The Ancient Celtic religion was a polytheistic one, with numerous gods with sometimes overlapping responsibilities. The ancient Celts, who occupied parts of western and central Europe during the Late Bronze Age and through to the Iron Age, believed in a polytheistic religion for which we are lacking in written sources. What we do know comes from the archaeological remains of the culture, and writings of classical authors which has helped us piece together some key gods, sacred sites, and ritual practices of the Celts.
The burial practices, votive inscriptions, and rituals that we know of tell us that the gods were believed to either control humanity in some way or that they at the very least had a strong influence on the welfare of the Celtic people. The god most commonly depicted though was Cernunnos, the horned god, most famously depicted on the Gundestrup Cauldron. He is a fairly mysterious figure who was often shown seated and wearing horns or antlers. Other major deities included the goddess Epona who was associated with horses, Sequana who was a healing goddess and particularly venerated in central France, Brigantia who the Romans equated with Nike and Victory and who was an important goddess in Britain, Esuss who was perhaps a patron of crafts with his hammer-like staff and Rhenus who was the god of the Rhine river.
Did you know that the Celts believed human life was cyclical?
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the ancient Celtic religion, gods and goddesses, druids and afterlife beliefs.
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amazing trip and we hope to see you there. The ancient Celts who occupied parts of Western and
Central Europe during the Late Bronze Age and through to the Iron Age believed in a polytheistic
religion for which we are lacking in written sources. What we do know comes from the archaeological
remains of the culture and writings of classical authors which has helped us piece together some
key gods, sacred sites and ritual practices of the Celts. Throughout the span of the ancient Celtic
civilization and across the wide region they inhabited there was variation in the religious
practice but we do know that there were common features that linked them all including reverence
for sacred groves and other natural sites like rivers and springs, offerings to the gods in the
form of food, animals and very rarely human sacrifices and the inclusion of grave goods in
burials. Since we don't have any written records we don't know anything about the Celts beliefs about
their origins, the universe or their place in it which has left an incomplete picture of their
gods, beliefs and practices. The ancient Celts believed that natural sites like rivers, lakes and
bogs were sacred and water was a conduit to the other world which made rivers and springs even
more sacred. Rituals and ceremonies were held on hilltops, on mountains and in sacred groves
especially oak tree groves and even specific individual oak trees could be sacred. These
sacred places were all considered potential meeting places between the physical world
and the supernatural worlds. In spaces closer to urban settings there may have been additions
of shrines, temples or ritual gates and the ancient Celts probably used the megalithic
structures that had been set up centuries earlier as well as developing their own religious
architecture. The sacred sites were often adorned with statues of the gods usually depicted in wood
not stone although stone representations of gods did become more popular after the Roman conquest.
From the 4th century BCE the Celts began erecting stone temples and these temples were often given
monumental doorways decorated in paintings and reliefs. They believed that the head was the
home of the soul so it really isn't all that surprising that a common decoration in these
temples were masks and even human heads from sacrificial victims. We know that the ancient
Celts had hundreds of deities although there was a combination of universal gods venerated by all
the Celtic people and some local gods that were only worshipped in particular regions.
We also know that the Celtic religion and their gods and practices were influenced by earlier
cultures, neighboring peoples and as the Roman Empire expanded the ancient Celts adopted and
adapted many facets of the Roman religion into their own. The burial practices, votive inscriptions
and rituals that we know of tell us that the gods were believed to either control humanity in some
way or that they at the very least had a strong influence on the welfare of the Celtic people.
Gods were associated with powers that often overlapped with other deities concerning warfare,
lightning, rivers, the sun, families or particular tribes. Gods and in particular local deities would
often be associated with aspects of everyday ancient Celtic society like tribal identity,
protection of specific groups like children and mothers, healing and hunting. The god venerated
most widely was Lugas who is now better known as Lu and who represented the sun and light and was
believed to be all wise and all-seeing. The god most commonly depicted though was Sir Nunus,
the horned god most famously depicted on the Gunderstrap cauldron. He is a fairly mysterious
figure who was often shown seated and wearing horns or antlers. Other major deities included
the goddess Epona who was associated with horses, Sacana who was a healing goddess and particularly
venerated in central France, Brigantia who the Romans equated with Nike and victory and who was
an important goddess in Britain, Essus who was perhaps a patron of crafts with his hammer-like
staff and Rhenus who was the god of the Rhine river. There were also the cases of the gods that
were depicted as a trio which perhaps represent three different aspects of the same divinity
like the three mother goddesses known as the Matronae who individually represent concepts of
strength, fertility and power. Of course this is just a small handful of the hundreds of deities
that were worshipped throughout the ancient Celtic society. Animals were also important to the Celts
and may have even been considered sacred especially the bull, boar, stag and horse.
