May Eve :: Deity of the Sabbat :: Bel
In the 17th century, Keating, a Gaelic historian and author of the book Foras Feasa Ar Eirinn, put forward his theory that
the great fire festival on the eve of May was held in honor of the Celtic god Bel, whose name translates as “brilliant” or
“bright”. In the four centuries since, other historians and authors, such as Caitlin Matthews, have cited Keating’s work and
his theory has grown to be widely accepted. Other historians disagree and propose, that will there was a festival to
celebrate the beginning of the warm season on April 30, Keating contrived the name “Bel” from other sources and similar
names across multiple cultures to fit with the name of the festival, Beltaine, meaning “bright fire” or “fire of Bel”. This
controversy and others arising from the fog of time and interpretation in no way negates the sacredness or meaning of the
Sabbat, but instead sends us on a deeper search through the cultures of ancient Europe.
The worship of Bel extends from prehistoric times to the advent of Chrisitanity in the fifth century CE and far later in some areas. In early times, his main cult center was the Hill of Uisneach, referred to as the “navel of Ireland” and whose name is partially composed of the root word “uisce” meaning “water”. Four major festivals each year took place on the hill, one of them being Beltane. In Gaul, Belenus was venerated long after the Roman conquest and various Roman writers tell of sanctuaries of the god throughout the Roman world. Herodian refers to a sanctuary in Aquileia in Northern Italy and Tertullian to one in Noricum, a part of Austria. Ausonius, a poet of the fourth century from Bordeaux, describes homes of the god in Aquitaine in Southwest Gaul. In Sainte Sabine (Cote d’Or) Apollo Belenus was venerated at the thermal spring sanctuary. Modern place names further exemplify the far reaching worship and influence of Bel. In London, what is now Billinsgate was once Belenus’ Gate and Bille and Billon in France and Billum in Denmark owe their names to the ancient god.
Literary references to Bel under alternative spellings, similar names and possibly related aspects have survived. He is mentioned in the Book of Invasions (Leabhar Gaba/la), in the Cycle of Kings and in various votive inscriptions. Julius Caesar, in his military memoirs of the invasion of Gaul, compares the Gaelic Bel to the Roman god of light and healing, Apollo. In le Morte d’Arthur, Mallory links both Balin and Balan to the Celtic sun god Belinus and Shakespeare’s play Cymbelline tells the story of the Welsh Beli Mawr, or Beli the Great. The Mabigonian, a collection of tales that take place primarily in Wales, associates the hero Beli with light and names him as the father of Bran the Blessed.
The Celtic god Bile is often assumed to be one in the same with Bel, their associations with light, healing and the
Otherworld does make them similar, but there is confusion as to whether they were indeed one deity. The Old Irish “bile”
translates as “sacred tree” or “large tree” and was also used to denote a “noble warrior”. Some point to the two distinct
and apparently unrelated meanings of the words as evidence that the two were separate entities. Others interpret that Bile
is the name of a sacred tree in Ireland that was believed to be the home of deities or elemental spirits. However, the two
names may refer to one entity that had been transformed through cultural perspective and evolution. Inscriptions to a god
of light and healing referred to as Belatucadros have been found almost exclusively in Northern Britain. The name
translates as “Fair Shining One” or perhaps as “the Fair Slayer” which points to a more martial nature of Belatucadros,
as does the god’s association with the Roman god of war, Mars rather than Apollo, god of light. Belatucadros seems to have
been a deity primarily of war, perhaps shining as a righteous and ideal warrior, but he, like Bel, was also responsible for
the transportation of the souls of the deceased to the Otherworld.
Artistically, the god Bel is referenced in stone carvings and reliefs and his face is depicted on many coins that have been found throughout Gaul. Statuettes of horse, a prominent symbol of the sun during the Celtic Bronze Age, have been unearthed near sites sacred to the god and votive offerings bearing the name or image of the god have been discovered along with hundreds of skulls in and around the River Thames. This discovery again points toward a dual nature for the god, his is simultaneously a solar god of light and healing and the guide to the souls of the dead as they cross the waters to be healed and reborn in the Otherworld. In the Celtic belief systems, the head was thought to contain the soul and the waters of the world were associated with the mother goddess Danu, from whom all souls come and to whom they return.
Danu, an Irish Celtic goddess described as the primeval water, is given as a consort of Bile in some legends. As the “sacred waters from heaven” and the feminine principle of creation, she waters the “sacred tree” that is Bile, the symbol of male fertility and the masculine principle. From the union, the Dagda, the good god was born and later fathered the remainder of the gods. Being the First Father, Bile is sometimes referred to as the Father of Gods and Men. In the Welsh tales, Bile is presented as a cultural hero associated with light and is paired with Don, who is comparable to the goddess Danu. This theme of the god as the male principle is also present in his aspect as a solar deity, though he was not thought of as the sun itself. Instead, Bel is believed to have been regarded as the spark of life, the essence of intellectual brilliance or energy that results in creativity. Again, we see the god’s clear connection to creation and the impetus of light and life and are able to understand clearly why he is honored at the festival of Beltane with its strong fertility, light and initiating associations.
Bel's Many Names
Apollo Belenus
Balan
Balar
Balin
Balor
Be’al
Beal
Beil
Belatucadrus
Belenos
Belenus
Beli
Beli Mawr
Beli the Great (king of Britain)
Belinus
Bellin
Birug-derc
Cunobelinus (king of Britain)
Cymbelline (Shakespeare’s play)
Continue to May Eve :: Variant Names & Celebrations
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