#ancient celts

[nightfrost-art]

Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the transition from the harvest season to winter. Celts believed that on this night, the boundary between the living and the dead blurred. To ward off spirits, they lit bonfires and wore costumes. Over time, it evolved into modern Halloween traditions.

[memories-of-ancients]

The Ancient Celtic Ritual of Killing a Sword,

During the early iron age up to the rise of the Roman Empire the ancient Celts dominated most of Europe, their tribal societies stretching from Spain in the west to Turkey in the east. One ancient Cetlic tradition was the ritual of “killing”  the sword of a deceased chieftain or warrior for burial. Often the sword would be heated, then bent into either a circle or “S” shape thus making it irreparable and useless. In hundreds of Celtic graves throughout Europe such ritually killed swords have been uncovered, one of the most well preserved being a iron sword uncovered near Oss in the Netherlands dating to 700 BC.

There are many possible reasons such a ritual was done by the ancient Celts. The sword could have been killed as a ritual sacrifice to speed the soul of the deceased into the afterlife. Indeed a sword would have made an excellent sacrifice considering the expense and labor needed to craft a quality iron sword in that age. In addition, it may have been a special honor for a particularly brave warrior, and while the warrior rests peacefully in death, likewise his sword should be permanently retired. Kind of like how today we retire the jersey of a famous athlete who passes away.  Finally, killing the sword may have a more practical and down to earth purpose, to make it useless if uncovered by thieves and grave robbers.

By around the 1st century AD most Celtic tribes had been overrun by Germanic peoples or conquered and assimilated by the Roman Empire. However the tradition of sword killing continued with many German tribes, and during the early Middle Ages was commonly practiced by the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings.

[thesilicontribesman]

Bronze Iron Age Torcs, St. Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff, Wales

[alpaca-clouds]

What are Minstrels, Jesters and Bards?

Keeping it up with me rambling about the middle ages and fantasy, let me talk about one of the things that seems to confuse a lot of people - especially because most fantasy media just kinda mixes this one up. The difference between Minstrels, Jesters and Bard. Given that all the words are so often used interchangably. But, indeed, there is a big difference, if we look at it from a historical perspective.

The very, very basic differentiation is like this:

A Bard was a Celtic song writer and storyteller

A Minstrel was a medieval travelling singer, poet, acrobat and storyteller

A Jester was a medieval singer, poet, acrobat and storyteller working at a cort. In the late medieval time they were more acrobats and people telling jokes though.

Also there is Troubadoures, who were mostly singers and storytellers at the courts.

Let me talk a bit about the different groups in detail, though.

Bards

Bard as a word comes specifically from the Gaelic word for "poet", which basically tells us most about them. as with so many things concerning the celts, the early history of them is not very well known. We do know, though, that they played a certain role within the Gaelic and Welsh societies both in keeping the oral history of the societies alive, as well as celebrating chiefs and warriors with their songs. Other than other aspects of Celtic societies, the bards did remain for a long while into the medieval period, though how the societies treated them did vary a lot by region.

While in some areas due to their connection to the Celtic (and hence indigenous) religion and culture, they were seen as "second class poets" in some areas - especially in Ireland - with the true poets being connected to the church.

Never the less: Whatever we still know about the Celtic mythology of the British isles is all only known thanks to bards. Because bards kept those oral traditions alive at times till the late and post-medieval period, allowing them to be written down.

Mistrels

Minstrels developed a lot in what their role was. In the early medieval period they were often still bound to courts of kings and lords, where they would perform a wide variety of things. Songs, poems, theatre, acrobatics and dance being most among them. But in the high medieval period it became more and more common that the courts would employ jesters and troubardores, who were more specialized. With those a lot of minstrels became travellers. They would travel the lands and always remain in cities and villages for a while, collect stories, perform their arts and then move on. As such they helped to spread stories throughout the lands - though people could not always be sure whether the stories they told and sang were true or not.

Minstrels often had close networks among each other, though. Exchanging stories and songs they had written and collected. As such they often had a very wide repatoir that they could share with the people.

