Principle Beliefs
In Celtic polytheism, their beliefs include: calendarical beliefs, spirits of nature, protection and beliefs connected to healing, kingship, and gods.
Firstly calendarical beliefs are those related to events in the Celtic/Coligny calendar. This is the most documented part of the Celtic belief system. The Celtic calendar was split into two main parts, Winter (Samhain) and Summer (Beltane), these were a strong influence on how the Celts structured their lives and based their beliefs upon, (which is further explained in the ‘Rituals’ section of this website). The Celtic calendar was a way to reconcile lunations and the solar year. The oldest material found of the celtic calendar was the Coligny calendar, which was discovered in Coligny, France in 1897. It used Roman numerals and dates back to 1st Century BC or AD. But the Coligny calendar is likely to be much older due to its astronomical format. Its inception date is unknown, but some research suggests that an early form of the calendar may date to the common Celtic times around roughly 800 BC. There is an engraved stone found in Ireland which is a graphical representation of a lunar calendar which functions on the same principle as the Coligny calendar.
The Celtic beliefs in the spirits of nature are based on their strong belief of mythological and transcendent forces. They believe in specific forces like protective qualities in plants, spirits dwelling in trees and beliefs of kinship reflected in the wellbeing of the land. The protective qualities in the plants come from descriptions by Pliny the Elder who described the rituals used by the Druids to collect plants indicate a belief in protective (apotropaic) qualities in the plants as well as belief in magic. The extent of the belief in the spirits of nature and their influence on everyday lives of the Celts is unknown. The Celts made sacred spots in many places of nature, for example dark groves in trees by hanging offerings onto the tree. Trees were believed to be the home for the spirits which then meant they (spirits) had power over the vegetation. Pliny the Elder said that the Celts “respect nothing more sacred than the mistletoe and the tree on which it grows.” Beliefs about healing are linked with offerings made to goddesses of sacred springs like Sequana (goddess of the river Seine and the Gaulish tribe, Sequani). There is also the belief that dogs could lick wounds as found by the British god Nodens whom had a connection with dogs that licked wounds of injured people. It is thought that curative powers given to some herbs and plants.
Beliefs about kingship is vaguely known but from archaeological evidence ideas have been sourced that the wellbeing of the king was reflected in the wellbeing of the land. For example, a king who had lost his perfect appearance reflected this back onto the land. It was not only a matter of physical perfection but also mental wellbeing. If a king who was greedy and didn’t give gifts openly then nature wouldn’t produce a healthy crop. Diverse gods have diverse functions. Some members of the Celtic society would have closer connections to one god more than others. It is thought that the gods were connected to the ‘mythological ancestors’ of the people and lived in the ‘otherworld’. The constant reference to the gods in Celtic polytheism could be seen as ancestral worship.
The Celts find meaning through their principle beliefs through the fact that they believe in immanence - the idea that gods or spiritual forces pervade this universe and are present in every aspect of life. They always believe that an existence is present and everything they do, whether it be performing rituals and ceremonies or something else, that existence is part of it and most of the time completes the event.
Firstly calendarical beliefs are those related to events in the Celtic/Coligny calendar. This is the most documented part of the Celtic belief system. The Celtic calendar was split into two main parts, Winter (Samhain) and Summer (Beltane), these were a strong influence on how the Celts structured their lives and based their beliefs upon, (which is further explained in the ‘Rituals’ section of this website). The Celtic calendar was a way to reconcile lunations and the solar year. The oldest material found of the celtic calendar was the Coligny calendar, which was discovered in Coligny, France in 1897. It used Roman numerals and dates back to 1st Century BC or AD. But the Coligny calendar is likely to be much older due to its astronomical format. Its inception date is unknown, but some research suggests that an early form of the calendar may date to the common Celtic times around roughly 800 BC. There is an engraved stone found in Ireland which is a graphical representation of a lunar calendar which functions on the same principle as the Coligny calendar.
The Celtic beliefs in the spirits of nature are based on their strong belief of mythological and transcendent forces. They believe in specific forces like protective qualities in plants, spirits dwelling in trees and beliefs of kinship reflected in the wellbeing of the land. The protective qualities in the plants come from descriptions by Pliny the Elder who described the rituals used by the Druids to collect plants indicate a belief in protective (apotropaic) qualities in the plants as well as belief in magic. The extent of the belief in the spirits of nature and their influence on everyday lives of the Celts is unknown. The Celts made sacred spots in many places of nature, for example dark groves in trees by hanging offerings onto the tree. Trees were believed to be the home for the spirits which then meant they (spirits) had power over the vegetation. Pliny the Elder said that the Celts “respect nothing more sacred than the mistletoe and the tree on which it grows.” Beliefs about healing are linked with offerings made to goddesses of sacred springs like Sequana (goddess of the river Seine and the Gaulish tribe, Sequani). There is also the belief that dogs could lick wounds as found by the British god Nodens whom had a connection with dogs that licked wounds of injured people. It is thought that curative powers given to some herbs and plants.
Beliefs about kingship is vaguely known but from archaeological evidence ideas have been sourced that the wellbeing of the king was reflected in the wellbeing of the land. For example, a king who had lost his perfect appearance reflected this back onto the land. It was not only a matter of physical perfection but also mental wellbeing. If a king who was greedy and didn’t give gifts openly then nature wouldn’t produce a healthy crop. Diverse gods have diverse functions. Some members of the Celtic society would have closer connections to one god more than others. It is thought that the gods were connected to the ‘mythological ancestors’ of the people and lived in the ‘otherworld’. The constant reference to the gods in Celtic polytheism could be seen as ancestral worship.
The Celts find meaning through their principle beliefs through the fact that they believe in immanence - the idea that gods or spiritual forces pervade this universe and are present in every aspect of life. They always believe that an existence is present and everything they do, whether it be performing rituals and ceremonies or something else, that existence is part of it and most of the time completes the event.