The Legacy of the Celts

When considering certain accounts of the Celts, we may come away with the impression of a somewhat barbaric population famous for their rage, their uncouth appearance, and their fear of an eclipse.

But through archaeological findings, this impression has shown to be far from accurate – instead, the Celts were clearly one of the most influential civilisations that existed.

Their influence is seen in art and culture across different countries, even today. Yet, many of us are still confused about who the Celts actually were...

 

Who were the Celts?

Although it’s thought that the Celts originated as early as 400 BC, they were first documented in the seventh and eighth centuries B.C.

They were a group of distinct tribes that were scattered around Europe, but they spoke a similar language and shared a kindred culture, tradition, and religion.

Their spread throughout Europe was expansive; they originated in central Europe (the exact area is an issue of debate) but eventually branched out to the west of the continent, to countries such as Ireland, Britain, France, and Spain.

The Irish, the Gaels, the Gauls, the Britons, and the Galatians were all Celtic tribes. Variations of the Celtic language are still spoken in modern-day Ireland and Great Britain, so therefore many people in these countries still feel a strong association with the legacy of the Celts.

 

What religion were the Celts?

The Celts were polytheistic, therefore their traditions and legends were rich with tales of different Gods and Goddesses, however, unlike Greek and Roman cultures, their Gods didn’t have as clearly delineated functions.

Paganism was one of the larger religious divisions within the polytheistic Celts, and although there was a lot of variation within paganism, it was structurally similar across the different Celtic cultures.

What’s more, in Britain and Ireland, there were castes of “magico-religious specialists” known as the Druids, but not much is known about their practices.

Did the Celts practice human sacrifice?

The Roman Empire, who governed most of southern Europe at the same time as the Celts, referred to them as “Galli”, otherwise known as barbarians, as they were seen as a threat to the Mediterranean lifestyle.

They were eager to stress that the Celts were an animalistic culture that practiced human sacrifice – they even laid the foundations for the belief that Celtic priests used human entrails to “read” messages from the gods. 

It would be easy to understand this as mere propaganda, but archaeological evidence has uncovered prehistoric bodies that suggest that human sacrifice was actually a reality for the Celts.

In fact, the similarities between the bodies imply that these people all experienced a very similar form of execution, therefore possibly a form of ritualistic practice.

Although the Celts were head-hunters, especially of the skulls of their enemies, they usually practiced the threefold death in their rituals. This involved hitting the person across the head, before strangling them with a tightly wound cord, and then cutting their throat. Their body would then be placed face-down in a bog.

 

Ancient Celtic Symbols

As there are few written records of Celtic mythology, most of what can be surmised about their religious beliefs and practices are pieced together from the many icons and symbols that they used. Although these symbols are abundant, we’ll go through some of the more famous ones.

The Trinity Knot is a particularly famous Celtic symbol – also known as the Triquetra which means three-cornered, it is especially associated with Irish history. Although its origins are mostly unknown because of how old it is, it is thought to be associated with the solar and lunar cycles. It is also commonly associated with the mind, body, and soul.

Triskele are constructed from three joining spirals in different forms and are thought to represent the inner and outer worlds. They are also associated with themes of birth, death, and rebirth and the conjoining of the mental, physical, and spiritual self.

The Claddagh symbol is one of the Celt’s more famous icons, mostly due to its popular use as a ring and in entertainment media. The Claddagh is made up of hands that symbolize friendship, a crown that represents loyalty, and a heart, which stands for everlasting love.

The ancient Celts believed that trees were the entrance to the spiritual world, and also thought that they were the ancestors of man, hence, the Druids were known to hold their meetings under them. Therefore, their Tree of Life symbol appears in many different cultures and religions.

 

Curious to know if you have any Celtic DNA in your ancient history? Find out today with My True Ancestry.