At first glimpse, it may seem that there is nothing in common between our modern life and representatives of this ancient ethnos that inhabited Europe many years ago. Well, maybe except certain similarities in language and historical heritage. In most countries people mention Celts and their culture only during specific seminars in historical and philologic faculties or during football matches of the Champions League when Celtic from Scotland plays.
But just like in case with any other people, the true Celtic essence is brightly depicted in their spiritual culture. In order to understand how these people saw the surrounding world and its phenomenons, what made them different from others, we invite you to join us in our exciting travel to the world of the Celtic traditions and mythology.
Celtic Pantheon Of Gods
Speaking about Celtic beliefs, we want to mention that Celts believed in magical forces that run through the world around them and influence all aspects of life. In his book, well-known British writer Terence Powell indicates that there was no such an organized and commonly accepted pantheon of ancient Celtic gods like in Greece or Rome but in many legends and mythological cycles we can trace the elements of the Indo-European tradition which Celts belonged to. Charles Squire has the same point of view in his book “The Celtic Mythology”.
Most of the data that we have today about the continental Celts beliefs if related to the inscriptions on the historical monuments that were created on those Celtic territories that were part of the Roman Empire. Writings in Latin or sometimes Greek languages usually were devoted to the famous Roman gods. They were similar to the Celtic gods and goddesses or stood together with them. Some information can be also found in the works of Ceasar.
The Western Europe is the place where the Celtic culture developed as well as the Central Europe in the times of the golden age. It was not politically united and uniform. As a result, there was a rather big difference in religious practices in different parts of the Celtic world (although God Lugh is mentioned in the mythology of all Celtic groups). Three hundred names of deities are known. They have tight connections with the Roman gods and are compared with them in many sources. But each tribe also had their own gods, only a few of them were widely well-known and worshiped. But still, there are general traits that allow to assume existence of the common pantheon.
The oldest myths can be found only in the medieval times in Celtic culture. They appeared during the Heroic Age. As Christianity began to spread further, Celtic gods and goddesses slowly began to be not so popular as before. The material that remained was taken from Tuatha Dé Danann that is based on the text of «Cath Maige Tuireadh».
Dagda
The most respected and recognized god in the Celtic pantheon was Dagda. Humans and other deities were created in his own image. Celtic gods were also in the clan because of no specialization and unknown origin. Special character of Dagda makes him a parody figure in Irish mythology and some authors made a conclusion that he was a God kind enough to tolerate jokes aim at him. Irish fairy tales depict Dagda as a powerful person armed with a spear. In Dorset, a ceremonial county in South West England, there is the famous image of a phallic giant known as Cerne Abbas Giant. He has a big club in his arm. The figure is made in the form of trenches dug in soil and backfilled with chalk rubble. Although, most probably, it was created in the period of time that passed not so long ago during the civil war), it was considered to be the image of Dagda. In Gallia, there was an assumption that Dagda is related to Sucellus who wielded a hammer.
Morrigan
War and fate were associated with the Celtic goddess Morrigan. People called her Morrigan but in different parts she was divided into different individuals that had different names and meanings. Each of them represented different aspects of a battle. Number three played a special role in Celtic religion. There were several attempts to link Morrigan with Morgan, King Arthur’s sister.
Lugh
The god that appears in fairy tales very often – Lugh. Most probably, he was preceded by Belenos who was very respected and well-known god associated with healing. This deity is known among Celtic religion gods because of many geographical names related to his name, from Italy to the UK, with a main temple located at the sea coast in Aquileia. The holiday in Ireland that is dedicated to him is called Lughnasa (in modern Irish language it’s called Lúnasa).
Others
Other important Celtic deities include Brigit (the daughter of Dagda), Aibel (sometimes referred to as Aeval or Eevill), Aine, the goddess of beauty Clíodhna. Also, we can mention Epona, the goddess of horses. She is celebrated by the horse races on one of the summer festivals.
What we offer
Our online store offers wooden figurines of the Celtic pantheon of gods that can be added to your collection or be a part of your interior’s design. They are 15 – 25 centimeters in height (6-10 inches) and can be put anywhere to emphasize your passion for ancient traditions, culture and history. Gods and goddesses of Celtic mythology take a special place in the cultural world of the Western civilization and are an object of interest of many people who are fond of studying this part of our culture. You can easily transport them to any place or even take them with you while travelling. All of our items are hand-made, such kind of things always were and are valuable around the world. Experienced craftsmen and special production technology allows us to make reliable and qualitative figures that will always stay in shape and will not fade. Color and shape will last for decades, they will not crack, change their form or color.