Gutuater

The Gutuater is a member of the sacerdotal class of certain people Gaulois and in particular that of the Carnutes. It is a Druide whose function is that of the vates in the Celtic Société.

Documents

The druids having systematically privileged orality, the information sources are external, lacunar and generally partial, for what literary sources.

The most important mention is in the Commentaires on the War of Gaules of Jules César, delivers VIII, chapter 38:

Arrived at Carnutes, whose César told in the preceding comment how the war had occurred in their quoted, indicator which their alarms were particularly sharp, because they was aware of the gravity of their fault, in order to release from it more quickly the whole of the population, it asks that one deliver to him, it to punish, Gutuater, the guilty main thing and author responsible for the war. Although the character did not trust even any more his own fellow-citizens, nevertheless, each one endeavouring to seek it, one promptly brings it to the César camp, in spite of its natural leniency, is constrained to deliver it to the torment by the soldiers run as a crowd: they put on its account all the run dangers, all the evils suffered during the war, and it was necessary that it was initially struck rods until losing consciousness, before the axe the achevât.

Gutuater is also attested by four late inscriptions, two were found with Autun, with Mâcon and one with the Puy-en-Velay.

Etymology and function

These laconic mentions gave place to an important literature and various assumptions. Thus, Henri d' Arbois of Jubainville supposed that Gutuater was a priest former to the appearance of the druidism.

According to Christian-J. Guyonvarc' H and Francoise the Russet-red, the root gutu means “word” in Celtique, which gave gûth in Irish and would be related with the German gott and god English. “The word can be an only monk and designates obligatorily the druid in his role of invoker of the divinity”.

The word indicates a sacerdotal function, but is also the name of the person who assumes it, following the example druid Sencha of the Irish Celtic Mythologie.

A druid-warrior

The mention of César affirms that Gutuater of the Carnutes “is responsible for the war”. The role of the druids in the Celtic Société largely exceeds the framework of the religion. Diviciacos was the chief of the Éduens and met César on several occasions. In the Táin Bó Cúailnge (raid of the cows of Cooley) the queen Medb invades the kingdom of Ulster only after consultation of her druids. They are also very present in the Cath Maighe Tuireadh (the battle of Mag Tured). It is also necessary to mention Cathbad, whose name means “Killer with the combat”.

Sources

  • Wikisource : '' Commentaires on the War of Gaules '', Delivers VIII.

  • Christian-J. Guyonvarc' H and Francoise the Russet-red, the Druids , Ouest-France University, coll “Of memory of man: history”, Rennes, 1986,).
  • Venceslas Kruta, Celts, History and Dictionary , Editions Robert Laffont, coll “Books”, Paris, 2000.

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