The Collaborative International Dictionary
Taranis \Tar"a*nis\, n. [L. taranis, from the Celtic; cf. W. & Corn. taran thunder.] (Myth.) A Celtic divinity, regarded as the evil principle, but confounded by the Romans with Jupiter.
Wikipedia
In Celtic mythology Taranis was the god of thunder worshipped primarily in Gaul, Gallaecia, the British Isles, but also in the Rhineland and Danube regions, amongst others. Taranis, along with Esus and Toutatis as part of a sacred triad, was mentioned by the Roman poet Lucan in his epic poem Pharsalia as a Celtic deity to whom human sacrificial offerings were made. Taranis was associated, as was the cyclops Brontes ("thunder") in Greek mythology, with the wheel.
Many representations of a bearded god with a thunderbolt in one hand and a wheel in the other have been recovered from Gaul, where this deity apparently came to be syncretised with Jupiter.
The name as recorded by Lucan is unattested epigraphically, but variants of the name include the forms Tanarus, Taranucno-, Taranuo-, and Taraino-. The name is continued in Irish as Tuireann, and is likely connected with those of Germanic (Norse Thor, Anglo-Saxon Þunor, German Donar) and Sami ( Horagalles) gods of thunder. Taranis is likely associated with the Gallic Ambisagrus (likely from Proto-Celtic *ambi-sagros = "about-strength"), and in the interpretatio romana with Jupiter.
'Taranis ' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Raphitomidae.
This genus was formerly placed in subfamily Borsoniinae, family Turridae in Vaught (1989)
Taranis is the Celtic god of thunder.
Taranis may also refer to:
- BAE Systems Taranis, a British unmanned aerial vehicle
- Taranis (gastropod), a genus of sea snail
- 5370 Taranis, an Amor asteroid
- TARANIS, a scheduled mission of the Myriade European micro-satellite platform
- Taranis, a character in British sitcom Chelmsford 123
- Taranis, an orchestral composition by Fabian Müller
- Taranis, codename for release 4.0 of the Trisquel Linux operating system
- Taranis Books, an imprint of the Scottish West Coast Magazine
- Taranis Patera, a crater on Jupiter's moon Io
Usage examples of "taranis".
King Taranis was my great-uncle, and technically I was fifth in line to his throne.
I didn't think King Taranis had an equivalent power, but I wasn't 100 percent sure.
No one knew why Maeve had been exiled, but Taranis had taken it personally.
If he pissed off Queen Andais enough, Taranis would be the front line all by his little lonesome.
I do not think that Taranis would risk all-out war for one returned exile.
To my knowledge, Taranis didn't like me, but he didn't fear me, so my death should mean nothing to him.
If Taranis had simply not known, then they might have forgiven him and allowed him to step down.
Then King Taranis commands your presence at the ball three days hence.
King Taranis cannot command me to do anything or to appear anywhere, because I am not his royal heir.
If I had accepted such a command from Taranis, it could have been interpreted that when I gain the Unseelie throne, I would acknowledge him as high king over the Unseelie as well as the Seelie.
If the queen discovered anyone had performed one of the forbidden spells, she would execute them in hopes that Taranis would be appeased.
Of late, Taranis seems unwilling to dirty his hands with anything of importance.
I hoped King Taranis wouldn't call while we were in the midst of things, but the lovemaking took the last wounded look from his eyes.
But Taranis knew exactly who had raised me, and no one ever accused my father of being less than polite.
But none of us had known the social coddling that Taranis had grown accustomed to.