It should be noted that while there were people like this throughout the entire medieval world, minstrels as we would call them were most common in Medieval France and England, with some also being around in Germany (that is the Holy Roman Empire). Travelling singers and songwriters in the rest of Europe had a bit of a different background, often being closer to the celtic bards.

And yes, minstrels are very much the closest thing here to what bards in DnD are displayed as.

Jesters

Among those noted here, jesters are probably the one occupation people have the best idea of, given that they are fairly big in even modern popculture - even outside of fantasy. I mean, in your standard deck of cards the "Joker" usually is portrayed as a jester.

Jesters were fairly interesting. While they also would at times do poetry and songs, they often were more acrobats, joksters and magicians, who most of the time were bound to the court of a lord, duke or king. In these positions they did however often serve a very important role, as they were allowed to hold a mirror to whoever they served and give them the truth. Basically: They were allowed most of the time to criticize even kings. (Which does not mean that they always got away with it - but usually they got away with way more than most people.) As such a common idea of a jester was, that they were supposed to be wise and also act as a sort of advisor to whomever they served.

Interestingly enough there is a lot of historical evidence that often enough this specific roll was filled by disabled and disfigured people, who could not work in other rolls. Which in hindsight is interesting especially because it gave some disabled people a very important role within the society.

Troubadours

Finally we have the troubadours, who were most of all singers and poets working at the courts. Their art was seen as more "high class" than the work of the normal minstrels. They often would entertain nobility during their feasts and on festivals and celebrations. While they were not the same as jesters, they often were however allowed to parody and do satire of the lords, with that also reflecting on their actions.

So, yeah. There is a difference between these words. While there definitely were bards that served as troubadours, and troubadours who ended up becoming minstrels... It was a bit of a difference between those roles.

The fact that the bards were so tied to celtic cultures is especially a fact that so often gets overlooked.

So, there you have it. xD Maybe some food for thoughts for my dear fellow bard players.

[yoga-onion]

Legends and myths about trees

Celtic beliefs in trees (25)

R for Ruis (Elder) - November 25th - December 21st

“Season of fog and darkness – The Celtic Tree Calendar (Ref), Thirteenth Month”

colour: black, dark green; Star: Venus; Gem: olivine; Gender: female; Element: water; Patron: Hel, Hera, Huldra(Red2), Valkyrie; Symbols: judgement + transformation, death + rebirth, fate + inevitable event

Elder trees can grow almost anywhere and are a visible reminder of the changing seasons. The young leaves herald the return of spring, the white, bubbly, sweet-smelling flowers usher in the start of summer, the ripe berries mark the end of summer, the leaves turn red and eventually fall off, and the cold winter brings a rush of illness and discomfort, the time when the medicinal properties of the elder tree come into their own.

The ancient Britons and other Celts used to boil the elder berries in wine to make a black dye for grey hair. It is still used in the Hebrides as a dye to dye sheep black. The bark also makes a black dye. When alum is added, the leaves produce a green dye, while the berries produce blue, purple and violet dyes.

Almost all parts of the plant have medicinal properties, but today it is mainly the fruit and flowers that are used, such as elderflower wine and cordials (Ref3) flavoured with elderflower flowers, as well as jam and wine made from elderflower berries. Because, elderberry root from North America is toxic and the leaves and bark of elderberry are very dangerous to use in lay therapy.

The Elder Mother (Ref4) was believed to reside within the Elder Tree. She was said to inflict vengeance magic on anyone who harmed the tree and punished anyone who used any part of the tree for selfish purposes.

Across northern Europe, Elderberry is associated with death, rebirth and witchcraft, and is the tree most often used to break evil curses. The ancient Celts believed that how people saw and remembered them for the way they lived in this world would determine their reputation after death in the underworld. That is why the most important thing for them was to die with pride and dignity, and to respect others after death.

On a dark winter's day, the Elder tree holds up a mirror to us that reflects our true selves. Can you die with dignity and without regrets, it asks.

