Camulos the ram

[chimera]

Hullo from an old member who was wandering.
There may be a way to understand the war-god Camulos the horned ram, by looking at words. Such as:
[gamhainn
from gam, winter: "winter-old". Similarly and from the same root are Norse gymbr, a year-old ewe lamb, Scottish gimmer, Greek Ghímaros, a yearling goat . Gaulish Giamillus.
ial
season,
iall
a thong, : *peisla; cf. pileus, felt.(pilus "hair").-McBain Gaelic Dictionary.
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Giamillus is a name with the same base as the fleece-coat, Greek chimairos. Greek art has a carved Kelt wearing a fleece-coat, as in "zamarra" of Celts in Galicia Spain. Those zamarrones used to wear a goat-head on their head at festivals, shown in an anthropology journal of Spaim. "Giamillus" may also have -ill from "season" (winter?) or "pile" as in plush cloth, as in a winter garment. The chimairos became chamarre/ chimere robe in England and was made of camelot cloth, from Arab "khamlat" meaning "plush pile on cloth, of "kemel" Angora goat wool"_OED.
Eadh means "place", Early Irish ed, which is the closest to "-ot" that I found. "Camled" is one spelling of "camelot" of plush pile.
Giamillus has -us as male suffix, so the base-word is Giamill- and if it could be joined to -ed, *Giamilled may mean "winter.season/cloth. place".
In the same way, "Lancelot" may mean "lance. season. place" which could make sense.
The close connection of winter with clothing, fleece with fighting horned rams, and fine cloth with chiefs and knights, may link Giamillus with Camulos and Camelot. The root of "kemel" Angora goat is evidently *kem "clothing", and the root of "chimairos" is *gam/ghiem "winter season", but may well have merged in "Camulos".

The close connection of winter with clothing, fleece with fighting horned rams, and fine cloth with chiefs and knights, may link Giamillus with Camulos and Camelot.
Maybe.
?

[DaRC]

Glad to see you back some interesting thoughts there certainly.
In one of those synchronous moments today I saw in the butcher's shop that this is the season for yearling lamb to be slaughtered. Typically these would be Ram's rather than Ewe's.

[chimera]

DaRC,
A yearling ram which survived the winter's butcher would be a symbol of fertility in Spring. In Babylon the high priest sacrificed a ram each New Year in Spring. The goat-horned dragon went with the statue of the deity Marduk to the Tower of Babylon for rituals. As a guess, something similar happened with Camulos, who was also known in Romania and thus on the Black Sea -Asia Minor route to Babylon. Etruscan-Roman "camilla" was a funeral attendant, which may relate to "Camulos" in some way. Hair from a freshly killed chamois deer is used to make the Bavarian gamsbart "goat-beard" tassel worn on hunting costume, the "trachtenhuten". So the possible concept is of a druid in goat-wool robe with tassel, and goat-horns on the head. Something like the Abbotts Bromley horn-dancers, near Wales.

[DaRC]

Ahhh interesting about the Ram's head costume, it reminds me of the Golden Fleece from the Argonautica.

I wouldn't tell people in Staffordshire / West Midlands that they're close to Wales tho'

[chimera]

Was it not Lichfield boys of Staffs. who gave silver chain and medallion to regimental goat of Welch Fusiliers, look you? And my ancestor from Glos. in Flintshire Rifles, and all. Camelodonum is a Welsh town always has been.

[chimera]

Alexander the Great wore ram horns:
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[Ram's head torc pendant. A museum quality reproduction in 925 Sterling Silver

This piece belongs to a fabulous range of torc jewelry that our workshop boasts a speciality towards. Such intricate and quality-made pieces demonstrate the characteristic unique value of greek artisan silversmithery with all its diachronic finess.
Torc jewelry describes ancient jewelry that was open ended in the front (as necklaces or bracelets) and usually contained decorative ornate animal heads on either side of the opening. This item renders the attributes of design and decoration of gold and silver artifacts from the archaic period. There are great similarities found between Celtic and Greek torcs of this type, as this rhythm was known to have existed all over Europe. The oldest type of torc (or torque latin) jewelry known were excavated in classical Greek burial tombs. Famous Celtic torcs, much later were also found in tombs of Celtic princes. Many historians argue that they were a sign of nobility while others suggest the torc to have been a decoration awarded to warriors for their deeds in battle. Before this predominantly masculine form of decoration, torc jewelry is know to have also been a feminine form of jewelry (before 4 B.C)
The significance of the ram
The ram was sacred in various entwined ancient civilisations, from as far back as the Mesopotamian civilisation (approx 3000 BC), to the Etruscan, Egyptian and Greek civilizations.The peace-loving and quite mystical Minoans also revered it as an all important symbol of fertility.
Additionaly, the ram was seen as the incarnation of the Egyptian god Jupiter-Ammon. When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt he visited the shrine of Ammon (or Amun). Embracing the god, upon his visit and thereon, he dressed himself celebrationally with the skin of a ram and the horns as a head-dress. Thereafter the horns of the ram (known as the horn of Ammon) were depicted much like a crown in Alexander's portraits and depictions on Alexander's coinage.]

