Belisama (Gaulish Belesama; epigraphically Bηλησαμα) is a Celtic goddess. She was identified by Roman commentators with Minerva by interpretatio romana.
Name[edit]
The Gaulish theonym Belesama has been traditionally interpreted as meaning 'the very bright', stemming from the Indo-European root *bʰelH- ('white, shining'; cf. Lith. báltas 'white', Greek φαλόσ phalós 'white', Arm. bal 'pallor', goth. bala 'grey') attached to the superlative suffix *-isamā. As for Belenos, however, this theory has come under increasing criticism in contemporary scholarship.[1][2]
Xavier Delamarre notes that the proposed cognates stemming from *bʰelH- do not seem to connote 'shining', but rather 'white, grey, pale', and proposes to derive the name from the Gaulish root belo- ('strong, powerful'), rendering Belesama as 'the very strong' (cf. Sanskrit baliṣṭhaḥ 'the strongest').[2] Alternatively, Peter Schrijver has conjectured a connection with the stem for 'henbane', *beles-, attached to an unknown suffix -ma, by comparing the name with the Gaulish theonym Belisa-maros. According to him, this is "formally attractive and semantically possible (if *Belesama = Lat. Minerva medica) but not supported by direct evidence".[3]
The toponyms Beleymas, Bellême, Balesmes, Blesmes, Blismes, and Velesmes are based on the theonym.[4][2] The name also appears in various river names of Gauls and Britain, including Belisama (River Ribble) and Le Blima (Tarn).[2][5] The Galatian personal name Blesamius, from an earlier *Belesamios, may also be added to the comparison.[2]
Attestations[edit]
A Gaulish inscription found at Vaison-la-Romaine in Provence (RIG G-172) shows that a nemeton was dedicated to her:[6]
- СΕΓΟΜΑΡΟС/ ΟΥΙΛΛΟΝΕΟС/ ΤΟΟΥΤΙΟΥС/ ΝΑΜΑΥСΑΤΙС/ ΕΙѠΡΟΥ ΒΗΛΗ/СΑΜΙ СΟСΙΝ/ ΝΕΜΗΤΟΝ
- Segomaros Ouilloneos tooutious Namausatis eiōrou Bēlēsami sosin nemēton
- "Segomarus Uilloneos, citizen [toutius] of Namausus, dedicated this sanctuary to Belesama"[4][7]
The identification with Minerva in Gallo-Roman religion is established in a Latin inscription from Saint-Lizier (anciently Consoranni), Ariège department (CIL XIII, 8):[8]
- Minervae / Belisamae / sacrum / Q(uintus) Valerius / Montan[us] / [e]x v[oto?]
The presence of the goddess in Ancient Britain is more difficult to establish. Based on Ptolemy's reference to a "Belisama estuary" (Βελισαμα), River Ribble in England seems to have been known by the name Belisama in Roman times.[2][5][9]
Theories[edit]
The attestation of the theonym as a river name may indicate that she was a lake- and river-goddess.[5] Belisama has also been speculatively claimed as companion of Belenos, whose name seems to contain the same root.[10]
See also[edit]
- 178 Belisana, asteroid named after the goddess
References[edit]
- ^ Schrijver 1999, pp. 29–30.
- ^ a b c d e f Delamarre 2003, pp. 71–72.
- ^ Schrijver 1999, pp. 30–31.
- ^ a b Schrijver 1999, p. 29.
- ^ a b c MacKillop 2004, s.v. Belisama.
- ^ Michel Lejeune. Recueil des Inscriptions Gauloises (RIG) 1: Inscriptions Gallo-Grèques. G-153.
- ^ Delamarre 2003, p. 300.
- ^ Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL) 13: Tres Galliae et Germanae. 0008
- ^ Ronald Hutton (1991). The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 218. Hutton also suggests that the name of Samlesbury may derive from a corruption of the name.
- ^ Birkhan 1997, p. 613.
- Bibliography
- Birkhan, Helmut (1997). Kelten: Versuch einer Gesamtdarstellung ihrer Kultur. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. ISBN 978-3-7001-2609-6.
- Birkhan, Helmut (2006). "Belenos/Belinos". In Koch, John T. (ed.). Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-440-0.
- Delamarre, Xavier (2003). Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. Errance. ISBN 9782877723695.
- MacKillop, James (2004). A dictionary of Celtic mythology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860967-1.
- Schrijver, Peter (1999). "On Henbane and Early European Narcotics". Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie. 51 (1): 17–45. doi:10.1515/zcph.1999.51.1.17. ISSN 1865-889X. S2CID 162678252.
