In his book On the Cessation of Oracles, Plutarch mentions what Demetrius reported regarding Britain:
Demetrius said that of the islands round Britain, many were deserted and scattered about, and some of them were named after demons and heroes. He said that, for the purpose of inquiry and investigation, by the emperor s order, he sailed to the inhabited island which lay nearest to the deserted islands. It had only a few inhabitants, who were priests, and it was held sacred by the Britons.
Just after Demetrius landed on the island, there was a great disturbance in the air, and many meteors, and blasts of wind burst down, and whirlwinds descended. When it was calm again, the islanders said that the extinction had taken place of one of the superior powers, for, as they explained, a lamp when burning does no harm, but being put out is noxious to many people; in like manner great souls, when first kindled, are benign and harmless, whilst their going out and dissolution, often, as in the present case, stirs up stormy winds, and aerial tumults; it even infects the air with pestilential tendencies. In that region also, they said, Saturn was confined in one of the islands by Briareus, and lay asleep; for that his slumber had been artfully produced in order to chain him, and round about him were many daemons for his guards and servants.
Here, in the sleeping divine king, is one of the mystical ingredients in the Arthurian legend, but dating from long before the time of the historical Arthur.
DIVINE COUPLE
Often a Celtic goddess is shown together with a god, whether Celtic or Roman. It can be difficult to tell which is the principal deity and which is the consort, though it is clear from Irish mythology that the female may be the dominant figure.
The Aedui, a Gaulish tribe, venerated a couple whose names have not been recorded. The goddess had a horn of plenty (see Symbols: Cornucopia) and patera (dish) as the badges of her prosperity role. Elsewhere the divine couples have inscriptions to accompany them, and where they do there is sometimes a link to a locality. At Luxeuil, we find Luxovius and Bricta. There are also Ucuetis and Bergusia. Sucellus and Nantosuelta are another couple.
Perhaps the most interesting divine couple in Britain were Mercury and Rosmerta. This was a mixed marriage: a Roman god paired with a Celtic goddess. A stone tablet found in Gloucester, at the Shakespeare Inn, shows the pair standing side by side. Mercury is naked, with caduceus, purse, and cockerel. Rosmerta is fully dressed and carrying a double-ax, patera, and wooden bucket. She is thought to be a version of the Celtic fertility goddess. Her name means “The Good Supplier,” which makes her a bringer of prosperity. Often she carries a basket of fruit or Mercury’s purse.
The couple collected some interesting associations in Britain. An image from Bath shows them with a ram and three hooded dwarves. Rosmerta’s bulging purse on a stone from Gloucester shows her importance for prosperity.
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