Re: Negau

> The fortunes of Kritasiros are recorded in detail only by Strabo
> (7.304, 313, 315), and his name is known only from Strabo and,
> possibly, the unique Boiian tetradrachma (cited above) on which an
> Ekritusiros is named as the father of a certain Gesatorix. Side 1:
> GESATORIX REX, Side 2: ECRITUSIRI REGIS (FILIUS). Pink (1936)
> considered the coin a forgery, while Castelin (1965) conclusively
> demonstrated that it is genuine. However, as Kubitschek (1906) was
> apparently the first to point out, equation of Kritasiros with
> Ekritusiros is uncertain at best. As Evans (1967:79) reiterates,
> Ekritu- may well derive from *ek-ritu- with *ritu- to IE *ret(h)-
> 'run'. From this, one may infer that Ek-ritu-siros signified 'raiding
> or attacking star'. However, given Brigantes > *brigantinos =
> Celtiberian numismatic PiriCanTin [brigantin], beside Brigiani on the
> Tropaeum Alpinum, 'he who represents (incarnates as deity or sacral
> king) the Brigantes', Ekritusiros probably signified 'he who
> represents the astral raiders (warriors)' :

Ecrito- could be a prefixed form of Gaulish *crito-/*critu- "shake,
tremble" (Wellsh cryd, Irish crith) and may be cognate with Welsh
echryd "terror" (<*exs-crito-); the second element looks to me like
Gaulish *siro- "long" (cognate with Welsh hir, Irish sir). In fact,
"Long Terror" is the etymology proposed by X. Delamarre in the
Dictionnaire de la Langue Gauloise for Ecritusiros.

- Chris Gwinn