Celtic Deities
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King Arthur
King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Great Britain. He is the central character in Arthurian legends (known as the Matter of Britain), although there is disagreement about whether Arthur, or a model for him, ever actually existed and in the earliest mentions and Welsh texts he is never given the title "king". Early texts refer to him as dux bellorum ("war leader") and High Medieval Welsh texts often call him amerauder ("emperor"). However, a recent translation of newly discovered documents may have referred to him as a king.
King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Great Britain. He is the central character in Arthurian legends (known as the Matter of Britain), although there is disagreement about whether Arthur, or a model for him, ever actually existed and in the earliest mentions and Welsh texts he is never given the title "king". Early texts refer to him as dux bellorum ("war leader") and High Medieval Welsh texts often call him amerauder ("emperor"). However, a recent translation of newly discovered documents may have referred to him as a king.
One school of thought believes Arthur to have lived some time in the late 5th century to early 6th century, to have been of Romano-British origin, and to have fought against the Saxons. His power base was probably in either Wales, Cornwall or the west of what would become England, but controversy over the centre of his power and the extent and kind of power he wielded continues to rage.
Some members of this school, most notably Geoffrey Ashe and Fleuriot, have argued for identifying Arthur with one Riothamus, "King of the Brettones", who was active during the reign of the Roman Emperor Anthemius. Unfortunately, Riothamus is a shadowy figure of whom we know little, and scholars are not certain whether the "Brettones" he led were Britons or Bretons.
Other members suggest that Arthur should be identified as one Lucius Artorius Castus, a historical Roman of the 2nd century, whose military exploits in Britain may have been remembered for years afterward.
Another school of thought believes that Arthur is at best a half-forgotten Celtic deity devolved into a personage (citing sometimes a supposed change of the sea-god Lir into King Lear) or a possibly fictive person like Beowulf.
Subscribers to this school of thought argue that another Roman Briton of this period, for example Ambrosius Aurelianus, led the forces battling the Saxons at the battle of Mons Badonicus.
Early History of Arthur
Arthur first appears in Welsh literature. In a surviving early Welsh poem, the Gododdin, (c. 594) the poet Aneirin (c. 535–600) writes of one of his subjects that "he fed black ravens on the ramparts, although he was not Arthur" — but this poem as it currently exists is full of interpolations, and it is not possible to decide if this passage is an interpolation from a later period. Possibly of an earlier date are the following poems attributed to Taliesin: The Chair of the Sovereign — which refers to "Arthur the Blessed" — Preiddeu Annwn ("The Treasures of Heaven") which mentions "the valour of Arthur" and states "we went with Arthur in his splendid labours", and the poem "Journey to Deganwy" which contains the passage "as at the battle of Badon with Arthur, chief giver of feasts, with his tall blades red from the battle which all men remember".
Another early reference to Arthur is in the Historia Britonum, attributed to the Welsh monk Nennius, who is said to have written this compilation of early Welsh history around the year AD 830. In this work Arthur is referred to as a "leader of battles" rather than as a king. Two separate sources within this compilation list twelve battles that he fought, culminating in the battle of Mons Badonicus, where he is said to have single-handedly killed 960 men. According to the Annales Cambriae, Arthur was killed at the Battle of Camlann in 537.
king arthurArthur also appears in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen, a narrative that is usually associated with the Mabinogion. In that work, Culhwch visits his court to seek his help in winning the hand of Olwen. Arthur, who is described as his kinsman, agrees to the request, and fulfills the demands of Olwen's giant father Ysbadden, which includes his hunt for the great boar Twrch Trwth, described at length by the author.
In some of the Welsh biographies of their best-known saints (also called Vitae or the "Life" of a specific saint), Arthur makes a number of appearances: for example, in the Life of Saint Illtud, he is said to be a cousin of that churchman. Many of these appearances portray Arthur as a fierce warrior, and not necessarily as morally impeccable as in later Romances. According to the Life of Saint Gildas, written in the 11th-century by Caradoc of Llancarfan, Arthur killed Gildas' brother Hueil, a pirate on the Isle of Man.
