Teutates

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title: "Teutates" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["celtic-gods", "tutelary-gods", "national-gods", "human-sacrifice", "lucan"] description: "Celtic tribal god" topic_path: "general/celtic-gods" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teutates" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Celtic tribal god ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Gundestrupkarret3,_drowning_figure.jpg" caption="A large man lowers a warrior, headfirst, into a container. This scene from the [[Gundestrup cauldron]] may represent a sacrifice to Teutates."] ::

Teutates (spelled variously Toutatis, Totatis, Totates) is a Celtic god attested in literary and epigraphic sources. His name, which is derived from a proto-Celtic word meaning "tribe", suggests he was a tribal deity.

The Roman poet Lucan's epic Pharsalia mentions Teutates, Esus, and Taranis as gods to whom the Gauls sacrificed humans. This rare mention of Celtic gods under their native names in a Latin text has been the subject of much comment. Almost as often commented on are the scholia to Lucan's poem (early medieval, but relying on earlier sources) which tell us the nature of these sacrifices: in particular, that victims of Teutates were immersed headfirst into a small barrel and drowned. This sacrifice has been compared with a poorly understood ritual depicted on the Gundestrup cauldron, some motifs in Irish mythology, and the death of the bog body known as the Lindow Man.

Teutates appears in a number of inscriptions, most of which have been found in border or frontier areas. When these inscriptions pair Teutates with a Roman god, they pair him with Mars. Alongside the inscriptions to Teutates, there are inscriptions to a number of etymologically related deities (Teutanus, Toutanicus, Toutiorix). The presence of these similar deity-names has been used to argue that "Teutates" was a generic name, applied to any tribe's tutelary deity.

Teutates has been linked to Roman rings with TOT inscribed on them, of which over 60 examples are known, found around Lincolnshire in England. These three letters have been repeatedly conjectured to abbreviate "Totatis", a late variant of Teutates's name.

Name

Etymology and development

The name Teutates derives from proto-Celtic *teutā ("tribe"). Sometimes, Teutates is explained as a reflex of proto-Celtic teuto-tatis ("father of the tribe"). However, this explanation is problematic, insofar as it assumes haplology (omission of a syllable) in the development of the word and requires that the "a" be short (which conflicts with Lucan's scansion).

In line with general Celtic vowel changes, the first vowel in the deity's name developed from to to . Of the spellings attested in the epigraphic record, "Toutatis" attests to the second stage of this development, and "Totates" attests to the third. The epithet "Teutanos" (known from the Danube Valley) does, however, preserve this first stage. If it is an attestation of the god's name, the spelling "Tutate" on a 5th-century CE inscription from Poitiers may show a later vowel development from to .

Protector of the tribe

It has been repeatedly suggested (for example, by and Patrizia de Bernardo Stempel) that the theonym Teutates was a general title applied to tribal tutelary deities. Each tribe would therefore have its own Teutates. argues against this contention on the grounds that the suffix "-ati-" is uncommon; if the name was derived independently in each case, we would expect more variants along the lines of "tribal father" (for example, teut-ater-, teut-atta-, or teuto-genos).

In his capacity as tribal deity, Teutates has been compared with the oath taken by several heroes of medieval Irish mythology: Tongu do dia toinges mo thúath ("I swear by the god by whom my tribe swears").

Lucan and the scholia

Lucan

Lucan's Pharsalia or De Bello Civili (On the Civil War) is an epic poem, begun about 61 CE, on the events of Caesar's civil war (49–48 BCE). The passage relevant to Teutates occurs in "Gallic excursus", an epic catalogue detailing the rejoicing of the various Gaulish peoples after Julius Caesar removed his legions from Gaul (where they were intended to control the natives) to Italy. The passage thus brings out two themes of Lucan's work, the barbarity of the Gauls and the unpatriotism of Caesar.

