Toutatis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the asteroid, see 4179 Toutatis.
The Celtic god Toutatis or Teutates was worshipped in ancient Gaul and Britain. On the basis of his name's etymology, he has been widely interpreted to be a tribal protector.<ref name="Duval">Paul-Marie Duval. 1993. Les dieux de la Gaule. Éditions Payot, Paris. ISBN 2-228-88621-1</ref> Today, he is best known under the name Toutatis (pronounced /towˈtaːtis/) through the Gaulish catchphrase "By Toutatis!", invented for the Asterix comics by Goscinni and Uderzo. The spelling Toutatis, however, is authentic and attested by about ten ancient inscriptions.<ref name="arbre">Listing for Toutatis from www.arbre-celtique.com.</ref> He is also known (under the spelling Teutates) from a passage in Lucan.
Contents |
[edit] Epigraphic evidence
Teutates was worshipped especially in Gaul and in Roman Britain. Inscriptions to him have been recovered in the United Kingdom, for example that at Cumberland Quarries (RIB 1017), dedicated to Jupiter Optimus Maximus and Mars Toutatis.<ref>Collingwood, R.G. and Wright, R.P. (1965) The Roman Inscriptions of Britain (RIB) Vol.I Inscriptions on Stone. Oxford. RIB 1897, online at www.roman-britain.org</ref> Two dedications have also been found in Noricum and Rome.<ref name="arbre"/>
[edit] Evidence from Pharsalia
Teutates was one of three Celtic gods mentioned by the Roman poet Lucan in the 1st century AD,<ref name="Lucan">Marcus Annaeus Lucanus. c.61-65 CE. Bellum civile, Book I, ll.498-501. Online translation</ref> the other two being Esus ("lord") and Taranis ("thunderer"). According to later commentators, victims sacrificed to Teutates were killed by being plunged headfirst into a vat filled with an unspecified liquid. Present-day scholars frequently speak of ‘the toutates’ as plural, referring respectively to the patrons of the several tribes.<ref name="Duval" p.31/> Of two later commentators on Lucan's text, one identifies Teutates with Mercury, the other with Mars.
[edit] Etymology
‘Teutates’ is widely thought to be derived from the Proto-Celtic *teutā- meaning ‘people’ or ‘tribe’.<ref name="CAWCS">Proto-Celtic—English lexicon and English—Proto-Celtic lexicon. University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. (See also this page for background and disclaimers.) Cf. also the University of Leiden database.</ref> It has been suggested that the name means ‘father of the tribe’ but if this were the case, the expected name would be *Toutāter (Proto-Celtic *teutā- plus *φatīr).<ref name="CAWCS"/><ref>Pierre-Henri Billy. 1993. Thesaurus linguae Gallicae. Olms-Weidmann. ISBN 3-487-09746-X.</ref>
[edit] Syncretism
As noted above, among a pair of later reviewers on Lucan's work, one identifies Teutates with Mercury and Esus with Mars. At times the Gaulish “Mercury” may have the characteristic of a warrior, while the Gaulish “Mars” as may act as a god of protection or healing.
Paul-Marie Duval argues that each tribe had its own toutatis; he further considers the Gaulish Mars the product of syncretism with the Celtic toutates, noting the great number of indigenous epithets under which Mars was worshipped.<ref name="Duval" p.71/>
[edit] Sources
<references />
- British Museum, London, England.
- Lancaster museum, Lancaster, England.
- Newcastle Museum of Antiquities, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
- Penrith Museum, Penrith, England.
- Verovicium Roman Museum, Housesteads Fort, Northumberland, England.
- York Castle Museum, York, England.
[edit] See also
de:Teutates el:Τοουτάτης es:Tutatis fr:Teutatès it:Toutatis nl:Teutatès ja:トータティス pl:Teutates ro:Tentatis fi:Teutates
