▁said ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁sacred ▁to ▁a ▁mother ▁god dess ▁figure ▁among ▁lingu ist ically ▁C elt ic ▁communities ▁in ▁Iron ▁Age ▁Europe , ▁while ▁the ▁Roman ▁historian ▁T ac it us , ▁writing ▁around ▁the ▁first ▁century ▁AD , ▁suggested ▁that ▁the ▁Balt ic ▁A esti ▁wore ▁bo ar ▁symbols ▁in ▁battle ▁to ▁invoke ▁her ▁protection . ▁ ▁Bo ar - cr ested ▁hel m ets ▁are ▁dep icted ▁on ▁the ▁turn - of - the - mill en ni um ▁G und est rup ▁ca uld ron , ▁discovered ▁in ▁Den mark , ▁and ▁on ▁a ▁T ors l unda ▁plate ▁from ▁Sweden , ▁made ▁some ▁five ▁hundred ▁years ▁later . ▁Though ▁the ▁Rom ans ▁also ▁included ▁the ▁bo ar ▁in ▁their ▁stable ▁of ▁symbols — four ▁leg ions , ▁including ▁the ▁England - based ▁tw enti eth , ▁adopted ▁it ▁as ▁their ▁em blem — it ▁was ▁only ▁one ▁among ▁many . ▁The ▁bo ar ▁pers isted ▁in ▁contin ental ▁German ic ▁tradition ▁during ▁the ▁nearly ▁ 4 0 0 ▁years ▁of ▁Roman ▁rule ▁in ▁Britain , ▁such ▁as ▁in ▁association ▁with ▁the ▁Sc and in av ian ▁gods ▁Fre y ja ▁and ▁Fre yr . ▁Its ▁return ▁to ▁prom in ence ▁in ▁the ▁Ang lo - S ax on ▁period , ▁as ▁represented ▁by ▁the ▁bo ars ▁from ▁B enty ▁G range , ▁W oll ast on , ▁Gu ild en ▁M orden , ▁and ▁Horn castle , ▁may ▁therefore ▁suggest ▁the ▁post - R oman ▁introduction ▁of ▁a