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Toutatis

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This article is about the Celtic god. For the asteroid, see4179 Toutatis.For the roller coaster, seeToutatis (roller coaster).

ToutatisorTeutatesis aCeltic god[1][2][3][4]who was worshipped primarily in ancientGaulandBritain.[5]His name means "god of the tribe",[3]and he has been widely interpreted as a tribalprotector.[2][6]According to Roman writerLucan,the Gauls offeredhuman sacrificesto him.[1]

Name and nature

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Toutatis(pronounced[towˈtaːtis]inGaulish)[7]and its variantsToutates,[1]Teutates,Tūtatus,andToutorīx,[5]comes from the Gaulish Celtic roottoutā,meaning 'tribe' or 'people' (compareOld IrishtuathandWelshtud).[5]A literal meaning would thus be "god of the tribe".[3]A similar phrase is found inIrish mythology,which mentions theoathformulatongu do dia tongas mo thuath,roughly "I swear by the god by whom my tribe swears".[5]Bernhard Maierproposes that his name derives from an older *teuto-tatis,with the meaning 'father of the tribe', although he notes that this etymology is uncertain.[1]

It is believedToutatiswas a title for thetutelary godsof various tribes.[5]Miranda Aldhouse-Greensuggests thatToutatiswas an epithet or description for Celtic tribal protector-gods, rather than a name.[2]Paul-Marie Duval suggests that each tribe had its ownToutatis;he further considers the Gaulish Mars as the product ofsyncretismwith the CelticToutatis,noting the great number of indigenous epithets under which Mars was worshipped.[6]

Evidence

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A dedication to Toutatis found inVoingt,central France

Inscriptions

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Inscriptions dedicated to him have been found inGaul(e.g. atNîmesandVaison-la-Romainein France, andMainzin Germany),[5]inBritannia(e.g. atYork,Old Carlisle,Castor,andHertfordshire),[5][8]inNoricum,and inRome,[5]among other places.[9]Some of these inscriptions combine his name with other gods such asMars,Cocidius,Apollo,andMercurius.[5]

Written evidence

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Toutatis is one of three Celtic gods mentioned by the Roman writerLucanin his epic poemDe Bello CiviliorPharsalia.[2][3]Written in thefirst century AD,it names Toutatis,Taranis,andEsusas three gods to whom the Gauls offeredhuman sacrifices.[1][5][3]In the 4th centurycommentaryon Lucan,Commenta Bernensia,an author added that sacrifices to Toutatis werekilled by drowning,and likened Toutatis to Mars or Mercury.[1]

Those who keep watch beside the western shore, have moved their standards home;
The happyGaulrejoices in their absence; [...]
Now rest theBelgians,and theArvernianrace [...]
Thou, too, ohTreves,
rejoicest that the war has left thy bounds.
Liguriantribes, now shorn, in ancient days
first of the long-haired nations, on whose necks
once flowed the auburn locks in pride supreme;
And those who pacify with blood accursed,
savage Teutates,Hesus'horrid shrines,
andTaranis' altars, cruel as were those
loved by Diana, goddess of the north.

— Lucan,Pharsalia,1st century[10]

In histhird-centuryworkDivinae Institutiones,Roman writerLactantiusalso names Toutatis as a Gaulish god to whom sacrifices were offered.[1]

TOT finger rings

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Romano-British silver ring inscribed "TOT"

A large number ofRomano-Britishfinger rings inscribed with the name "TOT", thought to refer to Toutatis, have been found in eastern Britain, the vast majority inLincolnshire,but some inBedfordshire,Nottinghamshire,andLeicestershire.The distribution of these rings closely matches the territory of theCorieltauvitribe.[11]In 2005 a silver ring inscribedDEO TOTA( "to the god Toutatis" ) and[VTERE] FELIX([use this ring] happily ") was discovered atHockliffe,Bedfordshire. This inscription confirms that theTOTinscription does indeed refer to the god Toutatis.[12]

