Celtic polytheism Celtic polytheism, commonly known as Celtic paganism,[1][2][3] comprises the religious beliefs and practices adhered to by the Iron Age peoples of Western Europe now known as the Celts, roughly between 500 BCE and 500 CE, spanning the La Tène period and the Roman era, and in the case of the Insular Celts the British and Irish Iron Age. Celtic polytheism was one of a larger group of Iron Age polytheistic religions of the Indo-European family. It comprised a large degree of variation both geographically and chronologically, although "behind this variety, broad structural similarities can be detected"[4] allowing there to be "a basic religious homogeneity" amongst the Celtic peoples.[5] The Celtic pantheon consists of numerous recorded theonyms, both from Greco-Roman ethnography and from epigraphy. In the later 5th and the 6th centuries, the Celtic region was Christianized and earlier religious traditions were supplanted. Sources[edit] Three Celtic goddesses, as depicted at Coventina's well.
Celtic mythology Overview[edit] Though the Celtic world at its apex covered much of western and central Europe, it was not politically unified nor was there any substantial central source of cultural influence or homogeneity; as a result, there was a great deal of variation in local practices of Celtic religion (although certain motifs, for example the god Lugh, appear to have diffused throughout the Celtic world). Inscriptions of more than three hundred deities, often equated with their Roman counterparts, have survived, but of these most appear to have been genii locorum, local or tribal gods, and few were widely worshipped. The nature and functions of these ancient gods can be deduced from their names, the location of their inscriptions, their iconography, the Roman gods they are equated with, and similar figures from later bodies of Celtic mythology. Celtic mythology is found in a number of distinct, if related, subgroups, largely corresponding to the branches of the Celtic languages: The Dagda[edit]
Green Man Types[edit] Lady Raglan coined the term "Green Man" in her 1939 article "The Green Man in Church Architecture" in The Folklore Journal.[3] Some commentators conflate or associate the term with "Jack in the Green".[4] Usually referred to in works on architecture as foliate heads or foliate masks, carvings of the Green Man may take many forms, naturalistic or decorative. The simplest depict a man's face peering out of dense foliage. Some may have leaves for hair, perhaps with a leafy beard. The Green Man appears in many forms, with the three most common types categorized as: the Foliate Head: completely covered in green leavesthe Disgorging Head: spews vegetation from its mouththe Bloodsucker Head: sprouts vegetation from all facial orifices (e.g. tear ducts, nostrils and mouth)[5][6] In churches[edit] To the modern observer the earlier (Romanesque and medieval) carvings often have an unnervingly eerie or numinous quality. Later variations[edit] Modern images[edit] Related characters[edit]
Celtic pantheon The gods and goddesses of the pre-Christian Celtic peoples are known from a variety of sources, including written Celtic mythology, ancient places of worship, statues, engravings, cult objects and place or personal names. In characteristic Roman fashion, Caesar does not refer to these figures by their native names but by the names of the Roman gods with which he equated them, a procedure that greatly complicates the task of identifying his Gaulish deities with their counterparts in the insular literatures. He also presents a neat schematic equation of god and function that is quite foreign to the vernacular literary testimony. Yet, given its limitations, his brief catalog is a valuable witness. General characteristics[edit] Supra-regional cults[edit] Among the divinities transcending tribal boundaries were the Matres, Cernunnos, the sky-god and Epona, the horse-goddess, who was invoked by devotees living as far apart as Britain, Rome and Bulgaria. Local cults[edit] Divine couples[edit]
IRISH LITERATURE, MYTHOLOGY, FOLKLORE, AND DRAMA Irish Writers OnlineIrish PlayographyStudy Ireland: Poetry - BBCIrish Women Writers - M. OckerbloomIreland Literature GuidePoetry Ireland / Éigse ÉireannEarly Irish Lyric Poetry - Kuno MeyerSonnets from Ireland - E. BlomquistColum's Anthology of Irish Verse - Bartleby.comBREAC - Digital Journal of Irish Studies Medieval Celtic ManuscriptsThe Book of KellsCarmina GadelicaCELT Irish Electronic Texts Irish Writers OnlineIreland Literature ExchangeBibliography of 19th-c. Jonathan SwiftJonathan Swift ArchiveJonathan Swift Biography - IncompetechGulliver's Travels - U. Bram StokerDraculaBram Stoker Biography - Classic Literature LibraryBram Stoker's Dracula - Carstens smith Oscar WildeThe Official Home Page of Oscar WildeWilde Biography - BBCOscar Wilde OnlineCELT: Oscar WildePoetry of Oscar Wilde - Bartleby.com George Bernard ShawShaw Biography - C. William Butler YeatsYeats Biography - Poetry FoundationCollected Poems - W. Donn ByrneByrne Biography - J. Fine Art The Faery Harper Oisín
Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions index Sacred Texts Wicca & Neo-Paganism Irish Druids And Old Irish Religions by James Bonwick This scholarly, but very readable, book covers what was known about Druids and Irish Paganism at the end of the nineteenth century. It discusses many of the concepts which later would be utilized by the Wiccan movement to construct Celtic Neo-Paganism. Title PagePrefaceContents Part I. Who Were The Druids? Part II. IntroductionIrish SuperstitionsIrish Magic, and Tuatha De DanaansIrish GodsIdol-WorshipSerpent FaithSun-WorshipFire-WorshipStone-WorshipAnimal WorshipThe Shamrock, and Other Sacred PlantsWell-WorshipHoly BellsIrish CrossesThe Sacred Tara HillRound Tower CreedOssian the BardThe Culdees of Druidical DaysThe Future Life, or Land of the WestAncient Irish LiteratureThe Lia Fail, or the Stone of Destiny
Celtic Connection Entry to Wicca, Witchcraft and Pagan Pages Cultural Anthropology Terms avunculocal residence band barter believed behavior what people honestly believe that they are doing in their lives rather than what they think they should be doing or what they actually are doing. berdache bewitching bilateral descent bilineal descent the {*style:<a href='javascript:JumpTo('#cognatic_descent')'>*}cognatic pattern of descent in which an individual is both a member of his mother's matrilineage and his father's patrilineage. bisexual Black English the social dialect spoken by many African Americans. biological anthropology body language boundary maintenance (in reference to ethnic groups) reinforcing an ethnic group's unity and distinctness by emphasizing the traits that set its members apart from others, rather than what they share in common with them. bound morpheme bride price bride service bureaucracy an administrative system that divides governing tasks into specific categories carried out by different individuals and/or departments. caste cereals the edible seeds of grasses.
The Post Hole Archaeology remains subservient to, and parasitic upon, history (Moreland 2003, 103) After being an archaeology student for two years now, I can quite safely say I have learnt three things: Firstly, you must NEVER like theory, or admit to even understanding it until you reach MA level at the very least. There is such a thing as historical archaeology; it is not a myth, yes it is different from history, and no, we do not cheat. The opening quote by Moreland startled me into writing this article. First, to understand the long assumed relationship between history and archaeology, we must return to Hawkes ladder of influence; The view at this time was that archaeology could only inform scholars about basic production and consumption activities. Click to enlarge Figure 1. Another example of the usefulness of archaeology in studying the past comes from the study of early medieval towns. Another form of settlement that can be used as an example is that of the deserted medieval village.
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