Artaius

Artaius , more rarely Artaios , is a Celtic god who, according to the Interpretatio Romana, was equated with the Roman god Mercurius .

Mythology and Etymology

Artaius is one of the Celtic bear deities alongside Artio , Andarta and Matunus . The name is attested in a single Roman period inscription from Beaucroissant near Vienne ( Département Isère ).

According to Maier , Artaius has an accepted derivation of Old Celtic * artos , Old Irish art , Kymrian arth , Breton arz (all “bear”, in the figurative sense also for “warrior”). Birkhan on the other hand writes: "Artaius could belong to * artos 'bear', but the suffix is ​​unceltic."

A connection to the name of King Arthur is rather questionable, but according to the current state of knowledge, it cannot be completely ruled out. The assumption of the French author Jean Markale (1928–2008) that the Christian (!) Arthur was undoubtedly regarded as a god by the Celts is classified as questionable by modern Celtology.

See also

• List of Celtic gods and legendary figures
• Celtic religion
• Celtic mythology

literature

• Helmut Birkhan : Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-7001-2609-3 , p. 598.
• Bernhard Maier : Lexicon of Celtic Religion and Culture (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 466). Kröner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-520-46601-5 , p. 26.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 711 f.
2. ↑ CIL 12, 2199 Mercurio / Aug (usto) Artaio / sacr (um) / Sex (tus) Geminius / Cupitus / ex voto
3. ^ Bernhard Maier: Lexicon of the Celtic religion and culture. P. 26.
4. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 598.
5. ^ Jean Markale: Le Roi Arthur et la société celtique. Payot, Paris 1976, p. 147.