Bealteine celebrates the start of summer. The term itself refers to shimmering fire (like a rising sun reflecting on a shimmering lake). This celebration takes place out of doors during the daytime. It is a time for action, a time to get going, a time to take care of business. It is also a fertility celebration. In the past, it involved a rite of passage for men. At the right time, they were armed.
An interesting aspect of this festival was a rule that anyone could say anything they liked to anyone else without fear of reprisal. This may not seem all that unusual to Americans who are used to doing this any time. However, in the days of serfs/masters, it was highly unusual.
Imbolg differs from the other Celtic Fire Festivals (Samhain, Bealteine, and Lughnasadh) because the entire group does not celebrate it. It is a festival for the family and takes place at home. It is a time to think about the start of spring, a time to be with family, and a time to decide how to implement the things decided on during Samhain (the end of summer festival and a time for self-reflection). This festival is unique in that it is the only festival that is prepared by women.
St. Brigid is an integral part of this festival. To that end, a doll representing Brigid is constructed. When the house is ready, the doll is taken outside and Brigid called. Subsequently, the doll is brought into the house and represents Bridget at the festivities.
Another aspect of this festival has to do with predicting the onset of spring. In Scotland, they search to see if snakes are out and about. If so, an early spring is predicted (in Ireland they look for hedgehogs…these are both similar to Groundhog day in the United States).
Lughnasadh is a harvest festival. It is connected to one of the few Pan-Celtic Gods, Lugh. It literally means Lugh’s betrothal feast. The festival marks the end of summer and the start of the dying season. It is celebrated by the entire group, outside, and lasts overnight. It is a time to reap the rewards of the summer, to acknowledge changes, and get ready for the dark season. It was considered to be the dying season because animals that could not be fed over the winter were slaughtered.
The rituals associated with Lugh are interesting. To this day, a doll holding a spear is prepared and placed near the festivities. Lugh’s betrothal is with Mother Earth. To complete the betrothal Lugh must return to the earth. Thus, he is symbolically killed by the men at the festival (throwing spears until the doll is knocked to the earth). It must be done to ensure a good harvest the following year.
Samhain is celebrated by Celts at the end of summer. It marks the end of summer and the beginning of the new year. It is/was a time to wrap up summer activities and get ready for winter. Samhain is celebrated by the entire group (versus Imbolog which is celebrated in family groups), out of doors, and lasts the entire night.
It is a time for inner reflection and a time to square yourself away. This festival has been adopted by other western cultures and is generally called Halloween. There is minimal connection between Samhain and Halloween these days. Halloween is somewhat frivolous while Samhain is serious and not to be taken lightly…though all involved enjoy themselves. Most importantly, Halloween has come to rest on the premise of a devil or evil. Celts do/did not believe in devils and/or evil spirits. Thus, Samhain is at once more and less serious than Halloween. For Celts, it is/was the time of the “in-between”. That is, a change from the time of light to the time of dark. It was/is thought that spirits could move easily from one realm to the other. These were/are not evil spirits but ancestors returning to visit loved ones.
Celtic Religion is a difficult topic to discuss. In large part, it is shrouded in mystery because its tenets were not written down until after those writing had become Christians. Given this circumstance, I will make a few general comments and highlight a few major gods/goddesses based on what seems safe to deduce from the existing records.
In general, the Celts believed that Gods/Goddesses were not all that different from everyday people. In myths Gods/Goddesses are treated much like anyone else. Their treatment of Gods/Goddesses seems related to their belief that the otherworld is not all that different from this one. It is not precisely clear where the otherworld was located, but in many cases it is depicted as a land to the west. In fact, many Celts thought the otherworld could be reached by sailing there.
The Celts also believed that one would need many of the things in the otherworld that one needed this world. Thus, the practice of burying individuals with food, money, weapons, and so forth held sway. The belief that the afterlife was not much different from this life was so strong they even agreed to allow debts incurred in this world to be paid off in the otherworld!
From the forgoing beliefs, It can easily be deduced than that the soul was thought to be eternal. The soul was thought to be able to pass from the otherworld to this one rather easily. In fact, the separation of these two spheres was considered to be almost nonexistent on all hallows eve (Halloween). On that day, ancestors were expected to come calling.
Some authors have argued that the Celts engaged in a widespread practice of human sacrifice. The evidence for this claim is thin. If it occurred, it was most certainly not widespread. The Celts were also accused of being headhunters. They did take the heads of their enemies, ones they admired for one reason or another. However, this was done after a person was killed in battle, not just to collect heads.
Ok, enough of these general observations, lets turn our attention to the major Gods/Goddesses. We restrict our attention to a few of the major figures because there were literally hundreds of Gods/Goddesses most of whom were of local interest.
Cernunnos the horned God depicted in the accompanying graphic was one of the Gods that seemed to be wide spread across Celtic lands (with somewhat different names but with the same characteristic…called Dagda, for instance, in Ireland). Cernunnos was thought to be able to restore life and to be the Lord of Animals (he is horned and often depicted with animals as per the illustration).
Danu (referred to by various names as well…Anu, for instance) is thought to be the goddess of fertility and to have given life to all other gods.
Brigit, the daughter of Cernunnos, is a triple Goddess (most Gods/Goddesses served a tri-part function…. undoubtedly related to the importance of three in Celtic culture…. threes are everywhere ….planting, harvesting, fallow…land, air, sea…mother, daughter, crone….). Brigit was the patroness of poetry, a smithy, and a healer. The knowledgeable reader will note the similarity between this Brigit and St. Brigit as many of the things Brigit accomplished are things also associated with St. Brigit.
