Endovelicus (Portuguese:Endouellicus,Endovélico;Spanish:Endovélico,Enobólico) is one of the pre-RomanLusitanian andCeltiberiangods of theIron Age. He was originally achthonic god. He was the God/Lord of the Underworld and of health, prophecy and the earth, associated with vegetation and the afterlife. Later accepted by theRomans themselves, who assimilated it toPluto or toSerapis and made him a relatively popular god.[1][2]
Endovelicus had a temple in São Miguel da Mota inAlentejo, Portugal, and there are numerous inscriptions andex-votos dedicated to him in theEthnological Museum ofLisbon; possible toponyms includeAndévalo inSpain.[3][4] The cult of Endovelicus prevailed until the 5th century, just when Christianity was spreading in the region.
In the last two centuries of scholarship, several etymologies have been proposed to Endovelicus's name.[5][6]
In the 19th century, António da Visitação Freire classified it as a mixedCeltic andPhoenician name, adapted to theRoman language. TheEnd- radical would be fromCeltic languages;Bel (orVel-) would be Phoenician for 'Lord' and-Cus is a usual word termination in Latin.José Leite de Vasconcelos believed the wordEndovellicus was an originally Celtic titleAndevellicos, meaning 'very good'.[7]
An alternate reading derives the wordvelicus from the Celticvailos ("wolf"). Wolves were symbolic animals to the god.[8]
Another, more recently proposed possibility suggests a loanword fromproto-Basque, from the*bels root. In this case the original name would have been*Endo-belles, "most black", fitting his chthonic characteristics.[9]
There were several places where researchers think his cult could be observed:
In the municipality ofAlandroal, there is theSantuário da Rocha da Mina (Mina's Rock Sanctuary); some authors classify it as a temple of Endovelicus. It is the only known place of this kind in Southern Portugal. Near thetemple, we can find the Lucefecitrivulet that has been associated withLucifer since theMiddle Ages. Lucifer was the name used by theRomans for theMorning star and the goddessVenus. Some authors[who?] connect the name of the rivulet with the meaning of the place as being the "Glimpse of Light". A kilometer away, there is a sacred fountain that is said to be more ancient than the temple; its waters are still consideredmedicinal.
The temple is rocky and hemmed in by a rocky formation that protects the site and the chiselled flooring is often related to Roman sacrificial altars. This sort of monument is not uncommon in the North of Portugal and on the Spanish Meseta.
Leite de Vasconcelos mentions that the site was used by the inhabitants of theRoman Empire from all walks of life. Several inscriptions suggest that the temple of Endovelicus was used as anoracle. One of the inscriptions states:EX IMPERATO AVERNO. Leite de Vasconcelos translated this as “segundo a determinação que emanou de baixo" (by the determination that emanated from below) suggesting that there is a similarity to theTemple of Apollo atDelphi. Steam would emanate from below, deep within the earth, and bestow clairvoyance. Vasconcelos also suggests that believers practiced theincubatio, sleeping at the site, hoping fordreams they could interpret later.
In Castro of Ulaca inProvince of Ávila, a city of theVettones, a sanctuary dedicated toVaelicus has been discovered. The name could be related to Endovelicus.
The most notable sanctuary hypothetically dedicated to Endovelicus, is theRoman Sanctuary of Panóias inVila Real,Trás-os-Montes, with a complex system of "sinks" bearing Roman inscriptions. Nearby, in Cabeço de São Miguel da Mota, another temple dedicated to Endovelicus was built and, on its ruins, theAlans built or readapted the previous temple, a sanctuary dedicated toSaint Michael (São Miguel in Portuguese). TheMuslims transformed the temple into amosque, and with theReconquista the temple was once again made aChristian temple. In 1559 the temple was still somewhat well preserved when the Cardinal Henrique ordered 96 marble columns to be removed from the place to build theColégio do Espírito Santo inÉvora. From the building only the staging remained. But archaeological forays have turned uppottery andamphorae as well as votive altars dedicated to Endovelicus, and lead to the discovery of several architectural elements, among them the "sinks" made in the rocks. The sinks suggests the existence ofrituals,animal sacrifices and, maybe, feasts of a ritual nature.
