Celtic Symbols

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!

Crop circles are a fascinating and controversial topic. While not specifically Celtic in nature, they do mainly occur in or near lands where the Celts have dwelt, namely the British Isles. Some crop circles do exhibit patterns found in Celtic symbols such as Celtic knots, Celtic crosses or triskeles (triple spirals). Of course, many other patterns appear as well.

There are many theories about what these mysterious and often beautiful patterns mean and who constructed them. These theories include that they are man-made hoaxes, created by extraterrestrials, made by hidden forms of energy or that they are some kind of distraction or “disinfo” campaign on the part of the goverment or Illuminati.

There is a definite link between crop circles and sacred geometry, especially spirals. Those who maintain that all crop circles are hoaxes have a difficult time showing how such intricate patterns can be constructed in what is often a very short time.
The following video looks at some of the connections between crop circles and ancient sacred sites:

The Triskele is a triple spiral symbol is a Celtic and even pre-Celtic symbol that has been found on ancient megalithic and neolithic sites around Ireland, such as Newgrange. The number 3 and the triple spiral has had various meanings over the centuries. The triple spiral has been associated with the Sun. One idea is that the triple spiral represents pregnancy, with each of the three spirals standing for three months. Yet another, and not necessarily contradictory interpretation is that the triple spiral represents the three phases of birth, death and rebirth.

Modern neo-Pagans, such as Wiccans, recognize the Triple Goddess, which is probably the most common contemporary association of the triskele. It is likely that ancient pagans associated this ancient Irish symbol with some kind of divinity as well. The Christians, of course, later worshipped the Trinity.

The spiral by itself is an ancient symbol occurring in many cultures. It is usually considered to be symbolic of the universe or cosmos as it unfolds over time. Many consider it to be significant that the DNA helix has a spiral shape. The triskele, or triple spiral is a variation on this cosmic theme, reflecting the sacredness some cultures had for the number three.

The triskelion (which means “three-legged” in Greek) is a similar symbol, consisting of three interlocked spirals. These are also commonly found in Celtic lands. The triskelion is, in fact the official symbol of the Celtic land of Brittany. It is also found on the Isle of Man (yet another Celtic land, with its own language) and Sicily. This symbol has also been found on ancient Greek coins.

The ancient Irish symbol, the triskele and its counterpart in nearby lands, the Triskelion are sacred depictions of the number three as related to nature or the divine. They are being revived by fantasy and tattoo artists today, especially those who work with Celtic symbols.

Celtic knots are probably the best known of Celtic symbols. They are attractive symbols in themselves, and are often used today as borders and decorations on other works of art or design. They are also very popular today in tattoos, as well as jewelry.

The Celtic knot is a symbol of infinity, and of the many connections that exist between all things. One possible analogy in the world of symbolism would be to the magic carpet, as in Persia and other places where intricate carpets were (and still are woven. The weaving of a carpet has been used to symbolize layers of reality, and the magic or flying carpet could mean many things, such as astral or interdimensional travel.

Can you draw a Celtic knot? It is no simple matter for most people. The bad news is that I cannot teach you this; I have trouble drawing stick figures in fact. The good news is that this cool little video shows someone demonstrating the technique to drawing a Celtic knot in under 3 minutes! She also discusses the history of the Book of Kells, a medieval manuscript that contains many Celtic knots and other beautiful designs.

Thanks for visiting the Celtic Symbols blog! This site is inspired by the beauty and enduring popularity of Celtic symbols such as knotwork, zoomorphic images (those depicting animals, both real and imaginary, such as sea monsters and dragons) and other images. These images are very commonly seen today in many art books, in jewelry, as tattoos and fantasy art (paintings, book covers, CD covers, etc.).

Celtic art goes way back in history, and I’ll be exploring some of this fascinating tradition. There will also be links to other interesting sites and resources. I think Celtic symbols and artwork has such appeal, not only for its intrinsic beauty, but because it expresses something of the infinite, as in a Celtic knot. There is both a spirituality and earthiness to Celtic art.

I’d like to explore the many ways Celtic symbols have been used over the centuries, including languages. For example, one of the earliest Celtic languages was the Irish Tree Alphabet, known as Ogham. This, and other aspects of Celtic or Gaelic languages have also become very popular recently, especially in music.

So please visit this site often and keep up with this fascinating aspect of Celtic culture!