In Gallic Celtic mythology, Taranis is, with Esus and Teutates, one of the gods of an alleged Celtic triad attested by the Latin poet Lucain. He is one of the most important gods of the Gallic pantheon. Its name means "the thunderer" (tarann in Breton and Welsh).
Taranis is said to be primarily the god of the sky, lightning and thunder.
His cult is attested in Great Britain, in the Rhineland, in Dalmatia, in Provence, in Auvergne, in Brittany and in Hungary. Its first representations take shape shortly before the Roman conquest. A turbulent time when, under the influence of its neighbors, Gaul began to represent its Gods in the form of statues and erected altars and places of worship larger than in the past. Seven altars dedicated to Taranis have been found, all bearing inscriptions in Greek or Latin across continental Europe. We can also mention the magnificent Gundestrup cauldron (200 or 100 BC) found in Denmark. This cauldron is one of the most beautiful pieces we have illustrating, among others, the great Taranis.
This God would most often be represented as a middle-aged, bearded and virile man whose distinctive attributes are the sun wheel, a scepter and esses (lightning bolts). He is sometimes accompanied by animals:horse (animal with a psychopomp role), eagle or snake.
With regard to other mythologies of Antiquity, the following comparisons are sometimes made:
* the Roman god Jupiter (at Lightning)
* the Greek god Zeus (at Fulmen)
* the Germanic god Thor (at Hammer)
* the Slavic god Svarog (sky god/blacksmith and fire-breathing celestial dragon)
holds a wheel.