Within our coven, the Genii Cucullati hold a significant place, including the meaning of our coven’s name. Understanding their historical and cultural importance is essential for respectfully integrating these ancient protective spirits into our rituals and daily. practices. Celtic Scholar Miranda Green wrote “The cult of the Genii Cucullati appears to have embraced profound and sophisticated belief systems” and that “such traditions did not wholly die after the coming of Christianity.” She believed that these hooded figures seem to have left an impression of supernatural power in our countryside.
Understanding the Genii Cucullati
The Genii Cucullati are ancient protective spirits commonly depicted as hooded figures, often in groups of three, found in Roman and Celtic art across Europe. Notable archaeological sites featuring these figures include the Roman forts along Hadrian’s Wall in the UK and the Gallo-Roman sanctuary at Le Donon in France. These spirits are believed to guard specific places, such as crossroads, shrines, and natural sites, and they are associated with healing, fertility, and protection. Of note to our practic, two of the major concentrations in England where these figures have been found are in the Cotswolds and Northumbria.
The hooded cloaks worn by the Genii Cucullati symbolize mystery and protection, suggesting their role as guardians of hidden knowledge and spiritual guidance. They are frequently depicted holding symbols of power and protection, such as staffs, torches, or other ritual objects.
Romano-British limestone votive relief depicting three cloaked godlets (genii cucullati), found in Cirencester, probably in the Ashcroft area, in 1892.
A recurring feature in the images of the Mothers and the Genii Cucullati is triplism, or the significance of the number three. Given its consistent appearance, it is clear that the number three held great importance and value. Although its exact symbolism remains unknown, the sacred nature of triplism is undeniable. The Mothers and the Genii Cucullati often appear in groups of three or with the number three prominently featured in the imagery.
Miranda Green also connects this tripling to aspects of shamanism, suggesting that the number three may reflect a triple-layered view of the world and the cosmos: the underworld, middle earth, and the spirits above.
Genii Cucullati and a mother goddess, Corinium Museum, Cirencester
Cirencester, as noted in Wikipedia, was the central “capital” of the Dobunni, one of the Iron Age tribes living in the British Isles prior to the Roman conquest of Britain. The Dobunni Kingdom included parts of Somerset, from which Lady Gwynne’s family emigrated. Various historians and archaeologists have examined the Dobunni, including Stephen J. Yeates in his book The Tribe of Witches (2008), where he suggests that the latter part of the name possibly derives from *bune, a cup or vessel, with a similar meaning to the later tribal name Hwicce; both being related to the recognizable cult of a Romano-British goddess, Cuda.
Nonetheless speculation is not proof, nor is a genealogy proof of a hereditary tradition of ancestral witchcraft, despite having things including the seventeenth-century alchemist Jonathan Brewster, as well as several of the families on both sides of the Salem witch trials of 1692 in one’s ancestry.
Despite their widespread presence across the Romano-Celtic world, the exact religious meaning of the Genii Cucullati, or Hooded Spirits, remains somewhat enigmatic. The absence of inscriptions with these figures adds to the challenge of deciphering their purpose.
Interestingly, a higher concentration of these sculptures is found in the Rhineland, hinting at a possible regional variation in their significance.
Statuette of a Genius Cucullatus, Birdoswald. Tullie House Museum.
Does the cloak conceal a different type of mystery?
Gallo-Roman bronze statuette of a Genius cucullatus (or a Priapus?) discovered in Picardy, northern France, made in two parts, with the top section concealing a giant phallus.
Image via Wikipedia: Vassil – Public Domain,
