Celtic Gods: The Gaulish God, Siannus (Foxglove)

Siannus
A Gaulish God: Foxglove

Siannus is a Gaulish god known from two inscriptions found in France; in one of which he is equated with Roman Apollo. Evidence suggests that he was originally a healer deity, possibly associated with the healing properties of plants.



Synonyms:
Gaul: Foxglove

Siannus is a Gaulish deity known from two inscriptios found at Mont-Dore, Puy-de-Dôme, France (CIL XIII 01536) and at Lyon, France (CIL XIII 01669) where he is assimilated into the cult of Apollo and invoked as Apollo Siannus.

Though none of this deity's attributes have survived directly, his association with Apollo would indicate that he might have been a healer deity, wich agrees with one possible derivation for his name as originating from the reconstructed proto-Celtic *spionV- (foxglove), which gives the Irish sían and the Cymric ffion. Foxglove is a plant known for its medicinal (an lethal) properties for several millennia.



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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