In ancientCeltic polytheism,Latis is the name of twoCeltic deities worshipped inRoman Britain. One is a goddess (Dea Latis), the other a god (Deus Latis), and they are both known from a single inscription each.
The dedication to Dea Latis was found atBirdoswald Roman Fort inCumbria,England, in 1873. It reads simply:
DIE LATIFor the goddess Latis.[1]
The E is written as a ||. The stone is now in the Carlisle Museum.
She may have been associated with the nearby rivers.[2]
The dedication to Deus Latis, recovered on an altar-stone at the Roman fort ofAballava,Burgh-by-Sands (also inCumbria) reads:
DEO LATI LVCIVS VRSEITo the god Latis, Lucius Ursei [dedicates this].[1]
The altar-stone to Deus Latis was found near an image of a horned god and another dedication to the godBelatucadros.
The name 'Latis' may conceivably be related to theProto-Celtic words *lati- meaning 'liquor', *lat- 'day', or *lāto- 'lust'.[3]
