Ocelus

---

title: "Ocelus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["gods-of-the-ancient-britons", "martian-deities"] description: "Celtic god associated with Mars" topic_path: "general/gods-of-the-ancient-britons" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocelus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Celtic god associated with Mars ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox deity"]

Field	Value
type	Celtic
name	Mars Ocelus
other_names	Mars Lenus, Ocelus Vellaunus
cult_center	Venta Silurum, Luguvalium Carvetiorum
animals	Bird (goose)
gender	Male
Roman_equivalent	Mars
equivalent1_type	Gaulish
equivalent1	Lenus
::

| type = Celtic | image = | caption = | name = Mars Ocelus | other_names = Mars Lenus, Ocelus Vellaunus | deity_of = | cult_center = Venta Silurum, Luguvalium Carvetiorum | animals = Bird (goose) | gender = Male | Roman_equivalent = Mars | equivalent1_type = Gaulish | equivalent1 = Lenus Ocelus is a Celtic god known from three inscriptions in Roman Britain. He is twice invoked on dedications at Caerwent: one stone is the base of a statue of which only a pair of human feet and a pair of goose feet survive. The invocation is to Mars Lenus or Ocelus Vellaunus and to the numen (divine spirit) of the emperor, and was dedicated on 23 August AD 152. The second Caerwent inscription dedicates an altar to Mars Ocelus. The god was also venerated at Carlisle, where he was once more equated with Mars and again linked to the imperial cult. So Ocelus seems to have been a British, perhaps Silurian god, associated with Mars, probably in the latter's Celtic capacity as a protector. At Caerwent he is linked with Lenus, a Treveran healing deity, and with Vellaunus, who is also recorded among the Gaulish Allobroges; the name "Vellaunus" has been glossed as 'chief' or 'commander'.

One of the Caerwent inscriptions reads as follows:

To the god Mars Ocelus, Aelius Agustinus, lieutenant, willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow}}

(VSLM stands for uotum soluit libens merito, a familiar votive formula; an optio was an officer subordinate to a centurion.)

References

References

1. {{RIB. 309
2. d'Este, Sorita. (2007). "The Isles of the Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Britain worshipped during the First Millennium through to the Middle Ages". Avalonia.
3. {{RIB. 949
4. Green, Miranda. (1997). "Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend". Thames and Hudson Ltd..
5. Delamarre, Xavier. (2003). "Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise". Errance.
6. {{RIB. 310

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