Arentius and Arentia
Pair of indigenous Lusitanian deities
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arentius (Portuguese: Arâncio) and Arentia (Portuguese: Arância) are considered to be a pair of indigenous deities that belong to the Lusitanian pantheon,[1][2] and attested mainly in epigraphy.
Epigraphy
Scholars report at least 13 epigraphies (14 inscriptions, as of 2022)[3] attesting either Arentius or Arentia, mostly located in central-eastern Lusitania,[4] and, according to scholar Juan Olivares Pedreño, "well represented" in Egitania.[5]
Both deities are attested either in isolation, or, rarely, as a pair.[6] Olivares Pedreño suggested that their attestation as a pair seems to hark back to similar votive altars of a male and female divine couple in Celtic areas.[7][8]
The pair is also alternatively attested as Arantius and Arantia, although this occurrence is rare.[9]
In two inscriptions from Beira Baixa, Arentius is attested as Arantio Tanginiciaeco and as Arentio Cronisensi.[10]
Etymology
Francisco Marco Simón suggested that the pair were aquatic deities, following Hans Krahe's study on Old European hydronymy that associates the stem *ar- with the names of bodies of water.[11]
Spanish historian José María Blázquez Martínez seems to support this interpretation.[12] Also, according to Blazquez, Blanca María Prósper believes that Arantio (another attested name for Arentius) refers to a river deity.[13]