Celtic Paganism

Ancient Celtic religion, commonly known as Celtic paganism, was the religion of the ancient Celtic peoples of Europe. Because there are no extant native records of their beliefs, evidence about their religion is gleaned from archaeology, Greco-Roman accounts (some of them hostile and probably not well-informed), and literature from the early Christian period. While the specific deities worshipped varied by region and over time, underlying this were broad similarities in the deities that were worshiped. Celtic gods include Lugus (king of the gods who was accompanied by crows and ravens, carried a spear, and closed one eye to do his magic), Toutatis (meaning god of the tribe, widely interpreted to be a tribal protector. According to Roman writer Lucan, the Gauls offered human sacrifices to him), Taranis (god of thunder), Cernunnos (a god depicted with antlers, seated cross-legged, and associated with stags, horned serpents, dogs and bulls. He is usually shown holding or wearing a torc and sometimes holding a bag of coins, or grain, and a cornucopia), Epona (patron goddess of mares and foals), Maponos (god of youth, hunting, and music. In Roman Britain, he was equated with Apollo), Belenos (god of fire, primarily worshiped in Gaul and Britain and associated with the sun, healing, and prophecy), Ogmios (a binding god with the ability to bind people to himself and control their actions, and to bind the souls of the dead to lead them to the afterlife), and Sucellos (god of agriculture, boundaries, and wine, and associated with Silvanus, Roman god of the countryside). Sacred springs were often associated with Celtic healing deities. Triplicity is a common theme in Celtic mythology, with a number of deities are regarded as being threefold entities. The druids were the priests of Celtic religion, but little is known about them. Greco-Roman writers record that the Celts held ceremonies in sacred groves and other natural shrines, called nemetons, while some Celtic peoples also built temples or ritual enclosures. Celtic peoples often made votive offerings which would be placed in water and wetlands, or in ritual shafts and wells. Evidence exists that ancient Celtic peoples sacrificed animals, almost always livestock or working animals. There is also some evidence that ancient Celts sacrificed human beings and, though possibly cases of slanderous imperial propaganda, some Greco-Roman sources claim that the Gauls sacrificed criminals by burning them in a large wicker basket shaped like a man. Various contemporary Neopagan groups claim an association with Celtic paganism. These groups range from the Reconstructionists, who work to practise ancient Celtic religion with as much accuracy as possible, to eclectic New Age groups who draw some of their inspiration from Celtic mythology and iconography.