Lifris writes in his Life of Saint Cadoc that Arthur was bettered by Cadoc: Cadoc gave protection to a man who killed three of Arthur's soldiers; Arthur was awarded a herd of cattle from Cadoc as wergeld for his men; Cadoc delivered them as demanded; but when Arthur took possession of the animals, they were transformed into bundles of ferns. The likely original purpose of this story would be to promote popular acceptance of the new Christian faith by "demonstrating" that Cadoc, the Christian leader, had magical powers traditionally ascribed to Druids and of sufficient intensity to outsmart the temporal ruler, Arthur. Similar incidents are described in the late medieval biographies of Carannog, Padern, and Goeznovius.
This may be related to legends where Arthur is depicted as the leader of the Wild Hunt, a folk motif that is also recorded in Brittany, France, and Germany.
Later parts of the Trioedd Ynys Prydein, or Welsh Triads, mention Arthur and locate his court in Celliwig, which is located in Cornwall. Celliwig was identified by older Cornish antiquaries with Callington, but Rachel Bromwich, the latest editor of the Welsh Triads, matched it to Kelly Rounds, a hill fort in the Cornish parish of Egloshayle.
Arthurian romance
In AD 1133, Geoffrey of Monmouth produced a manuscript called the Historia Regum Britanniae. This work was the mediaeval equivalent of a best seller and helped draw the attention of other writers, such as Robert Wace and Layamon who then expanded on the tales of Arthur. One theory as to why this happened is that after the Norman Conquest of Britain in 1066 there was renewed interest in the Arthurian Legend as described by Edward Gibbon in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:
During a period of five hundred years the tradition of his exploits was preserved, and rudely embellished, by the obscure bards of Wales and Armorica, who were odious to the Saxons, and unknown to the rest of mankind. The pride and curiosity of the Norman conquerors prompted them to inquire into the ancient history of Britain; they listened with fond credulity to the tale of Arthur, and eagerly applauded the merit of a prince who had triumphed over the Saxons, their common enemies. [Chapter 38, Footnote 138]
Thus, according to Gibbon, the once obscure 500-year-old Welsh legend went mainstream (through the works of Anglo-Norman poet Wace and others), creating a unified cultural icon under which the Norman rulers and the native Welsh could rally against their common enemy: the Saxons.
While many scholars believe that Geoffrey is the source for medieval interest in Arthur, at least one scholar, Roger S. Loomis, has argued that many of the tales surrounding Arthur actually come from Breton oral traditions, which were spread through the royal and noble courts of Europe by professional storytellers known as jongleurs. The French medieval writer, Chrétien de Troyes, recounted tales from the mythos during the mid-12th century, as did Marie de France in her narrative poems called lais. In any case, the later stories told by these two writers and by many, many others, appear to be independent of what Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote.
In these versions, which gained popularity beginning in the 12th century, Arthur gathered the Knights of the Round Table (Lancelot, Gawain, Galahad, and others). At his court, most often held at Camelot in the later prose romances, could sometimes be found the wizard Merlin. Arthur's knights engaged in fabulous quests, famously including one for the Holy Grail. Other stories from the Celtic world came to be associated with Arthur, such as the tale of Tristan and Isolde. In the late prose romances the love affair between Arthur's champion, Lancelot, and the Queen, Guinevere, becomes the central reason for the fall of the Arthurian world.
In Robert de Boron's Merlin, later followed by Thomas Malory, Arthur obtained the throne by pulling a sword from a stone and anvil. In this account, this act could not be performed except by "the true king", meaning the divinely appointed king or true heir of Uther Pendragon. This sword was presumably the famous Excalibur and the identity is made explicit in the later so-called Vulgate Merlin Continuation. However in what is sometimes called the Post-Vulgate Merlin Excalibur was taken from a hand rising from a lake and given to Arthur sometime after he began to reign by a sorcerous damsel (confused by post-medieval writers with The Lady of the Lake). In this Post-Vulgate version the sword's blade could slice through anything and its sheath made the wearer invincible.
Arthur was a casualty in his last battle, the Battle of Camlann, which he fought against the forces of Mordred. The Prose Lancelot and the later prose cyclic romances state that Mordred was also a Knight of the Round Table and the child of an incestuous union between Arthur and his sister Morgause. In almost all accounts Arthur was said to be mortally wounded, but after the battle he was taken away to Avalon (sometimes identified with Glastonbury in Somerset, England), where his wounds were healed or his body was buried in a chapel. Some texts refer to a return of Arthur in the future.
