James William
The Celtic people, or Celts, were a group of European tribes that carved out their own swath of history across Continental Europe. They developed a reputation for being hard-drinking and hard-fighting, and were prized as mercenaries by Greeks and Romans alike. Many figures in Insular Celtic myth have ancient continental counterparts; Irish Lugh and Welsh Lleu, for example, are cognate with Lugus and Llyr.
Definition
The term Celtic is most commonly used to describe the people that once inhabited Continental Europe, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and the Isle of Man. But it can also refer to their culture, language, and art. Without first-hand written records, it’s hard to reconstruct the details of ancient Celtic society, but we know that it was hierarchical. There were kings, warrior aristocrats, and freemen farmers, as well as druids who performed magico-religious duties and served as repositories of community knowledge.
The study of these people, their languages, and their cultural history is considered Celtic studies. Scholars often use Latin and vernacular sources when studying Celtic culture. They may also examine manuscripts written in Latin or Celtic languages. These subjects are important because they can help us understand the impact that Christianity had on Celts, both those who converted to it and those that remained pagans.
Origins
Although not a singular people, Celtic tribes shared similar language, traditions and religion. They inhabited continental Europe as far east as modern Turkey, to know more click here at thecelticstar.com/celtic-must-exit-junk-time-and-return-to-firing-on-all-cylinders/. The Celts are believed to have evolved from three earlier cultural groups. The earliest, the Urnfield culture of the Late Bronze Age (1200 to 800 BCE), is notable for its ironworking technology and the practice of interring the cremated remains of the dead.
The second significant development in Celts is the La Tene culture of the 5th century BCE. This material culture included ringed crosses, swirling triskeles, and art featuring stylized motifs. It is thought to be the origin of the word “celtic.” Hecataeus of Miletus, a Greek geographer of the sixth century BCE, first used the term. Roman authors also wrote about the Celtic regions they encountered.
Culture
Celtic culture included a strong kinship system where rulers maintained loyalty through gift-giving, feasting and social displays. They were polytheistic, believing in many gods. They also believed in an afterlife. They would often bury their belongings in their tombs, so they could take them with them into the next life. They were influenced by the cultures they came into contact with, including the Greeks and Etruscans. Consequently, they would often incorporate elements from these other cultures into their own. For example, bronze animal head masks were often fashioned to decorate cauldrons and drinking horns.
Although the Celts converted to Christianity from about the 5th century CE, their distinctive designwork continued into medieval art. This included complex curvilinear designs in illuminated manuscripts and the intricate vegetal motifs on carved stone crosses.
Religion
The Celtic people were not influenced by Greco-Roman religion and so they were able to maintain many time-honored practices of prayer, communion with nature, community, hospitality, and artistic use of the imagination. They were also able to incorporate Christianity into these traditions in a way that emphasizes the beautiful presence of God with all of creation. The Celts believed that the natural world contained spirits – not necessarily evil ones but they could react to human actions. They also believed that animals like cattle, sheep and horses were divine.
They held some religious feasts such as Imbolc which later became St. Brigid’s day and Lughnasad which was probably a harvest festival. The druids were powerful spiritual leaders and it was they who settled disputes. Caesar wrote that some of them built effigies they filled with living men and then set them on fire to pay tribute to the gods.
Art
In the 19th century a new interest in Celtic culture spread throughout Europe inspired by the writings of James Macpherson and the Romantic movement. This stimulated a revival of ancient Celtic art. Metalwork is typical of this art. The gold, bronze, and iron of which bracelets, torcs, necklaces, and dishes were made allowed for elaborate ornamentation. Curvilinear patterns filled with circles and spirals, positive and negative space, are characteristic of this art. Miniature sculptures often adorned the handles and points of suspension of cauldrons, chariots and similar vessels. Animals, real and imaginary, were also a favorite subject. The horns of bulls, for example, adorned weapons and armor and were used as helmet crests. The instinct to ornament is fundamental in this art. The Waldagesheim style, named after the find site near the town of Waldagesheim in Germany, is a particularly recognizable form.
Conclusion
Most of the art from this era that has survived is metal, particularly gold, often with scrollwork that suggests ivies and other foliage. Among these objects are weapons, sculptures, and vessels like bowls.
