Horned Berber deity from Tassili n'Ajjer
Gurzil' was an important Berber deity. He is known from two sources, the Latin poem Iohannis by the 6th-century Christian Roman poet Corippus and a Neo-Punic inscription from Lepcis Magna.[1][2] It has been assumed that Gurzil is equivalent to the Roman god Saturn.[3]
According to Corippus, the Laguatan of Tripolitania carried a representation of Gurzil in the form of a bull into battle against the Byzantine Empire when they revolted along with the Austurii in AD 546. They regarded Gurzil as the offspring of Amun and a cow.[4]
Ierna, the chief and high priest of the Laguatan, was killed while trying to rescue the image of Gurzil.
According to the 9th-century Muslim writer al-Bakrī, there was a placed called Gherza in Tripolitania with a hilltop sanctuary containing a stone idol that the Berber tribes from the surrounding region still worshiped.
The relief carving of a horned god at Volubilis has been tentatively identified as Gurzil. This would be the only evidence of his worship outside of Tripolitania.
| Gods and goddesses of Berber mythology | |
|---|---|
| Gods | Abora • Achamán • Achuguayo • Achuhucanac • Amun • Anigouran • Anubis • Anzar |
| Goddesses | Chaxiraxi • Moneiba • Isis • Tanit • Tinjis |
References[]
- ↑ Encyclopédie berbère|url=https://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/1824
- ↑ A. F. Elmayer, "The Libyan God Gurzil in a Neo-Punic Inscription from Tripolitania", Libyan Studies
- ↑ A. F. Elmayer, "The Libyan God Gurzil in a Neo-Punic Inscription from Tripolitania", Libyan Studies
- ↑ A. F. Elmayer, "The Libyan God Gurzil in a Neo-Punic Inscription from Tripolitania", Libyan Studies