Viridius

Viridius was a Celtic god from Roman Britian.

Dedication to Viridius from Ancaster. Lincoln Museum.

The only evidence of Viridius has come from Ancaster in Lincolnshire in the form of two inscriptions.

Fragmentary Dedication to Viridius from Ancaster. Lincoln Museum.

An additional limestone figurative carving, probably used as an altarpiece, was also found near Ancaster and dated to the late Iron Age. The carving depicts a naked man holding an axe, standing beneath an archway. While no inscriptions appear on the stone, the location of the find near Ancaster, and the features displayed on the god that may depict suggested meanings of the name Viridius (‘mighty’, ‘virile’, ‘verdant’, ‘fertile’), have led some to speculate that the altarpiece is a depiction of the god Viridius.

Figurative Carving of Viridius from Ancaster. (c) Portable Antiquities Scheme

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