Abellio

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In Continental Brythonic (Gallic) Celtic mythology, Abellio (also Abelio and Abelionni) was a god of apple trees, worshipped in the Garonne Valley in southwest France.

1 Confusion with the god Apollo
2 Etymology
3 Bibliography
4 External links
5 See also

[edit] Confusion with the god Apollo

To a lesser degree, Abellio appears to have been known as a solar deity in Crete and the Pyrenees. The Cretan Abellio may however not be the same god, but rather a different manifestation or else dialectal form of the Greek god Apollo or his name. Apollo was indeed widely worshipped in the south Aegean.

[edit] Etymology

The factual accuracy of this section is disputed.
Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page

This theonym appears to be derived from Proto-Celtic *Ad-belj-ō . The name literally means "green-growing one," which may have been a byword for the notion of ‘verdure’ (q.v. [1] [2] [3]).

Another interpretation would draw a parallel between the "abel" root of his name, and the *aval root found in Brythonic words dealing with apples and apple trees.

[edit] Bibliography

Ellis, Peter Berresford, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology(Oxford Paperback Reference), Oxford University Press, (1994): ISBN 0-19-508961-8
Wood, Juliette, The Celts: Life, Myth, and Art, Thorsons Publishers (2002): ISBN 0-00-764059-5