Alcis (gods)

The Alcis were a pair of twin male gods worshipped by the Naharvali, a tribe of ancient Germanic peoples.[1] They were mentioned in chapter 43 of the Germania of Tacitus. According to his account, their worship took place in a grove, with no visual representation of the deities, and their priests were said to wear women's clothing. According to some scholars, "Alcis" was the genitive of "Alx", which signifies a sacred grove, and was connected with the Greek word for "sacred grove", alsos (ἄλσος).[2]

The Alcis had dominion over brothers and young men. It should also be noted that Tacitus equates the Alcis to the Roman Castor and Pollux.

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References

  1. ^ Schmitz, Leonhard (1867). "Alcis (2)". In William Smith. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. 1. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 104. http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0113.html. 
  2. ^ Grimm, Deutsche Mythol. p. 39

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology by William Smith (1870).