Who are the Celts?

We often envision Celts as light-skinned, red-haired, and freckled individuals with a mystical inclination. They are believed to see the world differently; some of them have higher senses, which allow them to see and communicate with fairies and other spirits, the spirits who dance in the evening woods.

The Celts believed in the spoken word, which is why they did not put down their myth, and we have nothing written from their culture. They had a deep connection to the natural world, guided by gods, spirits, and ancient rituals. Let’s have a glimpse into the Celtic belief system that shaped Ireland’s earliest traditions and culture.

Equality of Sexes

There is evidence that Celtic women fought alongside men when their native land was threatened, the Celtic Queens ruled and led armies into battle, and women also became poets and druids.

Celtic Religion

The Celtic Cosmos consisted of three realms: the Dubnos or Underworld, the Albuos, the heavenly domain of Belenus, and the sky deities and Bitu or  “the world of the living.” The Otherworld Albuous exists just beyond our physical reality. It reminds me of the Dreamtime of Australia – the world where deities and powerful beings dwell. The Otherworld was similar to this world – only more beautiful. Trees bore blossom and fruit at the same time; no one grew old, death had no dominion upon Albuos.

Celtic Deities

The Celtic divinities possessed the magical power of shapeshifting – changing their forms into those of humans and animals; therefore, they were not depicted in human form by the Celts. They did not fuss about the names of their deities as well. So they did not have an organized pantheon, but had lovely folklore tales.

Brigid, also spelled Brigit, or Brighid

Few deities glow in Celtic culture like the radiant goddess Brigid. Her name means “exalted” or “very high.” She is of triple nature. That means she means she embodied three aspects of divine feminine power: the maiden, the mother, and the crone. She is the goddess of home and hearth; she guides us on the path, she’s a sacred keeper of the eternal flame. Brigid protects the home and everything we hold dear.

She is celebrated during the Spring season and especially honored at the holy Imbolc Sabbath. Upon her birth, a column of fire rose from her head to the heavens. Celts associated her with poetry, the arts, and divination. One of her titles was the Lady of the Sacred Flame; the Irish people also call her the Mother Goddess of Ireland. She accepts from practitioners milk, candles, blackberries, water, bread, coins, herbal teas, spears and arrows, ivy, and heather. Later, with Christianity, Brigid became Saint Brigid – the beacon of Ireland.

Morrigan

The most powerful goddess in the Celtic Pantheon, Morrigan is a shapeshifter and can be either a human or an animal. Crows and ravens are her favorite birds. She is the patroness of magick and witches. Also Goddess of death and battle, she is honored at Samhain and Mabon. Her colors are black and blood red. She accepts offerings of red wine, red meat, traditional Irish foods, mead, storm water, and milk.

Aine

She is the goddess of fertility and summer, and one of her titles is Queen of Faerie. She is associated with Dana, a Celtic Mother Goddess. Aine is also the patron Goddess of farmers, herbalists, and healers. Witches invoke her in matters of love, protection, wealth, and abundance. They prepare offerings of cakes, mead, milk, edible flowers, golden candles, music, water, and sunstones. Her power is celebrated on Midsummer and at Litha. The festival of Lughnasadh may have been dedicated to her originally. According to legends, she can turn into a red mare, and in this form, no one can catch her. She can boast with a full and busy love life.

Artio

She is the bear goddess of Celtic mythology. Artio rules nature, fertility, bears, and she’s associated with spring. She sleeps during winter and awakens with the plants and the animals. While able to take the form of a bear, she often appears as a woman wearing a bear skin cloak. She is the guardian of the cycle of life and death, also the cycle of the seasons. Romans compared Artio to Artemis and Diana – the patrons of the hunt.

Cernunnos

The mysterious horned God of the Celts symbolizes fertility, nature, and the wild. He appeared in ancient carvings. He was the supreme deity of Dubnos or the Celtic Underworld. The druids believed he protected the souls of the ancestors and guided their rebirth in the mortal realm.

