If you have a great appreciation for the culture of the people Celtic, you've come to the right place! Celta is the name given to a group of small peoples or tribes. They were the first civilized tribes in Europe and arrived long before the Romans and Greeks.
The Celtic people were present in the first wave to carry out the colonization of Europe, in 4.000 BC and, over the years, they already had their territories! Celtic culture had also been determined at this time, in 1.800 BC.
Celtic Mythology
The Celts dominated much of Europe, with Germany as its core and spreading through Greece, Hungary and Asia Minor. The Celts also dominated spaces such as Great Britain and Ireland.
They were never united peoples and there was rivalry between villages, with only a few exceptions. They belonged to the Iron Age and their family structure was very characteristic. They lived in small towns or villages and there was always the presence of a leader. The Celtic people were divided into nobles, druids, aristocracy, commoners and slaves.
The Celts also had their beliefs and, with that, their gods. Many of them were discovered after the arrival of the Romans, who made associations of their own gods with some Celtic gods.
There are three divisions of Celtic mythology, which are: Welsh, Insular British and Cornwall; Goidelic, Scottish and Irish; and continental Europe and continental British.
the celtic gods
Because they lived in close but distinct villages, they worshiped several different gods and all were related to nature. These gods are known by many different names, as it is not known what they were actually called.
We can divide the gods according to two locations: continental and Irish.
Among the continental gods are:
Sucellus: god of planting, of fertility;
Taranis: God of thunder; for the Celts he walked across the sky in his chariot, bringing lightning and thunder;
Cernunnos: lord of mutation and god of animals. He appeared in the form of a wolf, deer, or snake;
Lady Matron: mother goddess, her representation is in the form of three women who normally carry fish or fruits. The Celts held the number three as sacred;
Epona: goddess of the earth, she represented the fertility that the earth had;
Balls: this is one of the gods, among many, of light and fire. “Bel” is attributed to various gods who have peculiar characteristics.
Among the Irish gods we can find:
Dagda: god of magic and wisdom, carries a double-ended club; one side kills nine men and the other has resurrection power;
Lugh: god of the sun's rays and craftsman. He has the power to create weapons filled with magic.
Cuchulain: son of Lugh, he is a warrior who defeats his enemies with a spiked spear at its tip. He was tied to a stone pillar after being hit by his own weapon;
Morrigan: goddess of war and herald of death. Through a mutation from human to raven, when appearing or wearing armor, it indicates the arrival of death;
Find Maccool: Prophet, warrior and savior of the homeland. He saved the kings of Ireland from a monstrous goblin;
Mannan Mac Lir: He is the patron of Ireland, god of the seas and the dead.
Until recently, it was thought that the Celtic gods were honored outdoors, but archeology has made the discovery of some temples. In them, there are several representations of the gods on the walls.
As far as is known, however, these temples were only built after the arrival of the Romans. Initially, the Celtic people worshiped their gods on altars.
to celtic culture
The language used by the Celtic people was Indo-European. In addition, they were very passionate about the arts in general, especially crafts and music. Even being inserted in the iron age and having great armor, they loved to appreciate nature and art.
Among the most common Celtic arts are jewelry, crafts, armor and weapons etc; all always based on metal. They were also very fond of abstract arts and used them to create various designs. They usually drew spirals and geometries.
These, in turn, were linked to religiosity in order to worship their gods or spread evil spirits.
Celtic music originated in the Mesolithic period. At this time, the earth was undergoing the process of glaciation and, with that, many inhabitants of Europe were taking refuge from the ice. After a long period of years, it is not known for sure, they migrated to Great Britain and Ireland, generating the Celtic Epic. At this time, Celtic songs received new influences and achieved success.
Celtic music was always produced with flutes, harps and bagpipes. Bards, druids, troubadours and dancers were always on hand to entertain. Celtic music is today a folk art of Ireland and Scotland.
you celtic symbols
They are the most famous when it comes to the Celtic people. The symbols represent animism, which is the belief that everything that exists has a soul. Animals and plants are the greatest representations of this belief.
The most well-known Celtic symbols are: Triskle, the Celtic cross, the Celtic knot, the triquetra, the triple spiral, the spiral and the tree of life. The most interesting thing is that these symbols were interconnected, without an apparent beginning and end.
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All these symbols had a direct connection with the forces of nature. In addition, most of the arts were composed of the triplicity. For the Celts, the number 3 was very important, as its symbology was related to the body, mind and spirit.
The Celts are very well known to this day and there is still a lot of research to understand how they lived. If you want to appreciate this culture, much of Europe has kept them in their cultures.