In 2012 a silver ring inscribed "TOT" was found in the area where theHallaton Treasurehad been discovered twelve years earlier. Adam Daubney, an expert on this type of ring, suggests that Hallaton may have been a site of worship of the god Toutatis.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdefgMaier, Bernhard(1997).Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture.Boydell & Brewer. pp. 263–264.ISBN9780851156606.Teutates (later form: Toutates). Name of aCeltic god[...] T. is mentioned by the Roman authors Lucan (Pharsalia 1,444-446) and Lactantius (Divinae Institutiones 1,21,3). According to Lucan theGaulsmade human sacrifices to him. The Berne Scholia, commenting on Lucan, add that the victims were put head-first in a tub full of water and thus drowned...
  2. ^abcdAldhouse-Green, Miranda(1986).The Gods of the Celts.Sutton Publishing. p. 110.ISBN9780752468112.What the Romans may have met inCelticlands are tribal protector-gods with a war-role. In this connection Lucan's comment on Teutates, who was one of threeCeltic godssaid to have been encountered by Caesar's army in Gaul, may be relevant...
  3. ^abcdeCunliffe, Barry(2018) [1997]."Chapter 11: Religious systems".The Ancient Celts(2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 275.ISBN978-0-19-875292-9.Lucan, who, in Pharsalia, names threeCeltic deities, Teutates,Taranis, and Esus. All were propitiated by human sacrifice: the victims of Teutates were to be drowned, those of Taranis burnt, and those sacrificed to Esus hanged. TheCeltic namesare informative. Teutates means 'the god of the tribe' from theCelticteutā 'tribe'...
  4. ^Euskirchen, Marion (2006)."Teutates".Brill's New Pauly:Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World.Brill Publishers.doi:10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e1205840.Celtic god,who, along with Esus and Taranis (according to Lucanus 1,443-446), was allegedly worshipped by human sacrifice.
  5. ^abcdefghijKoch, John(2006).Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia.ABC-CLIO. p. 1665.Teutates (also Toutatis, Tūtuates, Tūtatus, Toutorix), Taranis, and Esus form Lucan's trinity ofGaulish gods(Pharsalia 1.444–6) to whichGaulsnear Massalia sacrificed their prisoners of war. The name Teutates occurs alone or as a secondary theonym in combination with Mars, Apollo (see Belenos), and Mercurius in texts and inscriptions, including sites now in Austria, England, France, Germany, and Italy...
  6. ^abPaul-Marie Duval (1993).Les dieux de la Gaule.Éditions Payot, Paris.ISBN2-228-88621-1
  7. ^Pierre-Yves Lambert (2003).La langue gauloise.Éditions Errance, Paris.
  8. ^Collingwood, R.Gh. and Wright, R.P. (1965)The Roman Inscriptions of Britain(RIB)Vol.I Inscriptions on Stone.Oxford.RIB 1017, online at romaninscriptionsofbritain.org
  9. ^Listing for Toutatisfrom www.arbre-celtique.com.
  10. ^"M. Annaeus Lucanus, Pharsalia, book 1, line 396".
  11. ^Spicer, Graham (16 July 2007)."Missing Link To Bloodthirsty Ancient Celtic Warrior God Uncovered".Retrieved2012-08-07.
  12. ^"Record ID: BH-C3A8E7 - Roman finger ring".Portable Antiquities Scheme.3 November 2007.Retrieved2012-08-07.
  13. ^"Rare silver ring unearthed near site of Hallaton hoard".7 August 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-08-11.Retrieved2012-08-07.

Further reading

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  • Clémençon, Bernard; Ganne, Pierre M. "Toutatis chez les Arvernes: les graffiti à Totates du bourg routier antique de Beauclair (communes de Giat et de Voingt, Puy-de-Dôme)". In:Gallia,tome 66, fascicule 2, 2009. Archéologie de la France antique. pp. 153–169. [DOI:https://doi.org/10.3406/galia.2009.3369]; www.persee.fr/doc/galia_0016-4119_2009_num_66_2_3369
  • Lajoye, Patrice; Lemaître, Claude. "Une inscription votive à Toutatis découverte à Jort (Calvados, France)". In:Etudes Celtiques,vol. 40, 2014. pp. 21–28. [DOI:https://doi.org/10.3406/ecelt.2014.2423]; www.persee.fr/doc/ecelt_0373-1928_2014_num_40_1_2423
  • M. Almagro‐Gorbea, A. J. Lorrio Alvarado,Teutates: el héroe fundador,Madrid, Real Academia de la Historia, 2011
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  • The dictionary definition ofToutatisat Wiktionary
  • Media related toToutatisat Wikimedia Commons
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