木にまつわる伝説・神話

ケルト人の樹木の信仰 (25)

RはRuis (ﾆﾜﾄｺ) - 11月25日～12月21日

『霧と暗黒の季節 〜 ケルトの木の暦（参照）、13番目の月』

色: 黒、深緑; 星: 金星;  宝石: カンラン石(ｵﾘﾋﾞﾝ); 性: 女性; 要素; 水; 守護神: ヘル、ヘラ、ホルダ（参照2）、ヒルデ; シンボル: 審判＋変身、死＋再生、運命＋不可避なできごと

ニワトコの木はほとんどどこにでも生え、季節の移り変わりを目に見える形で知らせてくれる。若葉は春の訪れを告げ、白い泡のような甘い香りの花は夏の始まりを告げ、熟した実は夏の終わりを告げ、葉は赤く色づいてやがて落葉し、寒い冬とともに病気や不快感がどっと押し寄せると、いよいよニワトコの薬の成分が本領を発揮する季節になる。

古代ブリトン人はじめケルト人はニワトコの実をワインで煮出して白髪染めの黒い染料を作っていた。今でもへブリディーズ諸島で羊を黒く染める染料として使われている。樹皮もまた黒の染料となる。明礬を加えると、葉からは緑の染料が、実からは青、紫、スミレ色の染料ができる。

ニワトコは殆ど全ての部位に薬効を持っているが、今日では、ニワトコの花で香りづけをした、エルダーフラワーワインやコーディアル（参照3）、またニワトコの実のジャムやワインなど、主に果実と花がよく使われている。北米産のニワトコの根には毒性があったり、ニワトコの葉や樹皮は素人療法に用いるのはとても危険だからである。

「ニワトコの母（参照4）」はニワトコの木の中に住んでいると信じられていた。彼女は、この木を傷つけた者には必ず復讐の魔法を下すといわれ、この木のどんな部分であれ利己的な目的に使ったものには罰を与えた。

北ヨーロッパの全域でニワトコは、死、再生、魔術と関連づけられ、邪悪な呪いを解くのに最もよく用いられる木だ。古代ケルト人は、この世での生き方が人々にどう見られ、どう記憶されるかが、死後冥界に行ってからの自分の評価を左右するのだと考えていた。だからこそ彼らにとって最も重要なのは、誇り高く威厳をもって死ぬことであり、死んでからも人を尊重することだった。

冬の暗い日に、ニワトコは私たちに本当の自分の姿が映る鏡を突きつける。あなたは、威厳を持って悔いのない死を迎えることができるのか、と。

[themodernwitchsguide]

the ogham alphabet and their divinatory meanings

FIRST AICME

ᚁ beith

UPRIGHT: joyful beginnings, new possibilities, renewal and rebirth--even if it is uncomfortable

REVERSED: a blind path, wasted efforts, fixation on the past, longing for the impossible

ᚂ luis

ᚃ fearn

UPRIGHT: clarity, attention to detail, purification, danger avoided or overcome, two paths are open to you

REVERSED: vulnerability, uncertainty, deception, delusion, something (possibly your own emotions) is misleading you

ᚄ saille

UPRIGHT: protection and guidance, emotional security, good advice, prophecy, unexpected solution(s), music, poetry

REVERSED: willful blindness, refusal to listen to advice, arrogance or not enough information

ᚅ nuin

UPRIGHT: go with the flow, intuition, dreaming, unconscious, letting go of preconceptions, feminine energy/connection to the moon

REVERSED: inability to adapt, feeling defeated or lost, lack of movement, difficulty that will inevitably pass

SECOND AICME

UPRIGHT: connection and transformation, being a part of something bigger, fate, divine action/inspiration

REVERSED: isolation and boredom, being blind to (either good or bad) possibilities, take control and be assertive

ᚆ huath

ᚇ duir

UPRIGHT: patience, protection/purification, reserve, feeling suffocated, problems that will eventually change, self-sacrifice

REVERSED: you are acting too hasty, take a second to think OR you're at a standstill, you need to take action

ᚈ tinne

UPRIGHT: sacred spaces, forward movement, power and energy, the power to endure, leadership, endurance

