Celtic Symbols

The Cranberries are a popular Irish Pop/Rock group who released several albums, mainly in the 1990s. While their music cannot be called Celtic in any traditional sense, their sound, especially lead singer Dolores O’Riordan has a definite Irish/Celtic mood to it. The songs of the Cranberries, such as “Dream” and “Linger” are mellow, thoughtful soft rock, but too interesting to be dull the way some “soft” music is. The Cranberries are currently not performing as a group, as members have gone their separate ways.

I actually chose this topic because I found the following video that contains many interesting Celtic symbols, set to a Cranberries tune called Zombie.

The dragon is often thought of as a Celtic symbol, though it came to Celtic lands relatively late. Dragons, of course, are important mythic symbols in China and other Asian lands. In the West, they tend to have a darker image, often associated with evil.

Today Celtic dragons are best known as symbols of Wales. The red dragon of originally represented Wales, who was fighting the white dragon, which represented the Saxons.

When you look at ancient Celtic art, however, you don’t find dragons. These magical creatures were probably introduced to the British Isles by the roaming Vikings. By the Middle Ages, dragons were a symbol used in many European lands, including Ireland, where they can be found in the Book of Kells.

The dragon is still a sort of ambiguous symbol, admired in some ways but feared as a destroyer. Tolkien, who based his sagas at least partly on Celtic legends, cast his dragons as villains, as in the Hobbit. It is likely that the Christian influence, which associates reptiles in general with evil (going back to the Garden of Eden), has made Europeans suspicious of dragons.

In recent years, however, dragon lore has been undergoing a kind of renaissance, with dragon tattoos, sculptures, role playing games, fantasy novels and so on capturing the imagination of people everywhere. Dragons have also, along with faeries, been recast as benevolent protectors in certain neo-Pagan circles (which is closer to how they have long been seen in the East). Dragons often appear in Celtic tattoos, jewelry, t-shirts and other decorations.

It seems that the dragon, whether as a Celtic symbol, a relic of medieval days, or a Far Eastern transplant has undergone a kind of rehabilitation and is increasingly admired for its beauty and courage, as well as its ability to spark our imaginations.

The Holy Grail, while not necessarily a Celtic symbol per se, has long been associated with the British Isles. It is best known today from the legends of King Arthur. It is supposed to be the cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper. In a 12th Century story by Robert de Boron, the Grail is brought to Britain by Joseph of Arimathea. Medieval legends describe knights such as Percival on quests for the Grail.

There are also connections between the Grail legend and Welsh literature, especially the Mabinogion, in which the hero Bran has a life-giving cauldron.
Some authors and researchers, notably Lewis Spence The Mysteries of Britain (Senate Paperbacks)
connect the Holy Grail to earlier Celtic beliefs, such as Cerridwen’s Cauldron, from which the mythic bard Taliesin drank, giving him the gift of prophecy.

While the Holy Grail has long been a sacred symbol of Christianity, especially in Western Europe, the cauldrons of Bran and Cerridwen have more recently been resurrected by neo-pagans. It is difficult to prove one way or the other whether these two traditions are directly related –that is, if the Holy Grail developed out of earlier tales of cauldrons from the Celtic lands.

When it comes to symbolism, however, it isn’t necessary to find direct historical links in order to find meanings and similarities. The Grail, and its connection to Jesus, relates to the Christian sacrement of Communion, in which worshippers partake of Christ’s body and blood, symbolizing eternal life. This seems to connect with the cauldron of Bran.

J. A. MacCulloch’s The Religion of the Ancient Celts
connects the cauldron with earlier fertility gods and goddesses, such as Dagda and Cerridwen, and spoke of the “three properties of the cauldron –inexhaustibility, inspiration and regeneration. From this we can see that both the Holy Grail and the cauldrons of Celtic tradition were related in many ways.

Celtic symbols, designs and artwork make great tattoos. You can use Celtic knots, crosses, spirals and zoomorphic images in an infinite number of ways to create a great traditional or unique tattoo design.

Celtic tattoos are part of the tribal tattoo type, although they have a distinctive quality of their own. They are especially good for displaying different bright colors. Celtic knotwork, for example, can have any number of overlapping colors.

The video below has some ideas you can use. Find out more about
Celtic symbols, designs and artwork make great tattoos. You can use Celtic knots, crosses, spirals and zoomorphic images in an infinite number of ways to create a great traditional or unique tattoo design.

Celtic tattoos are part of the tribal tattoo type, although they have a distinctive quality of their own. They are especially good for displaying different bright colors. Celtic knotwork, for example, can have any number of overlapping colors.

The video below has some ideas you can use. Find out more about
Celtic Tattoos

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVAXSGPNsxo

Samhain, or Halloween marks the end of the light half of the year and the beginning of the dark half in the Celtic calendar. It may seem odd to think of November 1 as New Year’s Day, but perhaps no stranger than January 1, which is, after all, the heart of winter. A more intuitive New Year’s Day would probably be the start of Spring, around March 21. However, it’s interesting to contemplate why the Celts chose the time of year when winter was approaching to mark the New Year.

Samhain, which was the largest celebration in medieval Ireland, lasting for three days, is also the name of the month of November in Irish and Scottish. It marks the final harvest, as well as being a time to honor the dead. It is also believed to be a time when the “veil” between worlds -the world of the living and the world of the dead- is thinnest. This is the origin of modern Halloween ghosts, witches and so forth.

Wiccan and Celtic Re-constructionist pagans also honor Samhain as the highest holy day. They generally follow the Celtic Wheel of the Year, which is marked by the four seasonal changes (the solstices and equinoxes) and four festivals, Beltane, Samhain, Lughnasa and Imbolc. While the ancient and medieval Celts probably did not follow this calendar precisely, it is based on some of the traditional Celtic festivals and honors the Celtic practice of following the cycles of nature.

Some religious fundamentalists, meanwhile, see Halloween or Samhain as satanic or a celebration of heathen gods. While the latter may be true from a Christian (or monotheistic) point of view, the notion that pagan beliefs are satanic is not accurate. The fact is, paganism originates from a world view that did not recognize a single malevolent entity such as Satan or the Devil, so such an entity was neither worshipped nor feared or hated.

Many Celtic Christians have integrated the traditions of their pagan ancestors with Christian beliefs. For example, November 1 is also All Saints Day. The other pagan festivals have been similarly “updated” with Christian interpretations.

Whatever path you follow, Happy Celtic New Year!