Camulus orCamulos is aCelticdeity who was identified withMars viainterpretatio romana.[1] Camulus was an important god ofRoman Britain andGaul, especially among theBelgae and theRemi,[1] Gaulish tribes that originate from the areas of modern day Belgium, Luxembourg, Northern France and parts of Germany and the Netherlands.
The townCamulodunum (nowColchester) inEssex may have been named after him (and is the conjectured basis for the legendary city ofCamelot).[12] Camulodunum is aLatinised form of theBrittonicCamulodūnon fromCamulos plusdūnon "(hill)fort, stronghold", a reference to the town's extensiveIron Age earthwork defences.[13]
Attempts from the 20th century and earlier to link the nameCamulus with thenursery rhyme characterOld King Cole, and with Irish mythologicalCumhall, the heroFionn's father, have been rejected by contemporary scholars.[1]
