Post by ~*~Kit_The_Kat~*~ on Nov 18, 2003 13:24:45 GMT -5
The Celts were a technologically advanced and barbarous people who occupied vast areas of western and central Europe during the last half of the first millenium b.c. Although the early Celts were composed of a number of different races and tribes, and at the height of their power they spread across wide tracts of Europe, they did have a uniformity of religious idiom that enables historians to speak of a Celtic religion. They were linked by common origins and language (P-Celtic spoken in Gaul and Britain, and Q-Celtic spoken in Ireland), common religious traditions, and a close similarity of laws.
The Celts were highly ritualistic and religious. Their elaborate burials, under a mound, in a wooden chamber usually made of oak, furnished with highly decorated weapons, food, drink, and personal ornaments point to powerful beliefs about the nature of life after death. The bodies of the wealthy dead were laid out, burnt or unburnt, on four-wheeled wagons in the earliest of Celtic peoples, and later in lighter, two wheeled wagons.
Celtic religion featured many female deities such as mother goddesses and war goddesses. The Mother Goddess of the Celts was often conceived as a warrior, fighting with weapons and instructing the hero in superior secrets of warfare. Celtic deities were tribal by nature, and each tribe or clan would have its own names for particular gods and goddesses. This accounts for the great diversity of names in Celtic mythology, there are over 300 different names recorded. The Celts also believed that it was dangerous to name a sacred thing by its correct name, the result being that sacred things are often referred to in a roundabout way.
Our knowledge of the religion and mythologies of the Celtic people comes from three different areas in Europe. From Gaul, which is modern day France, Britain (most specifically Wales), and Ireland. Both Gaul and Britain were influenced by Greco Roman tradition before the advent of Christianity. The Celts themselves did not commit their traditions to writings, regarding their laws, genealogies and spiritual disciplines as sacred, required to be handed down orally. The Druids, the high priests of the Celts, would spend twenty years learning the traditions and oral lessons. The native lore of Wales and Ireland, the oldest outside of classical sources, is a great repository of pre-Christian myth and practices. Fragmentary texts transcribed during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries provide us with ancient legends and heroic tales, influenced by the times of the scribes. Archaeological evidence provides us with more clues. The Celts of Ireland maintained their cultural integrity until close to 500 AD, and it is there where the pagan Celtic mythology has been best preserved.
Animal symbolism found in Celtic myths include boars, birds, serpents, fish, horse and cattle. Boars symbolise courage and strong warriors. Power and strength is attached to the bristles of the boar, which was held in high esteem by the Celts. There are many examples of supernatural boars and their adventures in the literary traditions of the Irish and the Welsh. The otherworld feast is supposed to be sustained by magical pigs which, no matter how many times they are cooked and eaten, are alive again the next day to be cooked again.
Fish, especially salmon are associated with knowledge and secrets. Serpents and dragons are portents of trouble, strife and infertility. Birds also may presage bad luck or bloodshed. Horse and cattle represent fertility, as do many occurrences of animals in Celtic legend. Foliate head images were central to Celtic cultures, also symbolizing fertility. Horns were a powerful symbol of virility and divine power. The Celts not only gave their gods horns, but enhanced their chances of success in battle by wearing horned helmets. In Celtic mythology powerful opponents may use the magic of shape shifting into different animal forms during battle. The number three was sacred to the Celts, and deities were sometimes portrayed in groups of three, or as having three heads or faces. In mythological tales, the deities or semi-divine heroes are described as being one of three people of the same name, or as having been born three times in succession.
The Celts were highly ritualistic and religious. Their elaborate burials, under a mound, in a wooden chamber usually made of oak, furnished with highly decorated weapons, food, drink, and personal ornaments point to powerful beliefs about the nature of life after death. The bodies of the wealthy dead were laid out, burnt or unburnt, on four-wheeled wagons in the earliest of Celtic peoples, and later in lighter, two wheeled wagons.
Celtic religion featured many female deities such as mother goddesses and war goddesses. The Mother Goddess of the Celts was often conceived as a warrior, fighting with weapons and instructing the hero in superior secrets of warfare. Celtic deities were tribal by nature, and each tribe or clan would have its own names for particular gods and goddesses. This accounts for the great diversity of names in Celtic mythology, there are over 300 different names recorded. The Celts also believed that it was dangerous to name a sacred thing by its correct name, the result being that sacred things are often referred to in a roundabout way.
Our knowledge of the religion and mythologies of the Celtic people comes from three different areas in Europe. From Gaul, which is modern day France, Britain (most specifically Wales), and Ireland. Both Gaul and Britain were influenced by Greco Roman tradition before the advent of Christianity. The Celts themselves did not commit their traditions to writings, regarding their laws, genealogies and spiritual disciplines as sacred, required to be handed down orally. The Druids, the high priests of the Celts, would spend twenty years learning the traditions and oral lessons. The native lore of Wales and Ireland, the oldest outside of classical sources, is a great repository of pre-Christian myth and practices. Fragmentary texts transcribed during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries provide us with ancient legends and heroic tales, influenced by the times of the scribes. Archaeological evidence provides us with more clues. The Celts of Ireland maintained their cultural integrity until close to 500 AD, and it is there where the pagan Celtic mythology has been best preserved.
Animal symbolism found in Celtic myths include boars, birds, serpents, fish, horse and cattle. Boars symbolise courage and strong warriors. Power and strength is attached to the bristles of the boar, which was held in high esteem by the Celts. There are many examples of supernatural boars and their adventures in the literary traditions of the Irish and the Welsh. The otherworld feast is supposed to be sustained by magical pigs which, no matter how many times they are cooked and eaten, are alive again the next day to be cooked again.
Fish, especially salmon are associated with knowledge and secrets. Serpents and dragons are portents of trouble, strife and infertility. Birds also may presage bad luck or bloodshed. Horse and cattle represent fertility, as do many occurrences of animals in Celtic legend. Foliate head images were central to Celtic cultures, also symbolizing fertility. Horns were a powerful symbol of virility and divine power. The Celts not only gave their gods horns, but enhanced their chances of success in battle by wearing horned helmets. In Celtic mythology powerful opponents may use the magic of shape shifting into different animal forms during battle. The number three was sacred to the Celts, and deities were sometimes portrayed in groups of three, or as having three heads or faces. In mythological tales, the deities or semi-divine heroes are described as being one of three people of the same name, or as having been born three times in succession.
