Everything2
Near Matches
Ignore Exact
Full Text
Everything2

Teutates

created by bozon

(person) by Tlachtga (9.2 hr) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Tue Dec 04 2001 at 19:49:46

Teutates: presumably too-TAH-tez
Gaulish: God of the Tribe

Also, Mars Toutates Cocidius (inscription, Carlisle, England)
Apollo Toutiorix (inscription, Wiesbaden, Germany)

Teutates is mentioned by Julius Caesar in The Gallic Wars; Teutates is one of a trinity mentioned by Lucan, who names him in the same breath with "horrible Esus and Taranis." According to Lucan, Teutates' victims were drowned in a cauldron (a scene of which can be seen on the Gundestrup Cauldron), while Esus' victims were flayed while hung from a tree, and Taranis' were sealed up in a hollow tree (not unlike what happened to Merlin, though).

Lucan's commentator (a medieval monk) identifies Teutates with Mercury, Esus with Mars, and Taranis with Dispater (Pluto). I differ with this. Caesar lists four gods as most important to the Gauls: first Mercury (who is likely Lugus, the Irish Lugh), then Apollo (likely Maponos, or possibly Esus or Belenos), Jupiter (Taranis--"Thunder"), Mars (Teutates), and Minerva (likely Brigantia, who is Brigid). OF course, it's difficult (and frankly foolish) to identify completely the gods of one culture with that of another; even the Romans and Greeks have some discrepancies.

As said, the name derives from teut, which means "tribe of people," equivalent to the Irish tuath, German Deutsch, and Latin Teutons. Teutates, if Mars and thus both war god and fertility god, may simply be a title for another god, which would here be the equivalent of the Irish Nuada, the Welsh Nudd, and British Nodens.


printable version
chaos

Gundestrup Cauldron Albiorix Celtic Mythology M131 Modular Pack Mine System
Toutatis Taranis Lugh Teuton
Druidism Julius Caesar and the Gallic Gods Esus Nodens
Y'know, if you log in, you can write something here, or contact authors directly on the site. Create a New User if you don't already have an account.
  Epicenter
Login
Password

password reminder
register

Everything2 Help

Cool Staff Picks
Things you could have written:
Sensei, we've got another lesbian stuck in the goddamn shredder
Halloween
I can make you howl. And vice versa. Let's get down to business.
autism
telephone
Lessons on life, love and things of utter importance
Poincaré Conjecture
Do-It-Yourself Depression Control
Driving in Italy
Charlemagne
The Boisterous Bishop of Southwark
Delight in Disorder
I must escape the noose of my adult responsibility
New Writeups
TheOrientalAfrican
ToTheGuyWithAidsSittingN... (I Am Really Really Sorry)(person)
Heitah
Why I love Everything2(person)
trixingee
Dungeon Mastering for the first time(idea)
Netrat0
It's Called Subtext, Honey(person)
eyeofthebeholder
The Dragon(idea)
Heitah
consist, comprise, constitute, or compose(idea)
Meezzio
Gotlandssnus(thing)
argv
Astral Plane(idea)
Madara
One Winged Angel(fiction)
Tom Rook
Talk is cheap(poetry)
shaogo
Adelle Davis(person)
Aerobe
race car g sfjsgsd(poetry)
Binah
Dream Log: July 5, 2008(dream)
StrawberryFrog
Forgotten things in space(idea)
antigravpussy
velvet revolution fairy tale(idea)
This affordable entertainment brought to you by The Everything Development Company