DedicationfromHenriBoudettoGrassetD'Orcet PREFACEThetitleofthisbookseems,atfirst,toopretentioustobeaccurate.It iseasy,however,toprovethetruth,astheCelticlanguageisnotadead language,disappeared,butalivinglanguage,spokenintheworldbymillionsof men.ThelanguageofanationaspowerfulaswastheGallicnation,wouldit havebeenlostandwithoutatrace?Isitreallysurprisingthatpeoplewoulduse ourEuropetoo,toexpresshisthoughts,wordscameoutofthemouthsofmenin ancienttimestheworld?Withoutdoubtthatpeople,whoeagerlysoughttodayto resumetheinterruptedthreadofitstraditions,unawareofthevariousmigration ofitsvalorousancestors,butwiththehelpofitsnationallanguage,hemay engageinresearch,whichcertainlywillbecrownedthehappiestlivinglanguage, towhichweallude,westronglyhelpedtodiscoverthemagnificentmonumentto CelticexistingRennes-les-Bains,and,inturn,thestudyofthismonumenthasled usunabashedlytoetymologicaldeductionsthatseemdifficulttorefute. CromleckThus,theRennes-les-Bainsisintimatelylinkedtotheresurrection,or, ifyouwill,wakingupunexpectedlyCelticlanguage PRELIMINARYOBSERVATIONSConcernedtowritesomeremarksonthe spatownofRennes-les-Bains,whereGodhadcalledustoexercisethepastoral ministry,eagertoreliveoldmemories,wethought,wronglyorrightly,thatthe nameofRennes,containingprobablyinitselfthecountry'shistoryinCeltic times,wediscover,foracorrectinterpretation,manyinterestingthingsabout thesharprockswhichcrownourmountains.Twoloosestones,placedonaridge ofahill,alsoinvitedustoaskwithpersistenceapast,moreover,verydark.But howpenetratethesecretofalocalhistorythroughtheinterpretationofa compoundnameinanunknowntongue,whenthehistoryofancientGaulisstill plungedindarknessdepressing?Mostancientpeopleshaveleftwritten:they werehistorians,poets,andtheirstories,orfabulousorstronglyimbuedwiththe patrioticpridethatexaggerates,defectcommontoallnations,wecanidentify thecertaintiesoftheiroriginandthevariousstagesofdevelopment.Amongthe Celts,butnothinglikethis:oneverysideadarknight.Intrepidresearchers, historianshavepushedtheillustriousmostoutoftheirpassionateinvestigations. Allwritersofantiquitywereinterviewed.Thesumofknowledgeremainsvery incomplete.Whereisthe"torch"thatwilldispelthedarkness?Isitnotinthe oldlanguagewhichourfathersbequeathedtous?"Dialects,"saidJ.deMaistre, propernamesofpeopleandplacesseemtomeMinealmostintactandhecan drawfromhistoricalandphilosophicalriches."(I).Languedocdialectspokenin ourregion,doesnotseemaverysafewaysothatwecaninthenext,keepthe hopetoreachanimportantresult.However,thisroute,wetraveledwith patience,withthefirmconvictionthattheDivineProvidencewoulddirectour stepsandwewouldachievethegoalofourefforts.Whenthetorchwewere lookingwithanxiety,rosetooureyes,itsfirstrayfellonthenameofTectosages, andthisradiusdazzledus.Itwasnecessary,however,doesnotfullyengagethe imagination,andweintendtoconvinceourselvesoftherealityofthatlightthat wouldenlightenGallictimes,wetriedtomakepeoplethinkbythemirrors LanguagesHebrew,Punic,BasqueandCeltic.Theresultseemedtousseriously, andbeforeweusethelanguageofTectosagestoexplainthemeaningof monumentsmegalithicelementsofRennes-les-Bains,theprimarypurposeofour research,weappliedtotheinterpretationofpropernamestakeninthese