Sanctuary of Gobannus

Gobannus was the Celtic god of smiths, holding a high position within the Celtic pantheon. Smiths were thought to possess Otherworldly powers because of their work with fire and metal, so it is not surprising that their patron was also held in high regard. Depictions of Gobannus found in Britain show a bearded man wearing a belted tunic and conical cap, standing over his anvil with a pair of tongs in one hand and a hammer in the other. Perhaps the most famous record of this smith god is also a testament to the skill of those who worshipped him; a zinc tablet found in Bern, Switzerland, was considered a forgery for many years before it was eventually discovered that the tablet was in fact not zinc but an alloy of the metals which were deposited on the sides of furnaces.