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Rigonemetis
A Brythonic God: [god] King of the Sacred Grove
Rigonemetis is a Brythonic God known from a single inscribed altarstone from Nettleham, England where he is equated with Roman Mars. He was the protective deity of a local sacred grove once sited near Nettlesham. |
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Bryth: [god] King of the Sacred Grove
Rionemetis is known from a single inscription discovered on an altarstone from Nettleham, Linconshire [RIB 245.b] which reads: DEO MARTI RIGO NEMETI ET NVMINIBVS AVGVSTORVM Q NERAT PROXSIMVS ARCVM DE SVO DONAVIT (For the god Mars Rigonemeti sand the divine spirits of the Augusti,Quintus Neratius Proximus [dedicated this altar] as a gift out of his own coffers).
The name Rigonemetis is derived from the reconstructed proto-Celtic roots: *rīg- (king) and the deific particle *-on- as well as the root *nemeto- (sacred grove) as well as the final posessive particle -is. Thus Rrigonemetis can be interpreted as '[god] King of the Sacred Grove'. It seems probably that Rigonemetis was a purely native deity syncretized with Mars in his defensive aspect. A guardian of the sacred grove, this would indicate that there was once a Nemeton (sacred grove) near Nettleham. Thus Mars Rigonemetis falls into the same class of deities as Nemetona as protectors of sacred groves.
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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