REVERSED: help from those in power, success despite means, borrowed strength, a gift, cowardliness

ᚉ coll

UPRIGHT: challenges or tests, recommends decisive action, balance, integrity, talent/skill/expertise, growth

REVERSED: attack, hardship, aggression, lack of direction or balance

ᚊ quert

UPRIGHT: knowledge and learning, transformation and flexibility, creativity, daydreaming, rituals/divination

REVERSED: intellectual/creative blockages (art/writer's block), lack of insight, fear of failure, ignorance

THIRD AICME

UPRIGHT: happiness, healing, beauty, love affairs, awakenings and new experiences, opportunity (or the choice) to live more fully

REVERSED: despair, ailments, unavoidable choice(s), mixed gain/loss, procrastination

ᚋ muin

ᚌ gort

UPRIGHT: inspiration, prophecy or psychic senses, community and celebration, freedom, rest, examine life's lessons

REVERSED: burdens, difficulties, a need to relax/unwind, you're strung out or trying too hard OR overindulging

ᚍ ngetal

UPRIGHT: slow/indirect progress, wildness, purpose, determination, transformation, follow life's path

REVERSED: entanglement, think twice about what you're doing, and arduous path

ᚎ straif

UPRIGHT: vitality, awareness of environment, creating order from chaos, prioritizing personal health, you aren't finished yet

REVERSED: inability to act, need for healing and patience, you aren't ready to act yet OR you have done all you can

ᚏ ruis

UPRIGHT: necessity/inevitability, fate or omens, death, rebirth, some things cannot be changed, wheel of fortune

REVERSED: pain, difficulty, retribution, necessary suffering, no choice is a good one

FOURTH AICME

UPRIGHT: resolution, completion, looking ahead, omen of success, difficulties permanently overcome

REVERSED: endings and departures, face the facts, shame, illness/disability

ᚐ ailm

ᚑ onn

UPRIGHT: insight, grounded in the present, clear vision, start new project(s), new perspective, foresight

REVERSED: ignorance of the broader picture, unrealistic ideas, step back and reassess, fear and anxiety

ᚒ uhr

UPRIGHT: energy, life, vigor, sexuality, attraction, gathering together, consider changing your life's direction

REVERSED: difficulties and delays, overconfidence, taking too many risks, unrealistic desires

ᚓ eadhadh

UPRIGHT: spiritual/magical power, forces of nature, deep connections, fulfillment, death and memories of loved ones

REVERSED: deception, deceit, loss of contact with nature/spirits, need for recuperation/reconnection in a relationship

ᚔ iodhadh

UPRIGHT: courage and tenacity, a struggle for victory, quest for inner strength, enlightenment

REVERSED: addiction, terror, declining health, compromise and negotiation, choosing a different path

FORFEDHA

UPRIGHT: ancestry, aging or dying, things unchanging, old age, memory

REVERSED: stagnation and immobility, death or mourning, the past is a burden, things lingering past their prime

ᚕ eabhadh

ᚖ oir

UPRIGHT: spiritual wisdom, complexity, place of balance/harmony, presence of many factors, spiritual wisdom

REVERSED: confusion, bewilderment, too many factors at work to allow for a successful prediction/decision

ᚗ uilleann

UPRIGHT: radical transformation, abundance, sudden illumination or destruction that is set about by outside forces

REVERSED: patience, preparation, the path before you is a slow one, wait for outside forces to act

ᚘ ifin

UPRIGHT: knowledge and lore, learning and study, wisdom of the past as a guide, private thoughts or secrets

REVERSED: ignorance, failure to learn from the past, future instead of past

ᚙ eamancholl

UPRIGHT: secrets and revelations, subtle influences, releasing emotions of guilt/shame

REVERSED: the situation is not as it seems, the information that you need is not available to you

UPRIGHT: unexpected change, arrival of new influence, illness

REVERSED: sudden endings or disruptions

[a-d-nox]

taranis, the thunderer (asteroid 5370)

