Gelou

Gelou (Gelu in Romanian, Gyalu in Hungarian) is a figure in the Gesta Hungarorum, an anonymously authored Hungarian history written around 1200 A.D. He is portrayed as a leader of the Vlachs and Slavic peoples in Transylvania, and was defeated by the warriors of the Magyar chieftain Tétény (also called Töhötöm; in the original Latin: Tuhutum) sometime during the 10th century.

Romanian historian Neagu Djuvara argued that the name of Gelou could be connected with the ancient Thracian toponym "Gelupara" ("para" meaning "town") and with the modern toponym of "Gilău", the name of a village and a river in Cluj.

Hungarian historians contend that Gelou - like other enemies of the Magyar leader Árpád mentioned in the Gesta - was probably an invention of the author. The key arguments behind this hypothesis are that:

• There is a lack of supporting evidence (written or archeological) for the existence of Gelou.
• The Gesta fails to mention key historical personalities such as Svatopluk I and Simeon I of Bulgaria.
• Other characters in the Gesta have been shown to have been invented from toponyms (e.g. Zobor).

External links

• Map