|lang1=la |Tu quoque laetatus converti proelia, Trevir, Et nunc tonse Ligur, quondam per colla decore Crinibus effusis toti praelate Comatae; Et quibus inmitis placatur sanguine diro Teutates horrensque feris altaribus Esus Et Taranis Scythicae non mitior ara Dianae. |Transferral of the warfare pleased you too, Treviri, and you, Ligures, now shorn of hair but once in all of Long-Haired Gaul unrivalled for your tresses flowing gracefully over your necks; and the people who with grim blood-offering placate Teutates the merciless and Esus dread with savage altars and the slab of Taranis, no kinder than Diana of the Scythians.}}

The substance of the last few lines is this: unspecified Gauls, who made human sacrifices to their gods Teutates, Esus, and Taranis, were overjoyed by the exit of Caesar's troops from their territory. That Lucan says little about these gods is not surprising. Lucan's aims were poetic, and not historical or ethnographic. The poet never travelled to Gaul and relied on secondary sources for his knowledge of Gaulish religion. When he neglects to add more, this may well reflect the limits of his knowledge.

We have no literary sources prior to Lucan which mention these deities, and the few which mention them after Lucan (in the case of Teutates, Lactantius rather than identified with Greek or Roman gods. This departure from classical practice likely had poetic intent: emphasising the barbarity and exoticness the Gauls, whom Caesar had left to their own devices.

Some scholars, such as Jan de Vries, have argued that the three gods mentioned together here (Esus, Teutates, and Taranis) formed a divine triad in ancient Gaulish religion. However, there is little other evidence associating these gods with each other. Other scholars, such as Graham Webster, emphasise that Lucan may as well have chosen these deity-names for their scansion and harsh sound.

Scholia

Lucan's Pharsalia was a very popular school text in late antiquity and the medieval period. This created a demand for commentaries and scholia dealing with difficulties in the work, both in grammar and subject matter. In spite of their late date, the Commenta and Adnotationes are thought to incorporate very ancient material, some of it now lost; both are known to contain material at least as old as Servius the Grammarian (4th century CE). Also interesting, though less credible, are comments from a Cologne codex (the Glossen ad Lucan), dating to the 11th and 12th centuries. Below are excerpts from these scholia relevant to Teutates:

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Commentary	Latin	English
Commenta Bernensia ad Lucan, 1.445	Mercurius lingua Gallorum Teutates dicitur, qui humano apud illos sanguine colebatur. Teutates Mercurius sic apud Gallos placatur: in plenum semicupium homo in caput demittitur, ut ibi suffocetur.	In the language of the Gauls, Mercury is called Teutates, who was worshipped by them with human blood. Teutates Mercury is appeased by the Gauls in this way: a man is lowered headfirst into a small barrel so that he suffocates there.
Commenta Bernensia ad Lucan, 1.445	item aliter exinde in aliis invenimus. Teutates Mars "sanguine diro" placatur, sive quod proelia numinis eius instinctu administrantur, sive quod Galli antea soliti ut aliis deis huic quoque homines immolare.	title=Die Religion der Kelten in den antiken literarischen Zeugnissen
Adnotationes super Lucanum, 1.445	Teutates Mercurius sic dicitur, qui a Gallis hominibus caesis placatur.	title=Die Religion der Kelten in den antiken literarischen Zeugnissen
Glossen ad Lucan, 1.445	Teutates id est Mercurius, unde Teutonici.	title=Die Religion der Kelten in den antiken literarischen Zeugnissen
::

The first excerpt, about the sacrifice to Teutates, comes from a passage in the Commenta which details the human sacrifices offered each of to the three gods (persons were suspended from a tree and dismembered for Esus, persons were burned in a wooden tub for Taranis). This passage, which is not paralleled anywhere else in classical literature, has been much the subject of much comment. It seems to have been preserved in the Commenta by virtue of its author's preference for factual (over grammatical) explanation. The Adnotationes, by comparison, tell us nothing about the sacrifices to Esus, Teutates, and Taranis beyond that they were each murderous.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Gundestrupkarret3.jpg" caption="Interior plate E of the Gundestrup cauldron. To the left, a large man lowers a warrior headfirst into a container. To the right, warriors and horsemen with [[boar-crested helmet]]s and [[carnyx]]es."] ::

