GILDA. — The name g. (convivia) was given to the banquets held in pre-Christian and pagan times among the northern peoples on the occasion of weddings, funerals, etc., connected with religious ceremonies and accompanied by sacrifices. The etymology of the term g. is uncertain. Some scholars relate it to the contributions to be made by the guests (geldan, gyldan, gelten “to pay”), while others connect it with the relationship between the symposium and pagan sacrifice (gield, gildi, helt “sacrifice”).
The origin of the g. probably goes back to the period when the individual did not yet feel sufficiently protected by the bond of vassalage: originally, in short, they were coniurationes, sworn unions established for the mutual defense of their members. With the spread of Christianity, g. of a predominantly religious character came into being, true fraternitates. According to Gierke, each of these g. had a saint as its protector, who in most cases gave it its name and upon whom the oath was sworn; it maintained its own altar and often also a special chapel. The foundation of charitable institutions or vicarages, perpetual Masses and similar donations and offerings to the Church, charitable acts and the support of pilgrimages, as well as the purchase of candles required for religious services and other pious works, belonged to the purpose of these unions. Care for the burial and the salvation of the souls of deceased members of the g. constituted the principal duties of these communities. Moreover, each g. regularly arranged assemblies of its members, gatherings that retained a religious character, both as a reminder of their pagan origins and in accordance with the Christian practice of the Eucharistic Supper. In addition to these religious g., others, formed among merchants and artisans, were of particular importance, flourishing especially in England after the Norman Conquest, in Germany, and in the Scandinavian countries. Their influence, moreover, extended not only to their proper sphere but was much broader, embracing public life and political life in general. At the end of the Middle Ages, the functions performed by the g. were progressively assumed partly by the State and the municipalities, and partly by unions, societies, corporations, and trade unions.