
Sources
- Runesocesius is known from a single Latin dedication near Évora (Ebora), in Celtici territory south of the Tagus; its name has been read either as two words 'Runesus Cesius' — *runa- ('mystery') + *gaiso- ('javelin'), 'the Mysterious One of the Javelin' — or as one word, with Blázquez preferring the unified form on the strength of the Lusitanian element -eso-.: Évora votive inscription (Ebora), Portugal (inscription); J. M. Blázquez Martínez, Primitivas religiones ibéricas (Madrid 1983) (secondary)
- Blázquez observed that south of the Tagus only Endovelicus, Ataecina and Runesocesius are attested, suggesting these three held special importance in that zone.: J. M. Blázquez Martínez, Primitivas religiones ibéricas (1983) (secondary)