- Chapter Twenty-Five -
frequently accompanies the antlered god, and is also sometimes linked with Celtic
versions of Mars and Mercury. Both images occur mainly in north-east Gaul,
although outliers occur as far west as Britain (Colombet and Lebel 1953: 112;
Boucher 1976: 170ff.; Thevenot 1968: 72-89,154-6; Green 1992a: 53-4,195-6; 1992b:
196-238; Bober 195 I: 13-51; Drioux 1934: 67-72). Both these creatures are endowed
with extra features in order to increase their potency: horns are symbols of power
and fertility. Possibly linked with the triple-horned bull in some manner is
Tarvostrigaranus, the 'Bull with Three Cranes', who is named and depicted on a first-
century AD stone from Paris (ClL XIII: 3026; Duval 1961: 197-9,264).
The sanctity of animals is seen at its least equivocal in the iconography of deities
whose images, although essentially anthropomorphic, nevertheless incorporate
animal features. Of these, the most important are the horned or antlered gods. Images
with bull-or goat-horns appear all over the Romano-Celtic world. A particular
group occurs in North Britain, among the Brigantes (Ross 1961: 59ff.), where local
deities were depicted as naked warriors, often ithyphallic, with bull-horns (Figure
25.10). A god invoked especially in north-east Gaul is portrayed with antlers,
and other recurrent features may also be discerned on these images: these include a
cross-legged seating position; the possession of two torques (one worn, one carried);
accompaniment by a ram-horned snake and/or stag; the possession of attributes of
plenty, such as money, corn or fruit. As discussed above, a god with torques and
antlers was invoked as Cernunnos on a Parisian monument, but all other images of
Figure 25.10 Bronze head of a bull-horned god; Lezoux, France. First century AD.
(Illustrator: Paul Jenkins.)