Nodens ..... part 1,000

After seeing how Brian was able to clarify the source for the OS
Saxno:te and OE Seaxneat, I thought perhaps the same thing could be
easily done for Nodens.

I have searched around and tried to get all the evidence I could find.



http://www.roman-britain.org/places/lydney.htm
The Temple of Nodens Mars

Dedication to Mars Nodons
D M NODONTI FLAVIVS BLANDINVS ARMATVRA V S L M

"To the god Mars Nodons, Flavius Blandinus the drill-instructor
willingly and deservedly fulfills his vow."
(RIB 305; bronze ansate plate; 1826)
-----------------------

Lead Defixio Addressed to Nodens
DEVO NODENTI SILVIANVS ANILVM PERDEDIT DEMEDIAM PARTEM DONAVIT
NODENTI INTER QVIBVS NOMEN SENICIANI NOLLIS PETMITTAS SANITATEM DONEC
PERFERA VSQVE TEMPLVM DENTIS

"For the god Nodens. Silvianus has lost a ring and has donated one-
half [its worth] to Nodens. Among those named Senicianus permit no
good-health until it is returned to the temple of Nodens."
(RIB 306; lead plate; 1817)

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Dedication to Nudens Mars
PECTILLVS VOTVM QVOD PROMISSIT DEO NVDENTE M DEDIT
"Pectillus dedicates this votive offering which he had promised to
the god Nudens Mars.¹"
(RIB 307; pentagonal bronze plate bearing the image of a baying
hound; 1826)

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Two Roman silver statuettes were found in 1718 in Cockersand Moss,
about seven miles south-south-west of Lancaster at the mouth of the
River Lune. These finds may indicate the presence of a Romano-British
temple somewhere in the neighbourhood of Cockersand Abbey, perhaps
beneath the abbey precinct itself. The largest and more finely
executed statuette (R.I.B. 616, vide infra) is dedicated to the god
Mars Donotus, while the smaller and more crudely fashioned work
(R.I.B. 617, etiam infra) is dedicated to Mars Nodontis. It is very
likely that these are both variations on the name Nodens Mars, who
was also worshipped at a large, specialized temple complex at Lydney
in Gloucestershire. Unfortunately, both of the Cockersand Moss
statuettes are now "lost". [Or half-inched, more likely! ]

The Cockersand Moss Roman Statuettes

DEO MARTI DONOTI AVRELIVS CONVS SIG

"To the god Mars Donotus, Aurelius has consecrated this statuette."
The last two words on this inscription are here expanded CON
[secravit] SIG[illum], but could also be rendered CONUS SIG[nifer
fecit] or "the plume-helmeted standard-bearer (made this)".

---------
http://www.celtnet.org.uk/gods_n/nudd.html

LVCIANVS • D M N • COL LIC APRILI VIATO • RIS V S
"To the god Mars Nodontis, the College of Lictors [and] Lucianus
Aprilis the traveller, in fulfillment of a vow."


The webpage also states that there is a remaining inscription reading
DEO NUDENTI (To the god, Nudens). [[can't find these but there are 12
partial inscriptions are Lydney which are listed as #308 but I cannot
access them]]

Same webpage states:
"The deity is also probably represented in Gaul as Noadatus where he
is known form an inscription found at Mainz, Germany and is invoked
along with Roman Mars. No other continental inscriptions to this
deity are known and we have to return to the insular sources for
further information. "


So in England our names are: Nodonti, Nodenti, Nvdente, (and possibly
Donoti)
While at Mainz we have Noadatus
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Now as to the etymology:

Pokorny gives the- proto-Celtic from *Noudant -- from the Proto-Indo-
European *neud- (make use of, enjoy; with the connotation
of 'acquisition').


(Snipped from http://wiki-
trust.cse.ucsc.edu/index.php/The_Name_'Nodens'#Tolkien.27s_.27The_Name
_Nodens.27 )
J. R. R. Tolkien wrote an appendix to "Report on the excavation of
the prehistoric, Roman and post-Roman site in Lydney Park,
Gloucestershire", contained within the 1932 edition of the "Reports
of the Research Committee of the Society of Antiquaries of London".
Some quotes from the article:
"This name occurs in three inscriptions… d(eo) M(arti?) Nodonti… deo
Nudente… devo Nodenti… donavit Nodenti… templum [No]dentis… The
inscriptions most probably represent, therefore, a Keltic stem
*noudont- (*noudent-?), provided with Latin case-endings. Now
*noudont- (nom. *noudons>noudos>noudus, gen. noudontes, dat. noudonti
or noudontai) is precisely the form required as the older stage of
the (Old and Middle) Irish mythological and heroic name Núadu (later
Núada)"
and
"Whether the god was called the `snarer' or the `catcher' or
the `hunter' in some sinister sense, or merely as being a lord of
venery, mere etymology can hardly say. It is suggestive, however, in
this connection that the most remarkable thing about Nuada was his
hand, and that without his hand his power was lost. Even in the
dimmed memories of Welsh legend llaw ereint we hear still an echo of
the ancient fame of the magic hand of Nodens the Catcher."

--------------------------

Does this all seem accurate to you folk?
1) Is the Proto-Celtic *noudont/*noudant the most likely source for
the terms found in Britian and Mainz? ( Nodonti, Nodenti, Nvdente,
[Donoti] and also Noadatus )
2) What other Celtic terms arise from the Proto-Celtic *noudont?
3) In light of all that, what would the Proto-Celtic
*noudont/*noudant mean?
4) Is PIE *neud- clearly the origin of the proto-Celtic *noudant ;
or is that something which is very open to debate?


As always, I am deeply indebted for any help you guys can provide.

Sincerely,
-Aydan