Eclectic
Twenty-seven is the sacred number 9 times three…..making 27 three times as consequential to the Celts as 9. Obviously, given the potency of the number 27, it made good sense to the Celts to surround themselves with units comprised of 27 elements. Thus, the basic Celtic military unit had 27 members and a Celtic Chieftain had 27 members in the royal court.
The Celts used a 9-day week based on lunar phases. Thus, nine was an important number in the Celtic Worldview. To them, the 9th wave was the mystic interaction of sea and wind…that is the boundary between this world and the Otherworld.
The Celts believed that certain numbers were associated with various aspects of existence. Three is one of those numbers. Consequently, sets of 3 can be found throughout Celtic culture. For instance, the interrelationship of land, water, and air was considered to be essential to existence. Not surprisingly then, the earth/sky/water were considered to be a three layered marriage.
Three appears in many other contexts….harvesting, planting, and fallowing….mother, maiden, crone (grandmother)….father, son, grandson. The significance of the “three” at issue depends upon the context in which it is found. For instance, a three fold symbol found in a smithy’s workshop most likely represents the interconnectedness of harvesting, planting, and fallowing.
