Ogmios

Gaulish deity of eloquence, possibly of the underworld

Text Source
Lucian says Ogmios is equated to Herakles by the Gauls, who depicted him in a painting as an extremely old man with burned skin, with Herakles' attributes of the Nemian lion skin, a club, and a bow and arrow, with a chain from his tongue to the ears of several followers, attesting to his eloquence. His dark, sunburned face causes Lucian to compare Ogmios to Charon and Iapetus--gods of the underworld.

Inscriptions

• CIL XIII, 11295 (Durocotorum, now Reims, France): Ogl(aio?) Aug(usto) sac(rum) / Ateuritus / seplas(iarius) / v(otum) s(olvit) l(ibens) m(erito).

  The CIL notes that Ogl[aio] may be a mistake for Ogm[io], but this is only conjecture.

• Lost defixio at Bregenz, Austria (Brigantia in Roman times): links Ogmios with Dis Pater and Aeracura, implying that he was an underworld deity. A still-extant curse tablet features a woman curses her lover, telling him to go to Ogmios.

Pottery Source--a Sun god?
Ross mentions a pottery shard found at Rutupiae (Richborough, Kent) which features a figure with long curling hair and rays proceeding from his head, holding a whip (which she identifies with Sol Invictus), with the name Ogmia. However, the connection to the sun may not mean Ogmios (or Ogmia) is identified as a sun god, but refers back to his "sunburned" face.

God of the Underworld/Ancestor God
Ogmios' identification as a god of the underworld is based on several attributes:

• his identification with Dis Pater and Aeracura
• the woman's curse sending her lover to Ogmios
• Lucian's comparison with Charon (ferryman of the dead) and Iapetus (Titan of Tartarus)
• His burned skin may be connected to his association with the West and sunset (and often the location of the land of the dead) (Zeidler, 6)

Two of the above features point to Ogmios' role as an ancestor god:

• Identified with Dis Pater, whom Caesar tells us was seen by the Gauls as their ultimate ancestor (BG VI.18). There is an interesting parallel with Donn, the ancestor of the Irish, who rules Tech nDuinn the island of the dead to the southwest of Ireland.
• Identified with Hercules, whom Greek myth made the ancestor of the Celts (for instance, via a tryst with Keltine, daughter of Bretannos) during his labor against Geryon.

Connections to other figures
The attributes of eloquence and strenght point to a clear analogue with the Irish figure Ogma, champion of the Tuatha Dé Danann and inventor of the Ogham alphabet. There is also a linguistic connection between Ogmios and the Welsh Eufydd ap Dôn; Birkhan gives the progression of Ogomios/Ogumios < Ogmios < Oumid < Euuyd < Eufydd. He may also be connected to Hefydd Hen (spelled Heueyd Hen in the manuscripts), father of Rhiannon, whose epithet hen means "old"--again, connecting to Ogmios' depiction as aged.

Another connection is found with the aforementioned Donn. Zeidler notes

• Donn's name means "dark" or "brown"--like Ogmios' face
• Donn is ancestor of the Irish
• Donn is a skilled warrior

However, unlike Ogmios (or Ogma for that matter), Donn is not associated with eloquence. In fact, it is the opposite--he insults Ériu, which causes the Milesians to retreat.

Another Irish figure similar to Ogmios is Fénius Farsaid, whom the Auraicept na nÉces says was an ancestor of the Gaedil, going back further than the Milesians. Fénius is described as the inventor of both ogam(!)and Gaelic.

SOURCES
Anwyl, E. "The Four Branches of the Mabinogi" Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie. band II. Max Niemeyer: London, 1899. p 133

Birkhan, Helmut. "Ogmios". Celtic Culture: a Historical Encyclopedia. edited by John Koch. p. 1393.

Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum. vol. XIII.

Lucian. The Works Of Lucian Of Samosata: Complete With Exceptions Specified In The Preface. Vol.III. Translated By H. W. Fowler And F. G. Fowler. Oxford University Press, 1905. From Project Gutenberg.

Rhys, John. "All around the Wrekin" Y Cymmrodor. vol. XXI. 1908. p 62.

Ross, Ann. Pagan Celtic Britain. Chicago: Academy Chicago Publishers, 1967. pg 477.

Zeidler, J. "Ancient and Medieval Celtic Myths of Origin". from the 17th Irish Conference of Medievalists, 2003. URL: www-alt.uni-trier.de/uni/fb2/philologie/17icm.pdf