Editing Smertrios

{{about|the god|the extrasolar planet|HD 149026 b}}
{{Short description|God in Gaul and Noricum equated with Mars}}
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[[Image:Le Pilier des Nautes 06.JPG|200px|thumb|right|Relief of Smertrius from the [[Pillar of the Boatmen]], [[Paris]].]]
In [[Gallo-Roman religion]], '''Smertrios''' or '''Smertrius''' was a god worshipped in [[Gaul]] and [[Noricum]].<ref>Nicole Jufer & Thierry Luginbühl. 2001. ''Les dieux gaulois : répertoire des noms de divinités celtiques connus par l'épigraphie, les textes antiques et la toponymie.'' Editions Errance, Paris.</ref> In [[Roman Empire|Roman]] times he was equated with [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]] {{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}. His name contains the same root as that of the goddess [[Rosmerta]] and may mean "The Purveyor" or "The Provider", a title rather than a true name. '''Smertulitanus''' may be a variant name for the same god.

Smertrius is one of the Gaulish gods depicted on the [[Pillar of the Boatmen]], discovered in [[Paris]]. Here is depicted as a well-muscled bearded man confronting a snake which rears up in front of him. The god brandishes an object which has usually been interpreted as a club but which rather resembles a torch or firebrand.

The normal interpretation of the god's attribute as a club has led to the identification, by modern scholars, of Smertrius and [[Hercules]]. Other evidence links Smertrius with the Celtic version of [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]]: at [[Möhn]] near [[Trier]], a spring sanctuary was dedicated to Mars Smertrius and his consort [[Ancamna]]. Coins found here indicate that there was a shrine here before the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] period. Another [[Treveri|Treveran]] inscription links Mars and Smertrius. Smertrius himself is known outside Gaul, for example on a fragmentary inscription at [[Grossbach (Austria)|Grossbach]] in [[Austria]].

==References==
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* ''Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend''. Miranda Green. Thames and Hudson Ltd. London. 1997
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{{Celtic mythology (ancient)}}

[[Category:Gaulish gods]]
[[Category:War gods]]
[[Category:Martian deities]]

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