Coventina

A Celtic water goddess, predominantly associated with water, especially fresh water: springs, wells, and rivers. She can grant you a favor or a blessing related to health and wellness.

Danu

A goddess of the Irish mythology, she is associated with water, wells, fish, horses, seagulls, earth, wind, amber, keys, and crowns. She is often titled Mother of the Universe. She accepts offerings of river stones, fish, white candles, and devotional acts related to rivers and water.

Druantia

The Lady of the Oak is a Celtic Goddess mostly of trees: fir, oak, and the evergreens. She is known as the Queen of the Druids, because they got their powers from her. She is a goddess of fertility – for plants and humans, ruling over sexual activities, passion, creativity, protection of trees, and knowledge. One seeks her help in matters of grounding, protection, healing, fertility, passion, sex, creativity, and knowledge.

Herne

Herne is a Celtic god, protector of the forest and lord of the trees, leading the Wild Hunt. He was a mortal, brought back to life by a wizard who tied deer antlers to his head. To honor him, offer whiskey, cider, meat, and forest incense.

Lugh

Lugh is my favorite Celtic God, God of the Sun, and so many other things, who gave the name of Lughnasadh. He is bright and bold and so multi-talented. Also, he is the king of skills and arts. He is a wright, a smith, a champion, a harpist, a hero, a poet, a historian, a craftsman. He is blond and heavenly and simply irresistible. Lugh is usually accompanied by two ravens.

The Celtic Tales of Arthur

In the Arthurian Cycle, we learn the tale about a mythical Celtic king named Arthur. There was a love triangle between his Queen, the King himself, and one of his Knights – Lancelot. The tale of the great king of Camelot was full of romance, history, and mythology, and inspired poets and storytellers from both England and France.

At birth, Arthur was snatched away by the omnipresent wizard Merlin. The mighty sword in this tale is named Excalibur, and it was given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake. Arthur’s court is famous with the noble knights (Percival, Lancelot, Kay, and others), who met around a great Round Table at Camelot. He was married to the exceptionally beautiful Guinevere, and Britain was peaceful under their reign.

Guinevere

Arthur’s wife is a disguised Welsh goddess who cheated on the aging king with the nobleman Lancelot. In the beginning, Lancelot tried to stay loyal to his king: while he slept next to the woman he loved, he placed a sword between them to prevent intimacy. However, love conquered all, and that was the end of the Round Table’s peace and prosperity.

Fairies

A lot of Celtic tales tell about beings of the Otherworld named fairies, who communicated with the mortal folk. The beautiful fairy queen ruled Fairyland, where fairies kept magical cattle and dogs. There were fairy horses that lived in the ocean (water horses) and all kinds of unlikely beings. Two colors are most often related to the fairy folk: red and green for their attire. They were believed to kidnap young brides and dance with their souls.

Fairies lived simple and irresponsible lives, dancing and feasting, but some of them also had a job. The most famous Irish fairy, the Leprechaun, was the shoemaker of the fairy world. Their food was tastier than anything humans eat, but they often wanted the food of humans – especially the butter. There are many folklore charms to preserve the butter from being snatched.

Fairyland

There were portals between our world and the fairyland; however, mostly the passage was one-way. The fairies spent their time in merrymaking, dancing, flirting, and making love without ceasing. Fairies weren’t just glittery helpers – they could curse, trick, and even abduct humans. Many tales warn not to eat fairy food, or sleep on a fairy mound, or accept the gifts of the fae folk lightly. They can bless or ruin your life – some of them give inspiration, riches, and luck. Others curse crops or strike people with illness. They were wild, enchanting, and perilous forces of nature.

Fairy Lover

Many stories about the fairies tell of this ravishingly beautiful woman, who stole the most brilliant poet from the world and made him her lover. Once he tasted her charms, he was unable to leave her, since she was not only magnificent but also utterly wanton. A single night with the fairy was centuries from Earth time.