Ancient Celtic Religion
When thinking of Celtic religion, the first thing that comes to ones mind is generally Druidism, and maybe even Stonehenge. There were many other components to religion in Celtic society before the Common Era, and they were integrated within the daily life, and still remain part of the culture. The sources available are mostly second hand or legends that have become christianised over time, but we can still learn a lot about their beliefs, and how they were intertwined with daily life.
The people who lived 25,000 years ago were in awe of nature. They believed that each aspect of nature, such as rain, rivers; thunder and all other natural evens were personified with their own "deity". This ...
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Among animism and sympathetic magick, there was also a Goddess of fertility.
There was a high mortality rate and to procreate, the fertility of women and men was extremely important. The Goddess represented childbearing, fertility of people, the earth and animals, and She was as important as the other Gods were.
There is also evidence that our ancestors had a great belief in life after death, and an example is gravesites of the Gravettians (22,000 - 18,000 BCE). This culture would bury the deceased in full clothing, sometimes with his/her dog, and with everything else one might need in the afterlife, a tradition similar to that of the Egyptians. Individuals were also frequently buried under the family's hearth, so that the deceased might remain close. Thus, we see early evidence of religion-magick or Witchcraft.
The Druids were the priests or ministers of religion among the ancient Celtic nations in Gaul, Britain, and Germany. Information respecting them is borrowed the Greek and ...
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were large stones or piles of stones on the summits of hills. These were called Cairns, and were used in the worship of the deity under the symbol of the sun.
The Druids observed two festivals in each year. The former took place in the beginning of May, and was called Beltane or "Fire of God." On this occasion a large fire was kindled on some elevated spot, in honour of the sun, whose returning beneficence they thus welcomed after the gloom and desolation of winter. The other great festival of the Druids was called "Samh'in," or "Fire of Peace," and was held on Hallow-eve, (first of November) which still retains this designation in the Highlands of Scotland. On this occasion the Druids ...
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"Ancient Celtic Religion." Essayworld.com. May 24, 2007. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Ancient-Celtic-Religion/65340.
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