They appear in designs on weapons and armor since the Celts regarded them as totems that had
protective qualities. Druids were the religious leaders in the ancient Celtic community and are
known for their great wisdom and knowledge of religious traditions. Not only did the druids
perform religious rituals like sacrifices to the gods but they were also able to give practical
help through interpreting natural events, divining the future and creating medicinal potions and
remedies with the special use of sacred plants like mistletoe. Since druids claimed they could
foresee the future and interpret omens they were also keen astronomers and were experts in the use
of calendars. Druids kept the knowledge of their community and could even place taboos on people
in order to ensure everyone was following the rules of the community. These taboos could be
something as mundane as not eating a particular type of meat but it was believed that if you
didn't obey death or misfortune would follow for the perpetrator and their family. We don't have
much evidence at all that women could be druids but there is also no evidence suggesting that
they couldn't be and the general lack of information on druids in general has led to
very fanciful interpretations of the role of the druid in ancient Celtic society. We do know though
that they held a high place in society and according to Julius Caesar they didn't pay taxes
and they didn't have to perform military service. To become a fully practicing druid you had to
and the emphasis on oral learning means that we don't have any first-hand written records
of their activities. There have been archaeological finds of unusual headgear which often consisted
of bronze leaf shaped pieces, cones or discs and sometimes even horn or antler attachments that
would not have had a military function. So it's believed that the druids may have worn this with
perhaps long white robes. The schedule of rituals were determined by the cycles of astronomy,
nature and in particular the phases of the moon. These natural cycles gave rise to the belief in
the cyclical nature of human life as well as the birth and death of gods and spirits. The god of
the year for example would die in autumn to be reborn in spring. The gods were offered prayers
and incantations and to thank or appease them or to gain favor for future events or to avoid
disasters like famine or war votive offerings were made at sacred sites. These votive offerings
ranged from foodstuffs and decorated weapons and armor to jewelry, pottery or even small models of
a body part that was afflicted with an illness. At sacred water sites these offerings were often
thrown in the depths and excavations at Anglesey have uncovered swords and shields, cauldrons,
animal bones and spear points. Animals like oxen, dogs or horses were often sacrificed to the gods
and they were burned or buried at the site. Part of the animal would often be eaten in a feast before
the remains would be left as an offering to the gods. Although rarely humans were also sacrificed
to the gods and the most common source of sacrificial offering were likely captured
enemy warriors. The standard manner for ritual killings as seen on the Lindo man who was found
in a bog near Cheshire in England was to be hit on the head, strangled then have the throat cut.
Sometimes though the manner of death depended on the god like for Essos they were hung from a tree
and their limbs were removed or for Tranis the sacrificial victim was placed in a wooden vessel
or hollow tree and then burnt alive. To the delight of archaeologists hordes of precious
goods were buried in shallow pits. These deposits were often added to over time and a number of
hordes were found close together which suggests the place of burial was sacred in some way
and the number of goods found in these deposits indicate a greater meaning than just a safe place
to deposit them but that ritual meaning has been lost. Amulets were believed to be a form
of protection for both the living but also the deceased on their journey to the underworld.
These amulets have been found primarily in the graves of women and children. It was believed
they could ward off bad luck and could take very unusual forms like mini wheels, feet, shoes and
axes. Since burials were accompanied by grave goods we can safely say that the Celts had a
strong belief in the afterlife. Those individuals who were a part of the higher echelons of the
ancient Celtic society were buried with a number of possessions including weapons, armor, tools,
eating utensils, feasting goods, clothing, board games and precious goods like bronze vessels and
gold jewelry. Those of importance were often buried in a wood-lined chamber deep in a large
earthen mound. Often they would be laid out in a four-wheeled wagon which had usually been
disassembled and dressed in their finery. Gradually though flat graves replaced the use of burial
mounds. People being buried with grave goods indicates that the ancient Celts believed the
either on their afterlife journey or at their next destination or both. What we know of the
Celts belief in the other world is very limited but it may have been considered much like mortal
life but without the bad stuff like disease, pain and sorrow as was the view of the medieval
European Celts. Not all Celts were buried though and from the second century BCE onwards cremation
became more popular which was probably an influence from Mediterranean cultures. They
also sometimes left the corpse exposed to the elements and then the bones were either buried
or kept for future religious ceremonies. The beliefs that informed their daily lives including
the cyclical nature of existence seem to have equally informed their view of the afterlife.
Nothing ever died but only changed form to live again either on earth or elsewhere in the presence
of the gods. What's your favorite part of Celtic religion? Let us know in the comments below. If
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