The story of the Celts begins in prehistory, the time before written records were kept. But fortunately we have learned a lot about these tribes who lived all over Europe because of excavations and archeology. And of course, Julius Cesar wrote his view on these people: The Celts, which he called Keltoi. but if we can trust that records remains to be seen...
For a long time I thought that Gaelic was the celtic language. But I have found out that there are more kinds of Celtic languages. Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Cornwall and Brittany: they all have their own language.
Early Celtic art expressed itself in gold and silver personal ornaments and such bronze and iron implements as swords and bridle bits. These objects were decorated with engraved designs or raised relief; the distinctive Celtic style emphasized abstract geometric figurations based on circles, spirals, and curved lines.
The cultural expression of the Celts have grown and Gaelic literature, both oral and written, is literature in the Gaelic languages of Ireland and Scotland. Before the development of a distinct Scottish Gaelic language in the 15th century, the literature of both countries may be considered as one. Here I try to give a short but complete overview of Gaelic Literature over the centuries.
The tales of the Mabinogion are not the product of any single hand; evolving over the centuries, passed from storyteller to storyteller, until it was finally put to paper. Its contents draw upon the myths and history of Celtic Britain: four branches of a storyline set largely within the confines of Wales and the otherworld. You can read all 12 books here in the translation of Charlotte Guest.
I have never really been interested in gods and goddesses until I ran into Morrigàn during my search for Morgaine on the internet. I bumbed in to her so often, that couldn't have been a coincidence. So here she is: The Morrigan!
A great lady, she must have been. More female power then the Romans probably ever ran into. Boudicca was -as far as I'm concerned- the first feminist in Roman times. Read her story: it was taken from the anales of Tacitus.
The religious leaders of the Celts were the Druids, read about them in Druidism
The earliest known reference to King Arthur is in a Celtic poem about the tribe of the Gododdin. This song is about the fight against the saxons by this tribe. An honest piece of early Celtic literature. Apart from the poem, there's an introduction, some background information about the time and the land as well as about the poet himself.
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