Artaius

Artaius, rarely also Artaios, is the name of a Celtic god who was equated by the interpretatio romana with the Roman god Mercury.

Mythology and Etymology

Artaius is next Artio, Andarta and Matunus one of the Celtic deities bear. Bear witness is the name in a single inscription from Roman times Beaucroissant at Vienne ( Isère ).

According to Maier there for Artaius an accepted derivative of Old-Celtic * artos, Old Irish art, welsh arth, Breton arz (all "bear", figuratively for "warrior" ). Birkhan other hand, writes: Artaius could * artos ' bear' includes, but is the suffix unkel table.

A link to the name of King Arthur is rather questionable, but can not be completely ruled out according to the current state of knowledge. The assumption by the French writer Jean Markale (1928-2008) that the Christian (!) Arthur was regarded by the Celts as a god without a doubt, is classified by the modern Celtic Studies as questionable.