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Octocannae
The Gaulish Mother Gddesses, also known as Octocannabus, Octocannis: Song of the Spruce
Octocannae (Octocannabus, Octocannis) is a Gaulish goddess known from eight inscriptions known from Germany. She is a mother goddess and the spirit of Spruce trees, perhaps referring to a natural aspect of the landscape in her native range. |
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Gaul: Song of the Spruce
The Octocannae are Matronae (mother goddesses) known from a large number of inscriptions (7) found at Gripswald, Germany. In five of these they are invoked as Matronis Octocanabus [CIL XIII 08572 to 08576, inclusive]. In another she is invoked as Octo[cannabus (without the honorific) [CIL XIII 08577]. Another inscription from Gripswald invokes the goddeses as Mat(ribus) Octocannis; [CIL XIII 08571] which is equivalent to a dedication to Matribus Octocanni [AE 1981, 686] found at Gellep, Germany.
The Octocannae represent the matres or mothers worshiped in north-western Gaul by both Gaulish (mostly Belgic) and Germanic populations. The Octocannae, however, are undoubtedly Celtic in origin, though their name is something of a mystery. It ca be derived from the reconstructed proto-Celtic elements: *ukta- (spruce) or possibly *oxt3 (eight, though this would most probably take the Gaulish form of oxtu) and *kantlo- (song). Thus the Octocannae are the 'song of the spruce trees'. This may actually refer to a local feature, perhaps a stand of trees (cf the Cymric for Stonehenge is 'Côr y Cewri' Choir of the Giants) or another feature in the landscape. If this is the case then they would be local protective deities evolved from a natural feature of the landscape.
If you would like to try the foods of the time of the ancient Celts, then why not have a look at the ancient recipes section of this site. For the foods of the time when some of these tales were written down, take a look at the Medieval recipes section of the site and, in particular, the recipes from The Forme of Cury.
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