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CELTIC RELIGIONS
The pagan religions of late Roman times not only shared many
characteristics with each other and the Christianity they all
opposed, but formed a kind of single, multi-form, monotheistic
religion, incorporating varied means of expressing (and
reaching out and touching) the one Supreme Being that all
envisioned.In the same way as
all other late Roman cultures, the lifestyle of the Celts
influenced the structure and beliefs of their religion, known
as Druidism. When Anglesey was settled by the Celts in
about 100 BC, it became the center of this religion. It consisted of
Pagan
beliefs in deities of the Earth, spirits of the woodland, sun
gods, as well as elves and demons.
The Celtic religion
was strictly oral, and in order to preserve it, the Druids
learned a large number of sacred texts and teachings by heart.
They traveled widely, in order to conserve the sense of unity
between the many tribes. As the priests, wise men and
prophets, it was their duty to keep alive learning and
morality.
The Celts had great respect for the Earth, so many
natural elements and areas were considered sacred. The great
oak tree was honored, and the mistletoe which grew on its
branches was gathered during services.
Lakes
and rivers too were revered, notably the river Avon in Bath,
England, which was attributed with mysterious healing powers,
attributed to the goddess Sulis. The river Seine in France was
also a place of Celtic pilgrimage, where Sequana, goddess of
healing, was worshipped.
For the Celts, the soul was immortal and death simply a
passing from one world to the next and the places of the living
and the dead were continually exchanged. The warrior princes of
early Celts were buried in their chariots with all their weapons
and household possessions, as well as their rank insignia. The
tomb was then covered with a funeral mound, known as a tumulus,
and often a statue was placed on top.
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The Druids believed the spirits of those who had
died in the preceding year roamed the earth on Samhain evening. The Celts would seek to ward
off the spirits with offerings of food and drink.
In the 1st century AD, the Celtic way of
life was to face a huge turning point, when the British Isles were
conquered by the Romans. However, the Romans did not, as a whole,
try to prevent the Celts from practicing Druidism, or forcibly
convert them to their religion. When they arrived at the Celtic
lands, they realized that their beliefs were very similar to the old
Roman religion; the belief in formless, vague spirits known as the "numina."
This aided the Romans in their understanding of the Celtic culture.
When the Romans made
an alliance with the ancient Greeks, they took a considerable
liking in the Greek religion, with its powerful gods including
Zeus, Aphrodite and Hermes. But instead of completely rejecting
the belief in numina, they combined the two beliefs, identifying
the Greek Gods with Roman spirits: Zeus was identified the Roman
spirit Jupiter, Aphrodite with Venus and Hermes with Mercury. This
was one factor which helped unify the Ancient Greeks and Romans,
and the Romans knew that they could use this strategy to help win
favor of the Celtic tribes.
One of the most largest projects of
this kind was the building of a Roman bath at the river Avon -
today known as Bath. The Romans identified the Celtic goddess
Sulis, worshipped by the Celts at this site, with their own
goddess Minerva. Thus, the shrine to the deity Sulis-Minerva
was
built upon the Avon, in an effort to merge the two cultures, which
lead to the development of the city of Aquae Sulis. But the
unification between Celtic and Roman cultures was not the only
motive behind the creation of the great city. The Romans greatly
publicized the reputed healing powers of the river Avon, and it
became a prominent place of pilgrimage. Romans from all over the
empire came to Aquae Sulis in order to be healed of sickness or
injury by bathing in the mystical waters of the Avon - now made
into the Roman equivalent of a spa with the building of heated
baths. The sick would also prey to the goddess Sulis-Minerva in
desperate hope of a cure, at the shrine of Aquae Sulis. This in
turn lead to the growth of shops and stalls around the shrine,
where merchants would sell all manners of charms and offerings to
pilgrims. The once sacred area pilgrimage had become something of
a commercial site of tourism.
Despite the Roman influences, the
Celtic culture thrived until the Middle Ages. At this time, a new
religion arrived in Europe from the east - the religion of
Christianity. It spread with great speed throughout Britain,
leading to the building of churches and cathedrals all over
England. Sadly, it was at the time perceived that Christianity
could not be compatible with the Pagan beliefs. Over time, the
Christian priests claimed that the old religion of the Celts was
blasphemous, and embraced the powers of evil. The Celtic woodland
gods, with their animal features of horns and tails, were said to
be incarnations of the Devil, and the faeries and elves believed to
be Angels who fell from Heaven out of their disloyalty to God. The
Celtic rituals were wholly condemned as practices of black magic,
leading to the burning of those who were accused of witchcraft.
Gradually, Druidism became crushed under the power of the Christian
church and its relationship with the monarchy, which constantly
assured that anybody practicing Pagan traditions would be condemned
to eternity to Hell.
It must be noted that despite its
intolerance of the Celtic religion, the Christian church was never
able to rid Paganism without trace and in many cases, Druidism had
to be integrated into the practices of Christianity. The images of
the egg and new-born animals used by the Celts to convey fertility,
for example, were adopted as symbols of Easter, while the idea of
rebirth was carried across as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The
hare, one of the strongest of all Pagan icons for its sacred powers
connected to the Spring, was transformed into a character of
ridicule in later times - the Easter Bunny. The holiday of Samhain
became All Soul's Day.
At times, however, the leaders of both religions did try to lend a
sense of unity between the cultures. As a symbol of both Celtic and
Christian traditions, the Celtic Cross was formed, combining the
Christian cross with the circular and knot work designs of the
Celts. This symbol is still seen widely today, particularly in
Ireland where a strong Christian tradition still pays homage to the
Gaelic peoples in the art and architecture of the church. Even in
the ancient Christian texts, we read of Joseph of Aramathia coming
to the Pagan lands, and sharing greetings and blessings with the
Druids.
As told in one of the greatest Celtic
legends of all time, The Legend of King Arthur, the Celtic way of
life disappeared beyond medieval times. However, today we are
beginning to increase our understanding in the unique and special
culture which was the Celtic Pagan tradition, and the wide gap
between Paganism and Christianity is slowly closing. We are
starting to realize that the Celtic peoples were not the evil
devil-worshippers as portrayed for so long. They in fact shared far
more Christian values than Satanist, and like Christians of today,
they regarded the Earth as the property of far more divine forces
than human kind, and treated the land and all its creatures with
respect and reverence.
But may you
yourself, O God of life,
Be at my breast, be at my back,
You to me as a star, you to me as a guide,
From my life's beginning to my life's closing.
Celtic Prayer
