The etymology of Maponos is agreed upon by all scholars. His name means “Great Young Man” or “Great Son,” composed of the Gaulish noun mapos (young man, son) and the adjectival suffix –onos -ā -on (great). He is related etymologically to the Welsh Mabon and he is also related to the Irish Angus mac Og.
The main evidence for Maponos comes from inscriptions, of which the lead tablet from Chamalières, in which he is invoked, is the most important in terms of understanding Maponos. It should be noted that the content of the Chamalières tablet is not completely understood due to how the words on the tablet are divided, which leads to various interpretations. Some scholars interpret the tablet as being a tabella defixio (curse tablet). Maponos is “presumably the god of the spring the tablet was deposited in” and Maponos is invoked to bind the potential victims so that “chthonic powers called Secoui or ‘Cutters’ [can] fix the fate of what are probably the curser’s legal adversaries” (Mees 2007, pp. 23-24). Furthermore, the Secoui “can be understood as malicious underworld powers who were under the command of the god Maponos” (Mulder 2020, p. 29). Olmstead, however , interprets the tablet as an incantation rather than a curse tablet. He translates the Gaulish word adgarion in the inscription as “invoker” instead of as “accuser.” Maponus is asociated with “the good strength of the nether gods” and “the magic of underworlds” (2019). Meid (summarized by Mulder) interprets it as “a plea to the Arvernian Maponos […] by a group of elderly men so that he may cure them of their ailments: rheumatism, failing potency and blindness” (Mulder 2020, p.26) and Maponos is a healing deity “with the power of restoring bygone youth so desperately sought by the old men” (Mulder 2020, p. 27).
Maponos is also associated with Apollo in epigraphy, especially in relation to sacred springs. Olmstead notes that “water can harm as well as cure” (2019). This idea is paralleled by the dual nature of Apollo as well. He is associated with healing but he can also cause disease as he does in Book I of the Iliad when his arrows send a “loathsome pestilence” on the Achaeans for a wrong done to one of his priests.
Through association with Welsh mythology, Maponos is sometimes interpretted as the son of Matrona, the Gaulish goddess who gives her name to the Marne River. This is based on the Welsh goddess Modron, who is the mother of Mabon. As discussed above, Maponos is cognate with Mabon. Matrona, as well, is cognate with Modron, whose name means “Great Mother,” from the Gaulish word matīr (mother) and the adjectival suffix –onos -ā -on (great) common in theonyms. It should be noted that Maponos and Matrona were worshipped together in Britain.
As we have seen, there is no clear-cut functions associated with Maponos. He was associated with sacred springs and was sometimes associated with Apollo (as were other gods of healing springs). He may have been portrayed in certain areas as the son of Matrona. He may also have had chthonic associations based on how one interprets the Chamalières tablet.
In my own tradition, I view Maponos as associated with sacred springs and healing, especially with older people (which would include me since I recently hit the half century mark). However, Maponos’ healing qualities are different from the Hot Spring Deities, whose healing powers are the rays of the sun and heat. Maponus’ power is rejuvenation and that power comes from within him since he is the personification of youth.
SOURCES
Olmstead, Garrett, 2019. The Gods of the Celts and the Indo-Europeans (Revised 2019). Available online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330357347_The_Gods_of_the_Celts_and_the_Indo-Europeans_Revised_2019
Mees, Bernard, 2007. ‘Chamalières sníeððic and ‘binding’ in Celtic,’ The Journal of Indo-European Studies, Volume 35, Numbers 1 & 2. Available online: https://academia.edu/resource/work/35977450
Mulder, David, 2020. The Chamalières tablet: interpretatio of a Gaulish religious inscription. Bachelor’s thesis. University of Amsterdam. Available online: https://academia.edu/resource/work/44311444
Druid Hearth: Site of Cunolugus Drugaisos 