InRomano-British religion,Cocidius was adeity worshipped in northernBritain. The Romans equated him withMars, god of war and hunting, and also withSilvanus, god of forests, groves and wild fields.[1] LikeBelatucadros, he was probably worshipped by lower-ranked Romansoldiers as well as by the Britons for whom he was probably a tribal god[2] - agenius loci.[3]
Rivet and Smith note that the name may be related toBritish Celticcocco-, 'red' (compareWelshcoch andCornishkogh), suggesting that statues of the god might have been painted red.[4] A figure discovered in the 1980s in theOtterburn Training Area and is known as the Red One.[5]
Fanocodi was aRoman place-name mentioned in theRavennaCosmography for a location close to theSolway Firth; the name has been derived fromFanum Cocidii, or temple of Cocidius, and the place identified withBewcastle.[6] There are dedications to Cocidius aroundHadrian's Wall andCumbria, including the forts atBirdoswald andBewcastle. Another inscription, atEbchester, refers to him asCocidius Vernostonus, Cocidius of thealder tree. A 2000-year-old carving of Cocidius was found in 2006 nearChesters Fort on Hadrian's Wall.[7] This was dubbed thelittle man and shows a figure with its arms flung wide and legs braced firmly against the ground. Although the gender is not depicted, the shape and accessories are seemingly male, with a shield in the left hand, a sword in the right, and a scabbard hanging from the belt around his tunic. This is one of at least nine representations known in the Hadrian's Wall corridor, and a further 25 or so inscriptions dedicated to him. Most of these are along the western portion of the Wall, the most spectacular being found at Yardhope, where a figure in bas-relief brandishes spear and shield on a vertical rock-face at the entrance to a small shrine.[8]
William A. Young suggests that the characters of the 'Dark Man' in theBrythonic romanceOwain, or the Lady of the Fountain, the guardian of the chapel inGuillaume le Clerc'sFergus of Galloway, and the Brown Man of the Moor inJohn Leyden'sThe Cout o' Keeldar (1802) have their origins in Cocidius.[9]
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