The Celts

Andrea Endara Current Issues

Who were they?

were a non literate culture whose history and literature was preserved through oral tradition. The only written records of their civilization are the texts left by classical authors, the first of which appear circa 500 BCE. The lands occupied by Celtic peoples, whose existence can be traced over more than 25 centuries, were vast. Celts occupied land in modern day Eastern Europe, Greece, Spain, Northern Italy, Western Europe, England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland

Mythology
Camulos was the god of the Remi, a Belgic tribe of the region. He was possibly worshipped as a war god in the town of Camulodunum. Weapon: Invincible Sword

Aine

Goddess of love and fertility; also known as the Fairy Queen of Munster. She encouraged human love, but was of course opposed to rape and the forceful nature of love. Aine was also known as a goddess of fertility, she had control and command over crops and animals. She was known to have made a magical vow to never sleep with a man of grey hair.

Airmid
was

a goddess of witchcraft and herbal lore. She learned this herb lore upon her brother's death. In return for her relentless grieving, all the herbs of the world rose from his grave and showed her their many uses.

Anu
Manifestation

magic, moon, air, fertility, prosperity. Celtic (Irish) Goddess of plenty. Mother earth Goddess and maiden aspect of the Morrigu.

Angus Og
Celtic God of youth, love, and beauty. He had a harp that made irresistible music, and his kisses turned into birds that carried messages of love. His brugh, underground fairy palace, was on the banks of the Boyne River

Balor

was the one-eyed god of death. He was able to kill anyone that dared to look upon his eye. An oracle said that he would be killed by his grandson. In order to stop this he locked his daughter in a tower. He was later killed by Lugh (grandson) using a sling-shot

Boann

Boann was an water and fertility goddess. Special Birth: The birth of Angus og was no normal child's birth. Boann had the child not by her husband but through her lover the Dagda. Neither wanted their secret tryst to be known, and used their powers to alter the babies womb time to 1 day instead of the traditional 9 months.

Bel
Fire

and sun God, also God of purification, science, fertility, crops and success. Symbolizes element of fire, health

Brighid

is often considered the triple goddess. History tells that the Dagda and Boann had three daughters that were all named Brighid. This combination gives her the traits of wisdom, divination, fire, heath, poetry, prophecy, healing, smithing, and learning. She was mostly asociated with healing, fertility, and assiting women in labor. Once christianity took over the land, she become known at St. Brighid.

Lugh

was an inventive and clever god known for his many skills. He was best known as the god of light, however, he had skills as a warrior, physician, druid, bard, smith, and brewer. He was also the patron of Lugodunum in Gaul. His animals are the raven and the lynx. He symbolizes healing, reincarnation, prophecy, and revenge. He had a magic spear and otherworldly hounds.

Beliefs

. They loved nature and believed its forces influenced their lives. They practiced tarot and white magic. Often women did these practices and they were called witches. Magic was a gift, they considered it very important because it was a manifestation of creativity They believed in life after death, they wanted to transcend. They conceived that astronomy decided fate, there were no coincidences it was luck.

Cosmo-vision of life

The cyclical inference of Celtic life: Birth (renewal), Death (closure), Life (transcendence). The prevalence of trinities in Celtic era may also imply their classification of worlds: Other world, Mortal world, Celestial world

numerology

They started numerology. Three was the sacred number that represented equilibrium. Five represented unity. Seventeen was a number associated with the cycles of the visible moon, particularly the new moon Twenty-seven represented the sacred number nine tripled three times, which supposedly triples its potency Thirty-three represented royalty.

The tree of life

The meaning of this symbol can be interpreted in many different ways. Balance and harmony prevalent in the nature is best symbolized by means of tree of life Celtic people attribute the tree of life symbol to qualities like wisdom, strength and longevity. All these qualities of trees caused the Celts to worship them. The Celts also believed that enemies would be rendered powerless if their (enemy's) sacred tree was cut down.

Also with the cycle of life The tree of life is a symbol of an entity which connects the upper and lower worlds. Roots of this tree penetrate the depths and connects with the lower world. Branches grow and stretch to the heaven. Trunk of the tree of life remains on the plane of earth. Gods in the heaven used to communicate with humans through these trees of life. Its Growth is associated with spiritual growth, some of these trees were capable of carrying messages to the 'Otherworld'. It was also believed that trees had the power to bless people with prosperity.