Taotor
Messapian · deity · iron age to roman messapia · deity
Taotor is described in the literature, candidly, as an unknown god. What can be said is that his name comes from the inherited Indo-European word for the people or the tribe — the same root behind Oscan touto and Irish túath — so he is very probably the community itself made divine. He is invoked with Zis and with Venas, which places him in the front rank of Messapic cult without telling us what he did there. The record keeps the etymology, the company he keeps, and the admission that the rest is unknown.
Domains
- community
Relations
- ally: Venas
Sources
- Reference treatment of Messapic religion and the theonym Taotor.