Ancient Celtic Religion, Druids and Funerary Beliefs

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.
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- CHAPTERS -
0:00​ Introduction
0:34 Travel with us!
1:12 The Ancient Celtic Religion
3:44 The Ancient Celtic Pantheon
6:25 The Ancient Celtic Druids
8:24 Rituals and Sacrifices
10:35 The Afterlife and Burial
13:00 Outro
- WANT TO KNOW MORE? -
The Ancient Celtic Pantheon www.worldhistory.org/article/...
Ancient Celtic Religion www.worldhistory.org/Ancient_...
Druid www.worldhistory.org/druid/
Death, Burial & the Afterlife in the Ancient Celtic Religion www.worldhistory.org/article/...
Sacred Sites & Rituals in the Ancient Celtic Religion www.worldhistory.org/article/...
Cernunnos www.worldhistory.org/Cernunnos/
Epona www.worldhistory.org/article/...
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#ancientcelts #ancientcelticreligion #druids

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

What’s your favourite part of Celtic religion?

[@GhostHuntsman]

I like that they venerated trees 🌳

[@ingmigueleduardo7]

It does not existed anything called "celtic religion", because in ancient times people in Europe had their own system of believes and traditions. Religion as we know it started with the globalist Vatican mafia and their other minion allies of islamism and judaism

[@sergiocastaneda4794]

I like the god Cernnunos

[@allzszvijaykumar5537]

U👙,,,,

[@carcajoupatient2982]

I read about Ogmios, the celtic Hercules, showing the figure of an old wise man, less a bit about the physical power. Just like today's chinese, they had a moon base kind of calender. Nice video, by the way. One of the most interesting population ever to have passed on earth, i believe. 🙏

[@stevenbrown9275]

Excellent and informative video, as usual. Thanks for posting.

[@S.J.L]

They didn't just "adopt" Roman beliefs. Both Celts, Romans & Greeks, among many others, share earlier ancestral linguistic roots. The Romans also adopted the Celtic deity of horses & though they didn't really understand these shared roots, they saw parallels between the gods & traditions of both cultures.

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

True. Thanks for watching!

[@Taliesin_McKnight]

It's most certainly both. Having similar roots from millennia earlier, then developing distinct practices, only to come back into contact and influence each other. It's pretty interesting.

[@sonofapollon447]

The sanskrit speaking Aryans also

[@S.J.L]

@@sonofapollon447 True and the Persians are oddly overlooked by Western audiences as well.

[@anthonyfox585]

​@S.J.L yes its really unfortunate, I think. that's why I try to bring up the fact that farsi and hindi are relatively closely related to most European languages whenever its relevant in conversation

[@TheCuriousCelt]

Hello 👋. Nice presentation. Just wanted to say that in the Irish druidic tradition there are many accounts in the early literature of powerful female druids. 👍🍀

[@robertanderson2940]

yes absolutely women were in the past druids and are still druids today I myself am a druid

[@TheCuriousCelt]

​@@robertanderson2940Hello Robert. Thanks for replying to my comment. 🌳🌳🌳

[@derekbowbrick6233]

Happy Solstice everyone.

[@volponemosca83]

Nice and rich video

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Thanks! 🙂

[@ingmigueleduardo7]

In Australia, you have a state region called "New South Wales", in Spanish being: "Nueva GALES del sur". Wales in Spanish is: Gales, again you have the root word "GAL", from the ethnic celtic Galic group who founded the State of Wales. This celtic group of people named themselves "Galos" and left their cultural name in the places in which they settle or traveled. In Ireland and rest of British isles are plenty of sites with the "Gal" root word like: Glens (name for valleys in Ireland) Galway Galloway Glastonbury Glasgow DoneGAL (county and town in Ireland) FinGAL (county in Ireland) Glencar Lake Vale of Glamorgan (county Borough in Wales) Glenrothes (town in Scotland) Galashields (town in Scotland), etc...

[@jacobparry177]

Quick correction: Glasgow and Glastonbury don't come from the same root as 'Gal'. The Glas in both represent a colour (usually Blue, but sometimes grey and green). It can also mean Fresh.