differentlanguages.Thereforewefind,first,inthisworkperformingthesetests, becausetheyareintendedtoserveasadecisiveproof. CHAPTERONE.I SPECIFICLANGUAGEOFCELTICOCCUPATION FIRSTOFGAUL. Itisnotuseless,webelieve,toprefacethisreviewwitha quicksummaryofcurrentknowledgeonthefamousGallic nation.Gaulhasbeenthefocusofthefinalestablishmentof theCelticfamilyinthewesterncountriesofEurope,and eventhenameofsaplingsheheld,demonstratesthe continueddominanceinthiscountry,itspeoplebrave.Itwas betweentheocean,thePyrenees,theMediterranean,the AlpsandtheRhine.Thesouthernpart,fromtheBayof BiscaytotheMediterranean,wasoccupiedfirstbythe IberianandLigurianfromtheSpanishpeninsula.Thegals, descendantsofGomer,sonofJapheth,wenttoAsiaMinor atatimethatwecannotspecify,spreadinGaulby repressingtheIberianssouththeLigurianeastwardsand invadedSpain,mingledwiththeIberians.TheAquitaine, Iberiantribes,resistedtheencroachmentsofGalsand retainedtheirpositionbetweentheoceanandthePyrenees andtheGaronne.TowardsthesixteenthcenturyBC,the GalsweretheundisputedmastersofGaul.Theconquestof SpainbytheLigurianGalsforcedtomove,andaboutthe year1400BC,aftercrossingtheAlps,foundedinItalyin recentdominationofAmbrasandShadows,647yearsbefore thefoundingofRome.ThisisthefirstpartoftheGallic family,that,accordingtoThierryAm,theancienthistorians applymoreparticularlynameCelts.TheKimrisformedthe secondbranchofthefamilyGallicTheGreeksandRomans calleditKimmerioicalledtheCimbri.Intheyear631BC, thepeopleScythian,thereportofHerodotus,fellonthe banksoftheSeaofAzovandpushedbeforethemKimris whoheadedintothesunsetundertheleadershipofHuari- arm,ascendedtheDanubeandinvadedGaulbytheRhine. FollowingthetraditionsKimriquesHu-ar-armswillpoint cameinthepole,buthecrossedthemistyoceanand conqueredGalsontheislandofAlbion.Duringthese migrationsandconquestsoftheseKimris,AncusKing Rome,victoriousoverhisneighbors,builtthecityofOstiaat themouthoftheTiberRiver.Butnewtribessuccessively inundatedKimrisGaul,and"afterahugescrum,Gaulis dividedbetweentheGaelsandKimris."(1)TheKimris, west,occupyingthesidesoftheseaandtheplainsofNorth andNortheast,andGaelsretaintheeasternandcentral Gaul.Itwasafterthesepopulationmovementsthat historiansputthetwoemigrationsofSigovèseandnephews BellovesusAmbigatuskingorchiefBiturigesintheyear587 BC.BellovesustooktheroadtoItaly;Sigovèseheadedtothe Northeast,crossedtheRhine,andthroughtheHercynian forest,settledonthebanksoftheDanube.About300years beforeChrist,apowerfulconfederationofKimris,the Belgians,invadedthenorthofGaulandcapturedthem.Two Belgictribes,theTectosagesVolkesandtheVolkes ArécomiquescrossedGaul,weaponsinhand,andstoppedin thesouth,theVolkesTectosagesonthebanksofthe GaronneinToulouse,theymadeittheircapital,andthe ArécomiquesVolkes,eastoftheCevennes,withtheircenter inNimes.VolkesTheTectosagesdidnotremainlongatrest inthecountrytheyhadjustconquered.Around281BC,a largeemigrationrejoined,onthebanksoftheDanube,the Gallictribeswhichdescendedfromthecompanions Sigovèses.Carriedawaybytheirwarlike,theseGaulswere dividedintothreepartsandfelllikeahurricanein Macedonia,EpirusandThrace.SomeoftheseTectosages insatiableAdventure,crossedAsiaMinor,neartheir originalhome,foundedanewGaul,Galatia."TheGauls filledandthedinoftheirarms"theancientworldasa