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Monday 28 November 2011

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Abellio

Location of Gallia AquitaniaImage via Wikipedia
Abellio: One more in my occasional series illustrating that the world has and has had any number of gods for people to worship.

Abellio was worshipped in the Garonne Valley in Gallia Aquitania, which is now southwest France, and is primarily known by inscriptions discovered at Comminges. Little is known about this god, but it seems he may have been a god of apple trees. How very specific some of these ancient deities seem to have been.
Some scholars suggest that Abellio is a rendering of Apollo, who was called Abelios in Crete and Apello by the Italians. They believe that the deity is the same as the Gallic Apollo mentioned by Caesar.  In common with so many early deities, the actual origin of this god seems obscure. Such is the fate of gods who fail to come up with the goods for those who worship in the hope of reward, I guess.

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