[@ingmigueleduardo7]

@@jacobparry177 Wrong in all aspects. Gal root usually is associated and represents a variety of terms, mostly: white, great, powerful, leader, a handsome man (gal, pal), etc. PortuGAL for example means: "porto dos galos" (port of white people) in reference of the west European white race of haplogroups male R1b and female U)

[@jacobparry177]

@@ingmigueleduardo7 You're insane.

[@TheEggmaniac]

A lot of these names you have mentioned have nothing to do with 'Gal.' Any word starting with Glen has nothing to the root word Gal. The word for Wales, in the Welsh language is Cymru. Wales is not and has never been a Gaelic speaking country. Gaels, Gals, Gaeilge etc refers to Celtic countries that speak the Q Celtic language, like Gaelic in Scotland or Ireland. Welsh is a Brythonic P Celtic language. A different branch of Celtic languages compared to Gal or Gaelic.

[@Tekmirion]

Thanks for the information Kelly! There is a part of Celts with Herakles in mythology too and also Apollo was correct about some barbarian ways they had.

[@Davlavi]

shared.

[@kurtbogle2973]

The Druids are still here. The information is as close as the nearest Oak Tree. It's all in the Universe available to those who are awake.

[@QueenSiv]

I read a translated text by a Greek anthropologist about how human sacrifice was by no means rare and it went into exceuciating detail, and the ‘stone 3:20 representation of god’ is actually a Germanic statue of a ‘Germanic man’ oml Edit: reference the text ‘the philosopher and the druids’ by Philip freeman

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing.

[@kurtbogle2973]

Celts not only believe in reincarnation, we reincarnate. This isn't my first or second time here. My favorite part of our spiritually is returning to Tir na N OG. That's Home. Last time I was thrown out of here was by the Roman's in 57 AD. 1900 years in Tir na N OG . where do you think we really live. No one is allowed out in the Universe that's unkind. Until Humanity learns the art of kindness. Humanity is stuck here. This is the lesson. Take a look. Do you see lots of kindness? We need to change the paradigm. We need to be considerate of others. Kindness instead of violence. We have been here all along in one form or another. Who do you think the Dinosaurs were? If you keep bombing this planet the crust will crumble. Then you'll be spirits on hot lava. I suppose that means you start over as a mineral in the ground. Like the first time. I honestly don't know that though.

[@shaunsteele6926]

lmao that must be some good acid

[@Being_shakeel7]

Can you share the history of hurrians

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Hi! We're always adding new videos, so stay tuned! 🙂

[@Scarlettvoid]

❤❤❤

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

😊 Thanks for watching!

[@petersburgtug6633]

One of the horrific human sacrifice practices they included was The Wickerman. A human shape made of wicker that formed a cage for many stuffed inside to be burned alive.

[@petshopox]

Who are the 2 dudes with big afro's at 1:27 ?

[@Janellabelle]

Probably just the human sacrifices.

[@Inquisitor_Vex]

It’s 3 women and presumably a child.

[@GeoffryGifari]

are there mythological creatures of celtic lore that people know of today? i know fairies, imps, and goblins are european but not from which culture

[@Trappedinatriangle]

The fae are celtic. Dont mess with them lol

[@GeoffryGifari]

are the gauls celtic? i first know of druids from asterix & obelix comic

[@iainleask773]

yes

[@ingmigueleduardo7]

In reality all what people understands as "celtic" culture proceeds from eastern Europe (Ukraine), to central Europe, Galia (France), northwest and west of Iberian peninsula and British isles as they migrated all the way from eastern Europe to the west since thousands of years. Cultural names for this "celtic" group of people are Galos, Galegos, Gaels, Galeses, etc. It's just a matter of understand and reclaim real culture and history from place names and toponyms of tribes in which they left their cultural names in places where they settle or traveled. For example the name "Portugal" in reality comes from the port city of "Oporto", which in ancient times was called "Oportugal" and means in celtic indoeuropean: "O porto dos Galos" (port or harbor of Galos). Word "Galos" or "Galegos" being the name by which the celtic race identified themselves in Iberian peninsula and who settle there in Oporto and founded that port city, which was the ancient capital of the kingdom of Galicia in north and west Iberia. Similar with name "Galicia" (which was a kingdom comprised by nowadays Galicia + Portugal without Algarve and half of Beja regions + west end parts of Asturias and Leon Spanish provinces), founded by the same race of people, the Galos. In Iberia Galos (celts) also called themselves "Galegos", a name meaning: "Galic gods" or "Great Gods" because they were the most powerful race of Galos by their time. Root word "Gal" means in indoeuropean and semitic languages "Great" or "White skins". Elven people in different cultural works (like "Lord of the rings" or the Witcher books) and folklore in reality were Galos (celts) in ancient times without any admixture from other races. Also they didn't have long pointed ears, that is a misconception (deliberate or by ignorance). Normally they phenotype was tall with powerfully built bodies, white or olive skin, Red, Brown or bronze hair with light eyes (green to silver gradient)

