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In ancient Celtic religion, Rudianos was a war god worshiped in Gaul. In Roman times he was connected with Mars.

Name

He was invoked at Saint-Andéol-en-Quint^[1] and Rochefort-Samson (Drôme), and at Saint-Michel-de-Valbonne. The name "Rudianos" means 'red',^[2] reflecting the warlike nature of the god. At Saint-Michel-de-Valbonne there was also found a prehistoric image of a mounted war-god, dating to the 6th Century BC, who could perhaps be Rudianos himself. The menhir-shaped stone depicts a roughly incised figure of a horseman, with an enormous head, riding down five severed heads. The iconography is evocative of the head-hunting exploits of the Celts, who hung the heads of their battle victims from their saddles, according to classical writers.

References

• Green, Miranda J., Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend, Thames and Hudson Ltd., (1997)

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