Gobannus/Gobannos
Proto-Celtic: *gobann- "smith"

God of smithing.

Inscriptions to him have been found in Roman Gaul and Britain, the best-preserved being the Berne zinc tablet: "Dobnoredo Gobano Brenodor Nantaror". "Dobnoredo" may be an epitet.

There are several other¹ important inscriptions to Gobannos:

• a cauldron with the inscription "Deus Cobannos",
• the St-Père-sous-Vézelay, Lugudunensis inscription that reads "AVG(VSTO) SAC(RVM) [DE]O COBANNO AI(...........) AB(...........) LEVG(.....)\\\" "To the venerable, sacred god Gobannos [rest is garbled]." (AE 1993, 01198 = AE 2002, +00906).
• Another inscription is found at Canterbury at Archbishop Cranmer's Palace at Ford, and now in the British Museum: "...GOBAN... ...OGVLP... ...ANTIS... ...VS..."
• An inscription of unknown provenance, now CA.Malibu.JPGM.L.96.AB.54: "Aug(usto) sacr(um) deo Cobanno / L(ucius) Maccius Aeternus / IIvir ex voto" "To the venerable, holy god Gobannos, Lucius Maccius Aeternus the duoviri has fulfilled his vow." (AE 1994, 01915, etc.)²

John Pollini has recently published a work examining the Cobannus hoard; Pollini argues that Cobannos (or Gobannos) was part of an Imperial cult.

Gobannos has two very obvious insular analogues: Goibniu in Ireland, and Gofannon in Wales. This indicates that he may be one of the rare trans-national Celtic gods, like Lugus and Brigantia.

Gobannos is also found in the names of Gaulish individuals, such as Gobannicnos, and Gobannitio, uncle of Vercingetorix of the Arverni.

NOTES
1. I'd like to thank Nantonos Aedui for giving me the citations for the St-Père-sous-Vézelay and CA.Malibu.JPGM.L.96.AB.54, as well as alerting me to Pollini's book.

2. The full AE citation is: AE 1994, 01915 = AE 1995, 01143 = AE 1999, 01173 = AE 1999, 01174 = AE 2002, +00906.

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