[@GeoffryGifari]

@@ingmigueleduardo7 good to know!

[@S.J.L]

Search Proto-Indo-Europeans if you want to go on an adventure.

[@feldgrau2664]

@@ingmigueleduardo7 Tolkien's Elves aren't based on the Celts though, neither is most of his universe. He primarily took inspiration from Germanic mythology and his Elves are based on Anglo-Saxon (Ælf) and Scandinavian Light Elves (Ljósalfar) who are elevated spirits, pure of hearts, and Quenya is inspired by the Finnish language. Their pointy ears isn't by accident, this is his idea of the physical manifestation of the mythological Light Elves, and there are no "olive" Elves, they are all pale white of skin. He describes them as fair beyond the measure of men in appearance, voices, minds and physical abilities. "High and beautiful, tall and very fair of skin, grey eyed. [...]"

[@wonderingdoabreakdowncha-dh6db]

For one Celts predates Roman and Greek. Germanic held same beliefs.

[@WildMen4444]

Hail to the Gods of the Celts!

[@GeoffryGifari]

celtic horse deity is a goddess? hmmm i often read about the horse as symbol of masculinity

[@WildMen4444]

Sometimes things can be associated with both genders

[@Janellabelle]

Rhiannon and Epona are horse aapect goddesses

[@rickpearson7943]

The Celtic religion was and is the one true religion. The Celtic gods and goddesses are the only real deities and they demand your worship or else you will be damned to the underworld. Convert or suffer the consequences!

[@ingmigueleduardo7]

All what people understands as "celtic" culture proceeds from eastern Europe (Ukraine), to central Europe, Galia (France), northwest and west of Iberian peninsula and British isles as they migrated all the way from eastern Europe to the west since thousands of years. Cultural names for this "celtic" group of people are Galos, Galegos, Gaels, Galeses, etc. It's just a matter of understand and reclaim real culture and history from place names and toponyms of tribes in which they left their cultural names in places where they settle or traveled. For example the name "Portugal" in reality comes from the port city of "Oporto", which in ancient times was called "Oportugal" and means in celtic indoeuropean: "O porto dos Galos" (port or harbor of Galos). Word "Galos" or "Galegos" being the name by which the celtic race identified themselves in Iberian peninsula and who settle there in Oporto and founded that port city, which was the ancient capital of the kingdom of Galicia in north and west Iberia. Similar with name "Galicia" (which was a kingdom comprised by nowadays Galicia + Portugal without Algarve and half of Beja regions + west end parts of Asturias and Leon Spanish provinces), founded by the same race of people, the Galos. In Iberia Galos (celts) also called themselves "Galegos", a name meaning: "Galic gods" or "Great Gods" because they were the most powerful race of Galos by their time. Root word "Gal" means in indoeuropean and semitic languages "Great" or "White skins". Elven people in different cultural works (like "Lord of the rings" or the Witcher books) and folklore in reality were Galos (celts) in ancient times without any admixture from other races. Also they didn't have long pointed ears, that is a misconception (deliberate or by ignorance). Normally they phenotype was tall with powerfully built bodies, white or olive skin, Red, Brown or bronze hair with light eyes (green to silver gradient)

[@evelynlamoy8483]

Sometimes hearing non celts talk about celts pisses me off.

[@edwardtanner6393]

Give me an example ?

[@zachberman9785]

Greece isn’t celtic

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

We never said they were?