whole.Theextent"Directtheirpossessions,theterritory occupiedbythebody"nationbyGallo-Kimris,was immense.Ifwetake"alookatthemapoftheancientworld tothefirst"halfofthethirdcenturyBCE,weseerace "GallicdeployedfromErin(Ireland)toEstonia"(withafew stepsSt.Petersburg),sincethe"northerntipofthe peninsulaCimbric"(Denmark)totheApennines,fromthe threeFinisterre"ofBritain,GaulandSpaintotheborders" ofthebridgeandCappadocia,viatheDanube"theyhold upbeyonditsconfluencewiththeSave,"bythe Carpathians,theAlpsIllyrian,Hemusand"Thrace.The GaulshangingoverEurope,ends"ofSpaintotheEuxine. "(1)CELTICLANGUAGEII.Fromthisbriefpresentation, weseethathistoriansareinvolvedinthepossessionofGaul, firsttheGals,andthenKimrisFinally,theBelgians,whom theydescend,withoutanycertainty,andArécomiques TectosagesVolkes.Onemightaskwhymodernhistorians GalscalledGaelsortheoriginalinhabitantsofGaul,when JuliusCaesar(1)warnsusthattheGauls,intheirown language,calledCeltaeandintheLatinGalli.Thesetwo namesseemtobesynonymousandhaveauniquemeaning, andthat'swhatprovesaperemptoryBouissetAbbe,inhis briefonthethreedruidiccollegesLacaune.ThetermCeltae -Kell-werethesepeopleaverypositivedirectionpointing totheman,andtheexpressionGalli,accordingtothe explanationsofMr.LightAbbeBouisset,wouldcontainthe sameidea.InGreekmythology,theGaulswerethesubjects ofGalatians,sonofHercules.Thewarlikereputationof Galatianswasimmense,andthatofhisstrengthandhis virtues.Wedonotdisdaintogatherinthemiddleofthe allegoriesofmythology,thesedetailsapparentlyveryhigh, butinfactofconsiderableuse.AtthetimewhenCaesar broughtthewarinGaul,heshowsusoccupiedbythree people:theBelgians,AquitaineandtheCelts.Theyalldiffer, hesays,bylanguage.However,thisdifferenceshouldnotbe verydeep.InapaperontheoriginoftheCelticlanguages andFrench,Duclos,bornin1704inDinan,permanent secretaryoftheFrenchAcademy,says:"Intheabsenceof monumentsistosayworkswritings,wehavenolightsonthe Celticlanguagethatthetestimonyofsomehistorians,which indicatethattheCelticlanguagewascommontoallthe Gauls.Gaulwasdividedintoseveralstates(civitates),states inthecountry(pagi),allofwhicharegovernedbyspecific laws,andthesestatementstogetherformedabodyofa republic,whichhadacommoninterestingeneralaffairs. TheyformedtheAssembliescivilianormilitary;theycalled comitiaarmata,resembledthebackbench.Therefore,needa commonlanguagethatmembersmightconfer,deliberate andformonthefieldofresolutionsthatweretobeknown assistants,andwedonotseeinanyauthortheyhadneedof interpreters.Wesee,moreover,thattheDruids,whichboth functionaspriestsandjudgeswereaccustomedtoassemble, onceayear,fromChartrestoadministerjusticeto individuals,whocamefromallsidesview.Itwastherefore necessarythattherewasagenerallanguageoftheDruids andthatwasfamiliartoalltheGauls...Therewerealso severalnations,whoselanguagewastohavemuchin commonwiththeGauls.ItisprobablethattheGaulsand Germanswerenottodiffermuchthesepeoplehavingthe sameCelticorigin,theGermanshadsettledinGauland GaulswerereciprocallyincreasedinGermany,wherethey occupiedlargeareas..." Thesesensiblethoughtsleadauthorofthebrieftoassert thatdifferencesinlanguagewereonlyobservedbyCesar dialecticaldifferences.Wedonotfollowtheseconsiderations veryfairontheconsiderabledamageoccurredintheCeltic