Luxovius and Brixta

Luxovios and Brixta, variously also called Luxovius and Bricta, are two Gods that have inspired a lot of prayer, myth, poetry and worship within the wider contemporary Gaulish community. What follows is a short article on the historical information on Luxovius and Bricta.

This article is a reworking of previous articles on Luxovios and Brixta on this site, putting the two previously separate articles into one.

Etymology

Luxovios is linked to the site named Luxovium, named Luxeuil today, we do not know if He was named for the site he inhabits, or the site was named for Him (Green, 2004). His name is thought to relate to light, with his name coming from the root leuk meaning bright, clear, luminous and shining (Caballero, 2013 and Hofeneder, 2013).

Delamarre (2003) suggests that Her name means ‘magic’. He compares Brixta with Norse Bragr (poetry) and Sanskrit Brahman (formula), meaning that the more specific meaning is ‘magical formulation’, incantation, spell and charm. Brixta/Bricta could therefore be the enchantress, or more generally ‘She who does magic’. West (2007) suggests that Brixita and Brictom, Gaulish words for magic, relate to the Irish Bricht ‘spell, incantation, octosyllabic meter’. Including the etymology with the proposed metrical nature of Gaulish curse tablets mean that Brixta may be a Goddess of wordcraft, especially octosyllabic meter (West, 2007 and Stifter, 2016).

Context

Brixta and Luxovius were worshipped together at a temple site with a large hot spring and bath, Luxovium (Beck, 2009). Luxovium was a well-furnished site, with large deposits of coins and other offerings, with evidence of large stone structures which may have housed the official temple to Brixta and Her partner Luxovius (Beck, 2009). Nearby is the river Breuchin, which flows into the city Luxeuil and feeds the ancient springs at Luxovium. This river was possibly named after Brixta—the river in earlier times was called Brusca/Brisca, reminiscent of Brixta’s name (Beck, 2009). It’s common for the female deity in pairs to be associated with rivers that feed the springs their male partners reside over, such as Damona and Borvo (Green, 2002).

At Luxovium, there are reliefs which show dedicant’s holding a box or bottle in their left hand, and a cup in their right hand (Cook, 1940, pp. 1117). These reliefs may be expressing the activity of worshippers at Luxovium, who with their left hand offer their gifts, and in their right hand receive the gift of the holy waters. The offerings within the box may have been coins, as large oak trunks filled with coins have been found deposited within the springs at Luxovium.

Many other things have been found deposited at Luxovium, with the majority made out of oak. In the nineteenth century hundreds of oak statues, including life-sized recreations, anatomical figures of body parts, busts, and other things were found (Beck, 2009). Unfortunately the majority of these crumbled almost as soon as being unearthed, but some remained.

The deposition of offerings and anatomical body parts is common in Gaulish ritual sites and healing cults (Zanetti, 2018). Offerings are thought to reach the Gods through water, a portal of sorts, and anatomical body parts as offerings are physical prayers to heal said body parts. This suggests that Luxovios and Brixta are associated with healing, which is not a rare association in Gaul, but important regardless.

The statue pictured above was found within Luxovium, and therefore likely has a connection to the cult of Luxovios and Brixta. It has been reconstructed from pieces and depicts a man riding a horse, who holds a wheel in his right hand or arm, and in his left hand holds a woman. Beneath the front hooves of the horse is a giant or anguiped (snake-limbed giant) figure being trod on, very similar or identical in style to the Jupiter Columns. The author of this article would suggest two main possibilities as to the identity of the horseman and the woman. The first being that the horseman is none other than Taranos, as the art is the very similar to that found on the top of the Jupiter Columns, which are often associated with a Celtic Jupiter. This is the option the author sees as most likely, and has been mythologised here https://rustlingpiety.com/2024/09/15/chapter-8-black-swan/. The second option is that the horseman is Luxovius, as He is one Gods to whom the site is dedicated. In both cases, the author suggests that the woman in the statue is Brixta, who is being worshipped within a mythic scene. The other options could be that the horseman is neither Taranos nor Luxovios, or perhaps not even a God at all. Unfortunately, there has been no inscriptions found in connection with the statue.

