CELTIC NATIONS

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THE SEVEN CELTIC NATIONS 

Ireland    Scotland   Wales 

 Cornwall   Isle of Man  Galicia

Brittany 

The Celts

The Celts originally inhabited an area in southern Germany and Bohemia. By the end of the 5th century BC they had expanded into the Iberian peninsula; in 390 BC they sacked Rome. In the east they went as far as Anatolia. In the west they migrated to Britain in the 5th century BC and Ireland in the 3rd century BC.

 

A great deal may be learned about the Celts from the archaeological materials left behind in the various countries where their culture dominated for several centuries. Most of the written documents of Celtic culture and religion are from Ireland and date from the 12th century AD, when they were written under Christian aegis.

 

As in the other Indo-European cultures, a clear tripartite structure appears in Celtic societal organization. The principal divisions are the king, the warriors, and the cattle herders. The religious hierarchy is also tripartite, consisting of the priestly Druids, who also served as administrators; the vatis or filidh, experts in magic and divination; and the bards, who are concerned with oral literature and prose poetry.

 

As a culture the Celts display counteracting tendencies: they seem to be autonomous, anarchic, and concerned for local traditions, but a basic unitary character is manifested in their social organization and mythological histories.

The Celtic pantheon is difficult to discern. The names of several hundred gods are known, but the majority appear to be local deities. During the Roman period, many Celtic deities were identified with Roman gods. One of the most important, called Lug in Ireland, was identified with Mercury.

 


THE ORIGINS OF IRELAND

 Ireland has been known by many names throughout time. The first name given to the land was Island of Woods, and this name was given by a warrior of the people of "Nin, son of Bel ". Three times indeed was the island all one woodland as the poet says - "Three times Eire put coverings on her, and three times bareness off her."

 

The second name was Land at the Limit of the World, and the third name was Noble Island. In the time of the "Firbolg" it had this name on it.

 

The fourth name was Eire, and this is from the name of the queen of the Tuatha De Danann, that is to say Fodhla and Banbha.

 

The next name was Inis Fail, the Island of stone, which is the stone of destiny that the Tuatha De Danann brought with them. It is a tabu-stone, for it used to roar under the person fit to be king when the assembly of the men of the island met at Tara. But it has not roared from the time of Conchobor forward, for the false idols of the world when Christ was born.

 

The next name was Isle of Mists, and the next was Scotia. and then Hibernia, and after that Irlanda. This means the land of Ir, who was the son of Mile, and he was the first man of that clan to be buried on the island.

It is said that the Greeks called the land Ogygia, which is to say the most ancient land, and this is suitable, for it is a long, long time since it was first inhabited.