TYPE: Unknown Status
ORIGIN: Germanic and Possibly Icelandic [Nordic]
INFORMATION: The Alcis are twin deities (brothers) known only as sons of the sky gods. From Germanic times we have a La Tene urn with pictures of paired men on horseback and linked by a wooden beam. Tacitus describes the worship of twin gods by the Naharvali Tribe, their priests dressed in effeminate costume (see also the Phyrgian deity Attis). They may have been worshiped in forest sanctuaries along the northern coast of Europe.
The Alcis (Proto-Germanic *alhiz) were a pair of young brothers worshipped by the Naharvali, an ancient Germanic tribe.
NAME AND ORIGIN:
According to some scholars, the name Alcis should be interpreted as a Latinized form of Proto-Germanic *alhiz (or *algiz), meaning 'elk (Alces alces)' (cf. Old Norse elgr, Old English eolh, Old High German elaho). This would make the Alcis brothers the elk- or stag-gods. Other scholars propose to link *alhiz to the Germanic root *alh- (cf. Goth. alhs 'temple', Old English ealgian 'to protect'; further Lith. alkas 'holy grove'), and thus to interpret the Alcis as 'protective' deities.
The Alcis are generally regarded as a reflex of the Divine Twins, a pair of Indo-European youthful horsemen. This may give support to the interpretation of the Alcis as elk-shaped or elk-gods, even though the widespread description of the Divine Twins as rescuers, healers and protectors in other Indo-European mythologies does not rule out the second proposition either. A speculative relation of the cult with the Germanic rune Algiz ('elk'), which is interpreted in the later Old Norse Sigrdrífumál as laeknishendr ('healing hands'), may be significant in our understanding of the etymological issue.
OVERVIEW:
According to Tacitus, the Alcis were a deity worshiped by the Naharvali. The Roman historian states that their worship took place in a sacred grove, with a priest dressed in women's clothing presiding. The god(s) were given the name Alcis, and venerated as young men and brothers, but no images of the gods were used. A similarity with Castor and Pollux is noted by Tacitus, though he states the cult was indigenous, not derived from an outside influence.