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The ancient Celts were a distinctive group of peoples who shared the same language, the same art, the same mythology and the same traditions. According to many historians, the Old Celtic language was derived from the Indo-European and Ur language traditions. It was also considered to be a close cousin to Italic, the Latin precursor. Druidry, the spiritual lineage of the Celts, spans many thousands of years. The cave initiations at Lascaux in France and at Altamira in Spain twenty-five thousand years ago were mirrored around 3,000 BCE in the rebirth mounds of Newgrange in Ireland. Based on recorded history and archaeological findings many scholars believe that the Celts originated from the Black Sea area sometime around 4,000 BCE. From there the Celts migrated, spreading their ancient cultural roots outward and their sphere of influence in all directions. Some of the Celts migrated Southwest to Greece and Thrace while others migrated to the Northwest where they founded the Baltic, Celtic, Germanic and Slavic cultures. Celtic traditions and customs became the prevailing cultural influence in the world as the Celts continued to migrate until their culture had spread throughout continental Europe, up into Scandinavia, down into Spain, across to Britain and Ireland and over the Asian sub-continent to the borders of China.
A pictorial record of the Celtic culture was made around 1000 BCE in the Balkans. For instance, the front panel of the silver gilt Gundestrup Cauldron depicted deity heads. Another panel showed a horned male shamanic nature god surrounded by animals. There was a procession of armed men to his left. The Gaulish silver Gundestrup cauldron was renown for its Celtic European appearance. Surrounded by many Natural World animals, a seated male wearing antlers holds up a torque in the picture of Plate A shown above. The shamanic figure has been considered by many to represent the Celtic horned diety Cernunnos. Others have suggested that the horned man may represent the Irish storytelling hero god Cú Chulainn from the Táin Bó Cuailnge. Although the cauldron images were Celtic in nature, the designs were similar to Thracian artworks. They were also reminiscent of Indus Valley cultural portrayals of Pashupati, a Hindu Lord of Animals. Celts belonged to complex and variegated social groupings that ranged from large loose confederations of tribes to small compact tribal units. Although they had a written language, the Celts rarely used it, preferring instead to pass on their beliefs, knowledge and wisdom through the time honored method of their oral traditions.
Much of the writings regarding
the Celts were written from the divergent world view and cultural perspective of
the usurpers vanquishers, the latter day reconnoiters, recyclers and
requisitionists who inhabited Ancient Greece and Rome. When Irish monks decided
to preserve Celtic stories and legends for posterity by writing them down
between 700-1400 ACE, they did so using Christianity tinted glasses to augment
their vision.
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