Ogmios (or Ogma) - Celtic God of Eloquence
Ogmios was a Celtic deity of Gaul and described by Lucien, a Roman writer, as the
God of the Furrow. He was possibly an agricultural deity.Ogmios is the equivalent of the Irish Ogma, the god of poetry and eloquence. The Romans likened him to Hercules.
Both Ogmios and Ogma are represented as an old man (meaning wisdom) with dark skin (meaning a powerful being). He is usually depicted as carrying a club and wearing a lion skin. Carvings of Ogmios also show him with long thin chains connecting his tongue to the ears of his smiling followers.
Ogmios was the god of scholars and oratory in Celtic tradition. The deity was able to control the actions of others and could even use his powers to bind them and lead them to the underworld using his powers of persuasion. There is an association with curses but few contemporary references have been found.
Ogma, meaning "sun face", was the son of Dagda, "the good god of the Irish Celts" and belonged to the ruling clan of gods known as the the "Tuatha De Danann". In some accounts he is thought to be Dagda's brother. He fought against the Fomorians who were an evil and supernatural race who sought to invade Ireland. Ogma's eloquence caused the gods to be brave in battle.
Ogmios disappeared from Gaul but then appears as Ogma in Ireland where references are made about him in the 4th century.
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