GILDA. — The name *g.* (feasts) is given to the banquets held during the pre-Christian and pagan era among the northern peoples on occasions such as marriages, funerals, etc., connected with religious ceremonies and accompanied by sacrifices. The etymology of the term *g.* is not certain. Some scholars relate it to the obligations incumbent upon the guests (*geldan, gydan, gelten* = “to pay”), others to the connection between the symposium and the pagan sacrifice (*gield, gildi, kelt* = “sacrifice”).
The origin of the *g.* probably dates back to the time when the individual did not yet feel sufficiently protected by the vassalage relationship: originally, they were thus *coniurationes*, sworn unions formed for the mutual defence of their members. With the spread of Christianity, *g.* of a predominantly religious character came into being, veritable *fraternitates*. According to Gierke, each of these *g.* had a saint as its patron, who in most cases gave it its name and upon whom an oath was sworn; it maintained its own altar and often even a dedicated chapel. The founding of charitable institutions or hospitals, perpetual Masses and similar donations and oblations to the Church, charitable acts and the support of pilgrimages, as well as the purchase of candles needed for religious services and other works, were all within the scope and purpose of these unions. The care of the burial and the salvation of the souls of the deceased belonging to the *g.* constituted the principal duties of these communities. Furthermore, each *g.* regularly held gatherings among its members, meetings that preserved, both in remembrance of their pagan origins and in accordance with Christian practice of the Eucharistic Supper, a religious character.
In addition to these religious *g.*, others formed among merchants and artisans are of particular importance, especially those flourishing in England after the Norman conquest, in Germany, and in the Scandinavian countries. Their influence moreover extended not only to their own sphere but was much broader, embracing public and political life in general. By the end of the Middle Ages, the explicit functions of the *g.* were progressively taken over partly by the State and the communes, and partly by unions, societies, corporations, and guilds.