Tamesis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Celtic mythology, Tamesis was goddess of water, particularly fresh water. The English name for the River Thames comes from her name. Tamesis was later replaced by Llud as the God of the River Thames.
Sculptures entitled Tamesis and Isis by Anne Seymour Damer can be found on the bridge at Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. The original terracotta and plaster models were exhibited at the Royal Academy, London, in 1785. They are now on show at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley.
[edit] Etymology
Tamesis' name is etymologically related to the name of the flood-plain god Temavus and can be derived from the reconstructed proto-Celtic lexical elements: *temeno- (dark) and *si-l-e/o- (drip, flow). Thus Tamesis is the 'Dark Flow'. The dark flow being the waters that would burst the banks of the Thames in winter to inundate the flood plains beyond.