It was the Roman poet Lucan that first mentioned the god Taranis in an epic poem called Pharsalia. Taranis was a Celtic diety associated with lightning and thunder, sky and heaven. He was considered powerful and fearsome; he held the forces of nature in the palm of his hands. Lucan stated that the god was so intimidating that those who worshiped him did so through human sacrifice (even though there is a lack or rather minimal archeological evidence to support the claim). Lucan even went so far as to claim that the Wicker Man (a large wooden statue built by druids in the olden times) was filled with the human and animal sacrifices for Taranis and two other closely associated gods (Esus and Toutatis). Taranis is also frequently associated with the Rouelles, the Wheels - important symbols of the Celtic people. The Wheel is found on amulets, brooches, shrines, graves, etc. It symbolized the mobility and trade strengths of the ancient Celts. Taranis' association with the Wheel is due to how quickly he could manifest a storm that could interfere with mobility and trade. IN MY OPINION Taranis in your chart could indicate a) where you are intimidating, b) your connection with nature, c) what others offer you to appease you, and/or d) where you slow others with your power.

i encourage you to look into the aspects of taranis along with the sign, degree, and house placement. for the more advanced astrologers, take a look at the persona chart of taranis AND/OR add the other characters involved to see how they support or impede taranis!

OTHER RELATED ASTEROIDS: toutatis (4179)!

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[bencollinsauthor]

Hey, I wrote a book and would love it if you checked it out!

Intrigue and war wind together, as politics play between domestic enemies even as the armies of the Veltoi Tribes and the Tunulman Republic clash in the field. Ideals are tested by the heart’s ambition, and by enemies too pragmatic to meet in the light of day. And in Xerxia, a tragedy begins its opening act, as the deepest secret of Alchemy is sought by different sides, more ancient foes and the morbidly curious. A war beginning as raids with fire and sword may sweep into something more, and mortal flesh may develop to godhood.

It’s an epic/political/dark fantasy novel set in a world inspired by antiquity with multiple POVs, characters taking thing seriously while others can barely muster themselves to show apathy, esoteric dreams, magic swords, romance, and plenty of cultures and history to dive deep into.

If you like A Song of Ice and Fire, First Law, or the Farseer Trilogy, I think you’d really love A Promise Wrought in Steel.

[stairnaheireann]

The Turoe Stone

The Turoe Stone sculpture is a masterpiece of Irish Iron Age art and normally stands in the village of Bullaun near Loughrea, Co Galway. It had been moved in the 1850s from its original location near the Rath of Feerwore, an Iron Age ring-fort structure, at nearby Kiltullagh. The stone is currently off site and in the hands of the Office of Public Works for essential remedial work and unavailable…

[jadeseadragon]

Henri-Paul Motte (French, 1846 - 1922), Druids Cutting the Mistletoe on the Sixth Day of the Moon, 1900, oil on canvas, 80 × 116 cm.; private collection.

[zsorosebudphoto]

Castro de Santa Tegra, Galiza, 03-09-23

A Castro is a prehistoric town with rounded buildings. There are some similar archeological sites in celtic culture nations like Ireland and Whales, usually called hillforts because, well. They are somewhat fortified (they usually have town walls) and they're up in the hills.

The castro is the Galician version of the hillfort, and there are some beautiful examples out there, but this -Santa Tegra- is one of the best preserved ones.

It's getting up there and feeling I'm more connected to my ancestors. We used to live in places like this!

[paganimagevault]

The Man from Hami with a Dozen Hats, 1000 BCE

Interesting, considering that Tocharian was particularly close to Celtic languages. Just going to screenshot the section from the Penn Museum site.

[memories-of-ancients]

The Forgotten Battle of Silva Litana, Autumn 216 BC

The year 216 BC was certainly a bad year for Roman civilization and perhaps the worst year of the Roman Republic’s history. Two years into the Second Punic War Hannibal Barca and his Carthaginian Army had crossed the Alps and marched deep into Italy. 