We also know that Sirona and Apollo (possibly Apollo Grannus) were worshipped at Luxovium as well, thanks to this inscription left there (CIL XIII, nos 5424):

“Apollini / et Sironae / idem / Taurus”

To add a final layer to the context at Luxovium, Epona was seemingly worshipped at the site, likely taking the role of a psychopomp, emphasised by the large number of inscriptions to the spirits of the dead also at the springs (Aldhouse-Green 2004, p. 18-19).

Luxovium was clearly a rich cultic site, with both healing and funerary rites taking place, along with cults to Sirona, Apollo, and likely to Epona and Taranos alongside Luxovius and Brixta.

Summary

We have seen from the context of Their cultic site that Luxovios and Brixta are associated with waters, healing, and perhaps with the dead in some manner. Additionally, there may have been a cultic or mythic association with Sirona, Apollo, Epona and Taranos. Tying this with the etymologies of Their names, we could suggest that Brixta, being associated with spells and poetry, could be associated with healing through those tools. Luxovios, with His connection to light, may have acted as a beacon for those to find the healing waters of Luxovium, and given the votive head offerings, may have been tasked with restoring sight to those who requested that.

Gnosis

The author of this article sees Luxovios as the torchbearer and shepherd who guides seekers to Brixta, who resides within the steaming red waters. Within those waters, Brixta spins incantations and poetry to help and heal, providing peace to those alive and dead.

Inscriptions

Luxovios and Brixta are mentioned in the same two inscriptions at Luxovium, shown below, CIL XIII, nos 5425–26.

(Lus)soio / et Brictae / Divixti/us Cons/tans / v(otum) s(olvit) <l=T>(ibens) m(erito)

“To Lusso(v)ios and Bricta, Divixtius Constans freely and deservedly fulfilled his vow.”

Luxovio / et Brixtae / G(aius) Iul(ius) Fir/manus / v(otum) s(olvit) l(ibens) m(erito)

“To Luxovios and Brixta, Gaius Julius Firmans freely and deservedly fulfilled his vow."

References

Aldhouse-Green, M.J. (2004). Symbol and image in Celtic religious art. London: Taylor & Francis E-Library.

Beck, N., 2009. Goddesses in Celtic Religion: cult and mythology: a comparative study of ancient Ireland, Britain and Gaul (Doctoral dissertation, Lyon 2).

Cook, Arthur Bernard (1940). Zeus: a study in ancient religion / Vol. 3, Zeus god of the dark sky: (earthquakes, clouds, wind, dew, rain, meteorites). Cambridge: University Press. Pp. 1117.

Delamarre, X. (2003). Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise : une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. Paris: Ed. Errance.

Dodge, E.J., 2020. ORPHEUS, ODIN, AND THE INDO-EUROPEAN UNDERWORLD: A RESPONSE TO BRUCE LINCOLN’S ARTICLE “WATERS OF MEMORY, WATERS OF FORGETFULNESS” (Doctoral dissertation, University of Houston).

Espérandieu, E. (1917). Le Dieu-Cavalier De Luxeuil. Revue Archéologique, Cinquième Série, T. 5, pp.72–86.

Green, M., 2002. The Celtic goddess as healer. In The concept of the goddess (pp. 40-54). Routledge.

Hofeneder, Andreas. Apollon Grannos–Überlegungen zu Cassius Dio 77, 15, 5–7. Vol. 79. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2013.

Ledo Caballero, A.C., 2013. Oscuro sobre claro: consideraciones en torno al hidrónimo" Luxia".

Mees, B. (2009). Celtic Curses. Woodbridge: Boydell Press.

Stifter, D., 2016. Metrical systems of Celtic traditions. NOWELE. North-Western European Language Evolution, 69(1), pp.38-94.

West, M.L. (2007). Indo-European Poetry and Myth. Oxford Oxford University Press -05-01.

Zanetti, C., 2018. Places of worship and healing water in Roman Germaniae and Raetia. Rethinking the concept of healing settlements: water, cults, constructions and contexts in the Ancient world. Archaeopress Roman Archaeology, 52, pp.49-60.