The sacrifice to Teutates described here has been repeatedly linked to the image on the Gundestrup cauldron of a large man immersing a warrior headfirst into a container. However, this connection must remain hypothetical, as the meaning of the scene surrounding this ritual is unknown to us, and we know nothing certain about the iconography of Teutates.}} investigated the sacrificial barrel of Teutates through the various occurrences of cauldrons in medieval Irish mythology (variously beneficent, malevolent, and resurrectory). Jan de Vries connected this ritual with the habit of Irish heroes of drowning themselves in vessels when locked in burning houses. The violent end of the bog body known as the Lindow Man—throat slashed, strangled, bludgeoned, and drowned—has also been connected with this sacrificial ritual.

All three commentaries offer the interpretatio romana of Teutates as Mercury, Roman god of commerce. The scholiast of the Commenta, however, notes that other sources give an interpretatio of Teutates as Mars, Roman god of war. The scholiast connects this second interpretatio with a story he sees in some sources, that Teutates's demand for human sacrifices was a demand for the blood of those slain in war; however, other sources before the scholiast tell him that Taranis's demand for human sacrifices was in analogy with the demands of other Gaulish gods.

The first interpretatio of Teutates as Mercury has caused a minority of scholars to identify Teutates with Caesar's Gaulish Mercury. However, the evident confusion of the sources the scholiast of the Commenta had available to him has been taken to count against the evidentiary value of either of these interpretatios. In the Celtic provinces, Mars seems to have been a particularly multi-functional figure, carrying associations with fertility and healing as well as with war. In Gaul alone, Mars is given about 50 native epithets.

Epigraphy

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Text	Image	Context	Date	Citation	Comments
MARTI / TOUTATI / TI(BERIUS) CLAUDIUS PRIMUS / ATTII LIBER(TUS) / V(OTUM) S(OLVIT) L(IBENS) M(ERITO)	[[File:Votivblech von Barkway 3.jpg	150px]]	219}}		=
I(OVI) O(PTIMO) M(AXIMO) ET RIOCALAT(I) / [TO]UTAT(I) M / [AR(TI)] COCID(I)O / [VO]TO FECI / [T] VITA / [LIS]	[[File:RIB 1017.png	150px]]	1017}}		=
MARTI / TOUTATI / S(ACRUM) VINOMA / V(OTUM) L(IBENS) S(OLVIT)		Brit.32.20}}		=	Translated, this reads "Sacred to Mars Toutatis. Vinoma willing(ly) paid a vow"
TOUTATIS		Inscribed on a (fragmentary) grey ware jar. Found in Kelvedon, Essex, England.			Miranda Green notes that, at the same site, pottery with stamped decoration of Celtic horsemen was found.
bisgontaurionanalabisbisgontaurion / ceanalabisbisgontaurioscatalages / uimcanimauimspaternamasta / magiaresetutateiustinaquem / peperit sarra	[[File:Poiters magical inscription.jpg	150px]]	Inscribed on a silver plaque. Found in Poitiers, France.		RIG II.2 L-110 =
TOUTATI // SE(XTUS) COS(IUS) VEBR(US)		21–22}}
	[[File:TOTATESVoingt.jpg	150px]]	first1=Bernard	last1=Clémençon	first2=Pierre
IN H(ONOREM) D(OMUS) D(IVINAE) / APOLLINI TOU/TIORIGI [...]		Inscribed on an altar. Found in Aquae Mattiacorum (Roman Wiesbaden), Germany.			This dedication to Apollo Toutiorix is the only epigraphic attestation of the epithet Toutiorix ("king of the tribe"), which is perhaps related to Teutates.
MARTI / LATOBIO / MARMOGIO // TOUTATI // SINATI MOG/[E]TIO C(AIUS) VAL(ERIUS) / [V]ALERINUS / EX VOTO		Inscribed on a votive tablet. Found in Seggau Castle, Styria, Austria			This tablet gives a dedication to Mars Latobius Marmogius Sinatis Toutatis Mogetius. This string probably does not denote a single deity, as it would be unusual to attach five native bynames to one Roman god. De Bernardo Stempel has interpreted it as a votive inscription to two deities: Mars Latobius Marmogius and Sinatis Toutatis Mogetius. Adam Daubney has interpreted it as a votive inscription to five: Mars Latobius, Marmogius, Toutatis, Sinatis, Mogetius. The word Toutatis seems to have been added after the inscription was completed, inserted between two lines.
PETIGANUS / PLACIDUS / TOUTATI / MEDURINI / VOTUM SOL/VET ANNI/VERSARIUM		Inscribed on an altar. Found in Rome, Italy.			164}} Meduri(ni)s, whose name is paired with Teutates's here, is an otherwise unknown deity.
::