In the summer of 216 BC the Romans assembled the largest Roman army in their history up to that point in order to stop Hannibal once and for all. The two armies met on August 2nd near Cannae in southern Italy. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Carthaginians managed to surround and annihilate the Roman Army, leaving only 15,000 survivors out of an army of 85,000. The Battle of Cannae would go down in history as Hannibal’s greatest victory, and one of Rome’s worst defeats. In the aftermath another embarrassing and devastating defeat would occur which today is little known, being overshadowed by the horrors of Cannae. Yet the massacre at Silva Litana was in many ways just as devastating and the tactics used would rival the best of Hannibal in terms of ingenuity and brilliance.

Merely a few months after the Battle of Cannae, the Roman Consul Lucius Postumius Albinus raised an army of 25,000 men in order to retaliate against the Boii, a Celtic tribe living in Cisalpine Gaul (Northern Italy) who had allied with and given support to Hannibal. The route took the army through a heavily wooded forest called Litana.

Unfortunately for the Romans, the Boii had predicted this route and had readied a clever ambush.  The only way through the forest was a single small road. Along the road the Boii had cut large notches in the trees so that they would remain standing if unsupported, but could be easily knocked over. Once the Roman army had march deep within the forest, the Boii sprang from their hiding places and began pushing dozens of trees onto the Romans. The large trees easily crushed men, horses, and wagons, and broke apart Roman formations leading to panic and chaos among the Romans. The Roman army broke and scattered in terror as the Boii attacked, allowing the Boii to easily pick off scattered groups of soldiers. The Boii took no prisoners, executing all who surrendered. Out of the 25,000 Romans who marched into the forest, only 10 are said to have escaped, a survival rate that was far worse than even Cannae.

The disaster at Silva Litana only added more bad news for Rome, sending the city into a panic. In desperation the Romans resorted to human sacrifice to appease the gods while recruiting criminals and slaves in order to rebuild the Roman Army. Fortunately for Rome, this was a time in history when the Roman military machine could take a lot of punishment but still keep fighting. After the disasters at Cannae and Litana the Romans changed strategy, preferring to avoid direct battle with Hannibal, instead opening up new fronts in the war to spread out Carthaginian resources. Instead of trying to defeat the Carthaginians with a few decisive battles, the Roman’s settled on slowly grinding down the enemy through long attrition. Hannibal would never conquer Italy or Rome, and while the Romans could afford to lose tens of thousands of men, the Carthaginians could not. While the Romans had the resources to play the long game, the Carthaginians did not. As for the Boii, the Romans retaliated in 193 BC and defeated them at the Battle of Mutina and forced the entire tribe to flee from northern Italy. 

[thelonelybarrow]

et maintenant, Taran!!

[999lcf]

Artist unknown

[irish-dress-history]

Should this Celt be blue?

An irish-dress-history game.

I've been researching the actual historical evidence behind the idea that ancient Insular Celts painted or tattooed themselves blue, and I thought it would be fun to make a game out of it. Below are various depictions of this idea along with the culture and date they are supposed to be depicting. The game is to guess whether each use of body paint or tattoos is supported by actual historical evidence. Answers are in the image descriptions.

(Note: This game is not intended to mock or criticize the artists and costume designers of any of these works. Good information on this topic is hard to find, and movie creators and artists frequently have goals other than historical accuracy. I am mocking Mel Gibson though, because f*** that guy.)

1 A 'Woad' (ie Pict) from 5th c. Britain. 2. Tattooed Irish warrior in 1170

3. A Medieval Scottish lord 4. Iceni Queen Boudica c. 60 CE

5. Ancient? Ireland 6. Britons during the time of Julius Cesar

7. Picts in 149 CE 8. Scots in 1297

Bibliography:

Hoecherl, M. (2016). Controlling Colours: Function and Meaning of Colour in the British Iron Age. Archaeopress Publishing LTD, Oxford. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Controlling_Colours/WRteEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

MacQuarrie, Charles. (1997). Insular Celtic tattooing: History, myth and metaphor. Etudes Celtiques, 33, 159-189. https://doi.org/10.3406/ecelt.1997.2117