Arentius (Portuguese: Arâncio) and Arentia (Portuguese: Arância) are considered to be a pair of indigenous deities that belong to the Lusitanian pantheon,.. and attested mainly in epigraphy.
Epigraphy Scholars report at least 13 epigraphies (14 inscriptions, as of 2022). attesting either Arentius or Arentia, mostly located in central-eastern Lusitania,. and, according to scholar Juan Olivares Pedreño, "well represented" in Egitania..
Both deities are attested either in isolation, or, rarely, as a pair.. Olivares Pedreño suggested that their attestation as a pair seems to hark back to similar votive altars of a male and female divine couple in Celtic areas..
The pair is also alternatively attested as Arantius and Arantia, although this occurrence is rare..
In two inscriptions from Beira Baixa, Arentius is attested as Arantio Tanginiciaeco and as Arentio Cronisensi..
Etymology Francisco Marco Simón suggested that the pair were aquatic deities, following Hans Krahe's study on Old European hydronymy that associates the stem *ar- with the names of bodies of water.
Spanish historian seems to support this interpretation."El mismo caracter acuático tendrían Arentius y Arentia en la Beira Baja ..." Blazquez, José Mª. "La religión celta en Hispania". In: Celtas y Vettones: Torreon de los Guzmanes, Iglesia de Santo Tome el Viejo. Avila, Septiembre-Diciembre 2001. Avila; Diputacion Provincial de Avila, 2001. p. 175. . Also, according to Blazquez, Blanca María Prósper believes that Arantio (another attested name for Arentius) refers to a river deity.Blázquez, José Mª. Arte Y Religión En El Mediterráneo Antiguo. Ediciones Cátedra, 2008. p. 129.
See also Castro culture Celtic mythology Lusitanian language National Archaeology Museum (Portugal) Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula Proto-Indo-European mythology Roman mythology
References
Bibliography
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. . . . . Redentor, Armando (2008). “Panorama da Teonímia Pré-romana em Trás-os-montes Oriental”. In: Divindades indígenas em análise. Coord. José d’ Encarnação. Coimbra e Porto: Centro de Estudos Arqueológicos, Universidade de Coimbra, Universidade do Porto, pp. 105-124. .