It is attested as 'Magusen' in a inscription dated ca. 100 AD and found near the village of Empel. On a altar from Ruimel, the earliest one known which is devoted to Hercules Magusanus, the name appears in reverse order: 'agusa o Herculi'.
Etymology
The name 'Hercules Magusanus' is a syncretism between the Graeco-Roman divine hero Hercules and the local deity or hero 'Magusanus'. According to Wagner, the latter may stem from the Proto-Germanic name *Magus-naz. Fleuriot has proposed a relation with the Welshpersonal nameMavohe, ultimately from Proto-Celtic*magusenos. Toorians notes that, in this view, both Celtic and Germanic etymologies are possible, with the Germanic root *magus attached to *sen-.
Origin
Magusanus
According to Toorians, it is probable that the Batavi, who entered the Rhine-Meuse delta from the east after the defeat of the Eburones, were "linguistically mixed, which might mean that they had shifted from Celtic-speaking to Germanic-speaking in recent times." Their elite language was likely Germanic, which led them to Germanicize the names of the region they took over. In this view, the Germanic name Magusanus may have arisen from the original Celtic *Magusenus suggested by Fleuriot. The earliest dedications to Magusanus are found on Batavian territory and are not attested in the Rhineland region before the 2nd century AD, which may suggest a progressive diffusion of the cult from the Batavi to their neighbours in the east.
Syncretism with Hercules
Several reasons for the popularity of the Roman hero among Germanic peoples of the Lower Rhine and his syncretism with the local god Magunasus have been proposed. A reasonable explanation is that the military and sporting attributes traditionally associated with Hercules, including masculine power and courage, possibly matched those associated with the native Magunasus. This view is supported by the number of votive inscriptions to the god that were dedicated by soldiers, the practice of dropping off weapons in the sanctuary of Hercules Magusanus at Empel, and his role as the patron-deity of the Batavi young warrior bands. A second reason for his success could have been Hercules' role as the keeper of cattle, particularly adapted to the pastoral values of a Lower Rhine society essentially relying on cattle and horse raising. A third argument may be the perception of Hercules as a bridge between the Germanic and Roman cultures, Hercules being seen as the mythical forebear of "barbarian" peoples and the first explorer of the Germanic frontier.
Cult
Batavi
As evidenced by the number of votive inscriptions and a cult associated with the monumental temple complex of Empel, Hercules Magusanus was probably the main deity of the Batavian civitas during the Roman period. He may also have played a role as a patron and protector of the Batavian iuventus, young male warriors involved as a class age in a public initiation ritual into adulthood. Roymans argues that the cult of Herculus Magusanus played in a prominent role in the ethnogenesis of the Batavi in the second part of the first century BC.
Dedications to Hercules Magusanus are also known from Rome, Scotland or Dacia. In all instances, they are related to Germani from the Lower Rhine area, most of them serving in the Roman army or to their influence. An altar to Hercules Magusanus was found near the site of a Roman fort at Mumrills, dedicated by Valerius Nigrinus, an officer in the Tungrian cavalry regiment.
Depiction
Although no myth associated with Hercules Magusanus has been preserved, the iconography is rather close to the Latin imagery. For instance, several Germanic figurines and statues depict him bearing a club and a lion’s skin over his shoulders, echoing myths involving the Roman hero Hercules.