Ram's head torc pendant. A museum quality reproduction in 925 Sterling ...
http://www.greekjewelryshop.com/catalog ... 102623.htm - Cached - Similar

[Heddwen]

Hi chimera, I don't think the link is working
This is interesting I was wondering if there are any UK Ewe/ Ram deities as I live in a place surrounded by sheep. I managed to find one Egyptian sheep Goddess but can't remember the name.

[chimera]

Yes the link is a dud, but you can click on "bracelets" doen the left side then scroll down the jewellery shown to a twisted ring with ram heads.
Or paste the top line of the quote in your search, and it comes up . (sorry my old pc don't do images).
Khnum was the Egyptian ram, creator of humans. Alexander the Great from Macedonia lived on the border of Celtic tribes, so probably there was interaction between all the various traditions. In Asia Minor, Celts were on the roads into Persia, as well as back into Europe.
Camulos of Colchester is the Celtic ram-god, in England. You're not asking did Saxons have a ram-god, are you?

[Heddwen]

Ta! The jewellry there is just gorgeous. I've not heard of any British sheep deities, this is something that I have not yet explored at all, but feel I should living here surrounded by ewes, rams and cattle.

[chimera]

The military goat of Wales may be a relic of Camulos ram-horned god, and the statue of a Celtic warrior at Rome 3rd century BC, wearing goat-horns.
Cattle were valued as the basis of wealth and cattle-stealing legends are linked to the Vedic texts. Dana was a river-goddess who was like a cow lying down with her calf on a riverbank. Her snake son held back river-waters fom men and animals and Indra fought and defeated that snake. Celtic and Scythian legend from "Dana" rivers (Dniester, Dnieper, Danube) say a hero prevailed over a snake who stole his cattle. The goddess of the sacred pool of the Boyne river, swept away cattle from a man who brought them there to drink.
Indian people put red on a cow's horns and a garland of flowers. That could liven up a field of cows near you.

[Heddwen]

Lol the locals would freak

In Wales, Dana is Don a mother Goddess.It makes sense though cattle make wonderful mothers as do sheep. We have Welsh Blacks here, they are docile and friendly creatures who watch over the hillfort grove where I meditate. The 400 ewes and rams have witnessed several of my pagan antics over the years. In fact its quite off putting having an audience!! At one point they escaped and invaded our rites of passage coven ceremony. We were waist high in sheep as we attempted to call in the quarters above the noise of the bleating. They fascinate me as they are far more intelligent than I had previously thought. I've been nursing a poorly one over the festive season, she came down to the house and stood outside the main door almost asking for help.In Wales we are outnumbered by sheep, they are the majority mammal here which is an interesting balance.

[chimera]

Have you noticed that bleating is similar to the human voice, both high and low pitched? The Greek "ode" song may be linked to "Ovate" and "Woden/Odin" the poet. Macedonia's capital city was Odessa meaning "the bleaters", from the goats on Mount Macedon. Possibly goats were thought to have a voice from the gods. You could ask the sheep next time they gather around.

[Heddwen]

Yes I had noticed and also the cry of the vixen is very similar to a human babies cry.
I used to find this quite distressing at first. The sheep have varying voices, we once chanted "maaa" in a ceremony as someone had thought that it was the most ancient form of 'mother' and we were celebrating Lammas at the time.It was very powerful at the time.

Yet I have never worked with any sheep deities, perhaps it is a good time at Imbolc to do so. The first lambs have not appeared as yet. I have in fact tried talking to them and reiki-ing them when they have mastitis or sore hooves. They seem to like it, there's little feedback apart from a bewildered expression

Have you?

[chimera]

And children are "kids" (or even the clammy "my lamb") rather than "pups" or "kittens" etc. We had some smart chickens once, they would jump from the roof of the pen onto the feed-bin lid anf knock it off, then hop inside the bin with a cheeky expression.

[Badger Bob]

Camulos lived in Derby...

The Derby Ram by the Yetties (Youtube)