The Arthurian mythos spread far across the continent. An image of Arthur and his Knights attacking a castle was carved into an archivolt over the north doorway of Modena Cathedral in Italy sometime between 1099 and 1120. A mosaic pavement in the cathedral of Otranto, near Bari also in Italy was made in 1165 with the puzzling depiction of Arturus Rex bearing a sceptre and riding a goat. 15th century merchants set up an Arthurian hall in his honour in Gda?sk, Poland.
Retellings of the Arthurian cycle include the works of Gottfried von Strassburg, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur.
In 1191, monks of Glastonbury Abbey announced that they had found the burial site of Arthur and Guinevere. Their grave was shown to many people, and the reputed remains were moved to a new tomb in 1278. The tomb was destroyed during the Reformation, and the bones lost. The antiquary John Leland reports that he saw the cross found with the remains, and transcribed its inscription as
Hic iacet sepvltvs inclytvs rex artvrivs in insvla avalonia — "Here is buried the famous king Arthur in the Island of Avalon".
If Leland accurately reproduced the script of this inscription, then it can be dated to the 10th century. At least one scholar has suggested that the cross was added when Arthur's remains were translated to the Abbey.
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Celtic Pantheon $44.79 Celtic pantheon. Deity, Celtic mythology, List of Celtic deities, Interpretatio graeca, Taranis, Cernunnos, Borvo, Brigid, Sulis, Sequana, Epona, Macha, Matres and Matrones, Lugus, Lugh, Lleu Llaw Gyffes. |
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Celtic Religion in Pre Christian Times $29.11 1906. Contents: The Chief Phases of Celtic Civilization; The Correlation of Celtic Religion with the Growth of Celtic Civilization; Celtic Religion and the Development of Individualized Deities; The Humanized Gods of Celtic Religion; The Celtic Priesthood; and The Celtic Other-World. |
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Creator Deities $49.99 Creator Deities - Giclee Print |
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Deities $8.81 No Synopsis Available |
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The Minor Deities $19.99 J. Gardner Wilkinson The Minor Deities - Premium Poster |
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Celtic Gods and Heroes $17.8 Noted French scholar and linguist discusses the gods of the continental Celts, the beginnings of mythology in Ireland, heroes, and the two main categories of Irish deities: mother-goddesses — local, rural spirits of fertility or of war — and chieftain-gods: national deities who are magicians, nurturers, craftsmen, and protectors of the people. |
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Celtic Flame: An Insider's Guide to Irish Pagan Tradition $19.94 This book is a complete, practical guide to Irish Pagan traditions that will give you access to essential information about the Pagan Irish deities, spirits, worldview, values, and way of life. More important, it includes information on tools, rituals, and magick that will allow you to begin practicing right away With Celtic Flame, you can begin practicing Irish Paganism, accessing the power of the Irish deities and spirits with rituals that work Beyond this, it gives you the inside scoop on the Irish deities, who they are, what they want, and how to get them on your side. So, get this book and begin practicing a more meaningful and authentic Celtic path than you ever thought possible. |
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The Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Celestial Deities $34.99 The Twenty-Eight Mansions of the Celestial Deities - Giclee Print |
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The Cr FAQ - An Introduction to Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism $23.98 Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism (CR) is a polytheistic, animistic, religious and cultural movement. It is an effort to reconstruct, through both scholarly research and experiential practice, a spiritual tradition that is true to ancient Celtic religion and relevant to our lives in the modern world. This print edition of "The CR FAQ - An Introduction to Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism" includes a detailed pronunciation guide and an extensive glossary of terms and deities. "The CR FAQ" was written by a diverse collective of Celtic Reconstructionist (CR) elders and long-term practitioners. It is the very first book to be published that is wholly about Celtic Reconstructionism. All profits from the sale of this book are being donated to Gaelic language and cultural preservation charities in the Celtic Nations and worldwide. |
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Demihuman Deities $87.62 Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Demihuman Deities is a Dungeons Dragons 2nd edition: Forgotten Realms campaign accessory, published by Wizards of the Coast. The book was designed by Eric L. Boyd. Cover art is by Todd Lockwood, with interior illustrations by Ned Dameron. This book presents information on the pantheons of five nonhuman races of the Forgotten Realms: the drow pantheon, the dwarf pantheon, the elf pantheon, the gnome pantheon, and the halfling pantheon. The supplement provides numerous spells and special powers with which to make each different faith unique from the others. The book details the clergy, the ethos, and all important information needed to accurately depict these deities in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Author: Surhone, Lambert M./ Tennoe, Mariam T./ Henssonow, Susan F. Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 116 Publication Date: 2011/05/13 Language: English Dimensions: 9.00 x 6.00 x 0.28 inches |
