|
Goddesses and Gods: The Celts did not form a single religious or political unity.
They were organized into tribes spread across what is now several countries. As a
result, of the 374 Celtic deities which have been found, over 300 occur only once in
the archeological record; they are believed to be local deities. There is some
evidence that their main pantheon of Gods and Goddesses might have totaled about
3 dozen - perhaps precisely 33 (a frequently occurring magical number in Celtic
literature). Some of the more famous are: Arawn, Brigid, Cernunnos, Cerridwen,
Danu, Herne, Lugh, Rhiannon and Taranis. Many Celtic deities were worshipped in
triune (triple aspect) form. Triple Goddesses were often sisters.
Afterlife: The dead were transported to the Otherworld by the God Bile (AKA Bel,
Belenus). Life continued in this location much as it had before death. The Druids
believed that the soul was immortal. After the person died in the Otherworld, their
soul lives again in another human body. At every birth, the Celts mourned the
death of a person in the Otherworld which made the new birth possible.
Creation Myth: No Druidic creation story appears to have survived, although there
are numerous accounts of the supernatural creation of islands, mountains, etc.
Baptism: There is some evidence that the Celts had a baptism initiation ceremony
similar to those found in Buddhist, Christian, Essene, Hindu, Islamic, and Jainist
sacred texts. Other researchers dismiss baptism as a forgery by Christian scribes as
they transferred Celtic material to written form.
Divination: Druids used many techniques to foretell the future: meditation, study
of the flight of birds, interpreting dreams, and interpreting the pattern of sticks
thrown to the ground.
Awen symbol: This is a symbol drawn in the form of three pillars, in which the
outer two are sloped towards the center pillar, as in /|\. The symbol has been in
use since the 17th century; it recalls the Druidic fascination with the number three.
Triskele symbol: This is an ancient Druidic symbol consisting of three curved
branches, bent legs or arms radiating from the center of the symbol. The flag of
the Isle of Man contains a triskele.
|