The stone monuments to Teutates are clustered along the military frontier of the Roman Empire. The portable votive objects, by contrast, have mainly been found in shrine or domestic sites. The cult of Teutates is poorly attested in Gaul; the only certain inscriptions are on a stylus from Jort and five fragments of pottery from Beauclair. Patrice Lajoye and Claude Lemaitre point out that both Jort and Beauclair are on Gaulish tribal borders.

Not included in the above dossier are the attestations of the epithet Teutanus. Many votive altars dedicated to I(OVI) O(PTIMO) M(AXIMO) TEUTANO ("Jupiter Optimus Maximus Teutanus") have been found in the Danube Valley, with as many as 16 found in Gellért Hill alone. In Upper Germania, there are two attestations of a Mercurio Touteno and one attestation of a Deo Touteno. Perhaps related is a Mars Toutanicus, attested in Dacia.

''TOT'' rings

As many as 68 finger rings with the letters TOT inscribed on them have been found in Britain. These date between the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. The find-spots of these rings are concentrated around Lincolnshire and, more broadly, within the territory of the Corieltauvi tribe. This suggestion was thereafter taken up by Anne Ross, Martin Henig and Jack Ogden, and Adam Daubney (of the Portable Antiquities Scheme).

Three-letter inscriptions on Roman rings are usually abbreviations of deity-names, for example MER rings to Mercury and MIN rings to Minerva. Henig and Ogden entertained the possibility that the letters "may be a vox magica", i.e., a meaningless set of letters supposed to have magical properties.

Henig and Ogden have pointed out that this TOT motif may appear on some 7th-century Saxon sceats.

|File:Silver Tot ring.jpg |Silver TOT ring from Lincolnshire (Henig Type XI) |File:Roman silver TOT ring (FindID 471160).jpg |Silver TOT ring from Lincolnshire (Henig Type VIII) |File:Hockliffe 2007T357 (FindID 199113).jpg |DEO TOTA ring from Hockliffe, Bedfordshire |File:SF-1CCC86, Early medieval coin, sceat (FindID 796780).jpg |Saxon sceat with a TOT motif

Notes

References

References

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9. Braund, Susan H.. (1992). "Lucan: Civil War". Oxford University Press.
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17. MacKillop, James. (2004). "Lindow Man". Oxford University Press.
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22. {{RIB. 219
23. {{CIL. 7. 84
24. {{RIB. 1017
25. {{CIL. 7. 335
26. {{RIB. Brit.32.20
27. "HD046894".
28. {{RIB. 2503.131
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34. (2009). "''Toutatis'' chez les Arvernes: Les ''graffiti'' à ''Totates'' du bourg routier antique de Beauclair". Gallia: Archéologie de la France antique.
35. {{CIL. 13. 7564
36. {{CIL. 3. 5320
37. {{CIL. 6. 31182
38. Szabó, Daniel. (2006). "Religion et société en Gaule". Éditions Errance.
39. Daubney, Adam. (2010). "A Decade of Discovery: Proceedings of the Portable Antiquities Scheme Conference 2007".
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41. Bédoyère, Guy de la. (2002). "Gods with Thunderbolts: Religion in Roman Britain". Tempus.
42. (1987). "A finger ring". The Antiquaries Journal.

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