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Celtic Mythology: Gaelic, Brythonic, and Religious Vocations $17.73 This is an exploration of the Celtic mythology. Examine the following: Celtic polytheism, Celtic deities, Irish mythology, Scottish mythology, Hebridean mythology, Tuatha De Danann, Mythological Cycle, Ulster Cycle, Fenian Cycle, British Iron Age religion, British mythology, Welsh mythology, Breton mythology, Mabinogion, Book of Taliesin, Trioedd Ynys Prydein, Druids, Bards, and Vates. This is part of a series that examines the development and history of various historical and religious concerns. |
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The Deities Are Many: A Polytheistic Theology $33.92 Provides a theology of polytheism -- the belief in many deities -- using examples from a wide range of world religions. |
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Genealogy of the South Indian Deities $188 For the first time, the work Genealogy of the South Indian Deities of the first Protestant missionary to India, Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg (1682-1719), is made accessible to an English readership. |
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The Celtic and Scandinavian Religions $19.18 There is some evidence that certain women had priestly functions, perhaps a near relation of the gthi, and occasionally acting for him. Such a woman was called gydja and might even own a temple. The god Frey had a young priestess in his temple, regarded as his consort... -from "Scandinavia: Worship and Its Accessories" Highly readable and densely informative, this general survey of Celtic and Scandinavian mythology and its beliefs and practices, first published in 1948, remains an excellent resource. The author, a well-regarded expert on the subject, explores: .nature worship .deities and lesser supernatural beings .mythical heroes .magic and divination .creation stories .magic and morality .and more. Readers in comparative mythology and fans of Arthurian, Celtic, and epic fantasy fiction will find this book a delight. British scholar JOHN ARNOTT MACCULLOCH (1868-1950) wrote numerous books on ancient mythology, including Religion of the Ancient Celts, The Childhood of Fiction: A Study of Folk Tales and Primitive Thought, Mythology of All Races, Religion: Its Origin & Forms, and Medieval Faith and Fable. |
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The Vedic Deities $16.14 THIS 50 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Lectures of the Arya, by Albert Pike. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 1564591824. |
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'Ancient Deities' (2006) (Peru) $669.95 Emerging from the mists of time, two stone effigies represent ancient deities. Silent and still, they are a link between old and new civilizations in the Andes. Working in his hallmark style, Alberto Ramos captures the magic of his homeland and perpetuates its images. Titled "Idolos" in Spanish. |
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Dream Angus: The Celtic God of Dreams $3.95 From the beloved, bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series comes a delightful addition to the Myths series. Dream Angus is one of the earliest of the Celtic deities, and one of the most beloved. Angus comes bounding over the heather with his bag of dreams to dispense to those who want them. He is lithe of foot and beautiful - as befits one who is also the Celtic Eros, the god of love, youth and beauty. Angus is a playful trickster, given to frightening people and cattle. He will reveal to you in a dream your true love, if asked, and if in the mood. He is a romantic, and one of the main stories associated with him is his search for the young woman who had appeared to him in his dreams. Eventually he finds her, but she is under a spell which makes her assume the shape of a bird for a year. Angus changes himself into a swan and the two lovers fly off together. In McCall Smith's inimitable retelling of the myth, the setting is twentieth century Scotland. Angus is a psychotherapist who helps people understand their dreams, but there are limits to what he can reveal. Mesmerically weaving the modern day with the tales of the Celtic god, Alexander McCall Smith unites dream and reality, leaving us to wonder: what is life, but the pursuit of our dreams? "From the Hardcover edition." |
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Niu-Wa is One of Several Deities Concerned with Marriage $49.99 Niu-Wa is One of Several Deities Concerned with Marriage - Giclee Print |
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The Chinese Pantheon Just a Few of the Countless Chinese Deities! $49.99 The Chinese Pantheon Just a Few of the Countless Chinese Deities! - Giclee Print |
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Fragment of Wall Relief Decorated Deities Enthroned $34.99 Fragment of Wall Relief Decorated Deities Enthroned - Giclee Print |
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