Lugus (aka Lugh or Lleu) was a warrior god of shinning light. His influence still survives in a harvest festival known as Lughnasa.
Other important widely spread Gods include Ogmios devoted to eloquence and Camulos a war god.
The Grogoch (also called Pecht) is found in Northern Ireland. This half human/half fairy is thought to have come from Scotland. In general, Grogoch are helpful fellows. They will help a person do chores.
Like other fairies they can only be seen by humans if the Grogoch allows it. Those who have seen Grogoch report them to be small, hairy and unkempt. They are very hard working and, in some cases, try to be so helpful that they get in the way. If so and one wants to drive them out of the house, invite a clergyman in. It is said they will not stay in such a house.
If they are underfoot outside, offer to pay them. Grogoch get highly offended if offered payment for their assistance and will leave if one persists in paying them. If you want to reward them, they love cream and will down whatever is offered in one gulp.
As you might expect, the Grogoch live in remote areas under rocks, in caves, and hollows. They can sometimes be seen relaxing and smoking late at night.
In most parts of the world Merrows fairies appear as Mermaids. However in Ireland, they appear in human form with flatter feet and webbed hands. Merrows love the sea but can live ashore. There are many instances reported of unions between men and Merrows. One of the reasons for this is that Merrows have to shed their cloaks to come ashore. They need these cloaks to return to the sea. Anyone who finds such a cloak has power over the Merrow to whom the cloak belongs.
Some men steal these cloaks and leave Merrows little choice but to marry them. Merrows make good wives in the sense that they attend to all their duties. However, they are not affectionate and only want to return to the sea. If they find their cloaks, the urge to return to the sea is so strong they walk out on their husbands and children and do so.
Some Merrows are not Merrows at all. They are humans taken by Merrows to raise as their own. If these children ever stand on land they regain their human roots and can never return to the sea. It is also said that sighting a Merrow can bring ill fortune…. fishermen who see them immediately return to port. They also have a tendency to attack those who fall asleep on the shore and attempt to drown them. As with other fairies, a crucifix will ward off such attack as will the sound of a church bell.
The Far Darrig (Red Man) tends to be restricted to Donegal in Ireland. He is very elusive and no reliable description of him exists. The reports on sightings of him range from him being a small man dressed in red to a gray giant.
However, it is agreed that he likes play some pretty wicked pranks on mortals. He has a tendency to show up at a home on cold nights demanding shelter. Those turning him away are said to regret it because he takes the luck of the house with him. Those admitting him are reminded of his visit for days because his smell lingers for days. The Red Man is not known for good personal hygiene.
Leprechauns are far and away the most recognizable of the Irish Fairies…some even refer to the Leprechaun as Ireland’s national fairy. Leprechauns appear as old, diminutive men who are shoemakers and bankers for other fairies. It is argued that the name Leprechaun derives from the Irish term for shoemaker (leith bhrogan).
Many Leprechauns drink to excess but never to the point of losing control of themselves. Leprechauns have long been associated with money often depicted along with the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. One reason for this is that they seem to have an endless supply of money.
They are thought to always have a silver and a gold coin, each in a different pouch. When they part with the silver coin, it magically returns to their purse. When they part with the gold coin usually to bribe their way out of a difficult situation, the coin turns to leaves or ashes in the recipient’s pocket.
In addition to being shoemakers, Leprechauns are thought to be the bankers of the fairy world. Many believe they have found and hidden treasures lost by others. These treasures are buried in crocks and pots. Leprechauns are able to recall the exact location of these buried treasures.
These banker fairies are thought to have very dour dispositions and to avoid contact with humans because they consider humans to be shallow. They also worry that humans will steal their treasures.
Leprechauns are very hard to catch or see because they can move very quickly. If one is caught, he usually promises great wealth if allowed to go free. Once released, he quickly zips out of sight.
There seem to be two different types of Leprechaun’s the dour, banker type who wears green and avoids humans and the friendly type who dresses garishly and delights in making mischief for humans (some argue this latter fairy is not really a leprechaun but a close cousin who should be called a cluricaun). Banker fairies know all about money while cluricaun know nothing about money and have no knowledge of where treasures can be found.
The story of Tain Bo’ Cuailnge (Cattle raid of Cooley) is an oft told tale and bespeaks of the struggles between gods, between people, and of the interference of ethereal beings in the daily affairs of people. In essence, Queen Medb and Ailill of Connacht (her consort) boast to one another about their respective possessions.
Things are pretty even between the two but Ailill has in his possession a great white horned bull, Findbennach. Medb scours her herd but has no comparable bull. She eventually learns of a great brown bull of Ulster owned by Daire mac Fiachniu. He agrees to loan the bull to Medb for a large sum. Unfortunately for Medb, he hears her soldiers bragging about how they would have taken the bull if he hadn’t agreed to the loan. Thus, he subsequently backs out of the deal and hides the bull.
Medb eventually decides to invade Ulster in order to seize the Donn Bull. War rages and the Donn Bull is sent to Connacht for safe keeping. However, Findbennach, the white bull, senses his presence and the fight between the great bulls is on.
The bulls are huge (large enough for 50 boys to ride at once) and immensely strong. The battle rages for days over all of Ireland. Eventually, the Donn Bull kills Findbennach but is so exhausted by the struggle dies as well.
This is an interesting story full of intrigue and mystery. It shows how Gods interfered with the day-to-day existence of mortals and suggests that humans at this time felt a need to explain conflicts as having a purpose beyond the mere mortal concerns. At the same time, Gods were seen as being motivated by concerns not all that dissimilar to mortals’ concerns…just on a grander scale.
