The Celts first appeared in history in the 9th century BC. as they migrated out of the East. They spread into Gaul, the Iberian Peninsula, north Italy, the Balkans, Asia Minor, Britain, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.In the 5th century BC they were ransacking towns in Italy, France, Germany and Switzerland. They did settle in these areas for a while.
At the height of their rein they had stretched their territory from the British Isles to Turkey. This ended due to the Romans and Germanic Tribes. Although they were not all of the same ethnic background, they spoke dialects of the same language. They were among the greatest technologists of the ancient world; skilled metalworkers, builders of roads, they were experts in farming and animal care. They were also great warriors they were even feared by the greatest of Roman legions. They laid the foundation of western European civilization.
The Celts were brilliant, flamboyant, fearless people. They were first and foremost Warriors, they often hired themselves out as mercenaries. The women were considered as good with a sword as the men. Though held in high regard an angry Celtic woman was a force to be reckoned with..
The Roman began conquering the Celtic territories around the 1st century BC. with the exception of Scotland and Ireland but the Celtic beliefs were not destroyed until the Christians came on the scene.
From about 600 B.C. the Celtic people had an alphabet, called the Ogham ( pronounced owam). the Ogham alphabet was sacred and used only for special recordings. The Druids knew and use the Greek alphabet for everyday writings. Though the Bards of Wales continued to use the Ogham to write down the Druidic tradition . Eventually the Christian church forcibly replaced the Ogham with the Latin alphabet. Though it is said that the Celtics kept no written records, St. Patrick personally burned almost 180 Irish books written in the Celtic language. For reasons unknown some Christian monk felt compelled to record the Celtic myths, even while they were trying to stamp out the belief in the ancient gods and goddesses.
The Celtics were very religious people. The Druids were the Celtic priesthood. They had a similar organizations of women, they are some clues in historical writings to suggest that these women were called Dryads and lived in sacred groves. It is possible that they were in existence before the Druids, being part of the very old goddess religions. In the Underside of History, written by Elise Boulding it states that some Druidesses were secluded orders, never having contact with men, while others were married . It is possible that witchcraft or the Wiccan may have evolved when the Druids were driven underground.
The Druids and priestesses were the healers, judges, astronomers, teachers, oracles and religious leaders of the Celtic Clans. The head Druid was the Arch Druid, and his counterpart was the High Priestess of the Grove. Special schools were available for would be initiates of either sex. It was no easy matter to become part of the elite religious community.
The Druids had three divisions, the Bards (poets) who wore blue robes, the Ovates ( prophets, philosophers) who wore green robes and the priests, who wore white. Their tonsure was later copied by Christian monks.
The priestesses or Druidesses were highly revered among the Celts, as they knew the power of words, stones and herbs. Priestesses sang the dying to sleep, did enchantments, prophecies, charms, birthing and healing. A cauldron, bowl spring or pool was one of the central features of a Grove and was probably used for scrying. Red haired women were sacred to the war goddesses, as red was the color of life blood.
Blacksmiths ranked high in the social order because they were trained in special magick. They trained for a year and a day on Scath's Island learning metal magick and the martial arts. They could also heal, prophesy and make weapons filled with magical powers Blacksmiths were dedicated to the Goddess Scathach or Scota.
Certain hills, lakes, caves, springs, wells, monoliths, clearings within groves, and ancient stone circles were sacred worship places because of their connection with ley lines and significant happenings in the past.
Wells, springs, fountains and ponds were considered female symbols, water-passages to the underground womb of the Great Mother. But the Druids preferred oak groves and forests. They even built some large rectangular or horseshoes shape symbolized the womb of the Great Mother. the Great Gate of the Goddess. or knowledge gained through ritualistic rebirth. Roughly carved tree trunk images or stones ornamented with metal plates occasionally represented devotion to the deity. Each Celtic temple had its sacred cauldron, a symbol of the Great Mother's cosmic womb of reincarnation.
Most celebrations were held at night as the Celtic day began at midnight, they counted time by night rather than days. Their calendar was based on the Moon and had thirteen months. The bright half of each month was made up of the fifteen days of the waxing Moon, while the dark half was the fifteen days of the waning Moon, binding or dark magic.
The months of a Celtic year were named after trees, which corresponded to letters of the Ogham alphabet. They also knew and used the solar year, based on the time it takes the Sun to circle the Earth and return to the same place. They adjusted their lunar year to the solar year by inserting an extra 30 day month alternately at two and a half and three year intervals.
The Celtics actually were a very clean people, using soap long before the Roman did. The Celtic men and women sometimes wore swirling blue tattoos or paintings on their bodies. All Celts played lyres and harps loved song, music and recitation of legends and epic adventures. They used metal or ornamented natural horns for drinking. Children took the mother's name and daughters inherited her possessions. Virginity was not valued; twice the dowry was given for a woman previously married or with children. Abortion and choice or change of mate was a woman's right.
Celtic women painted their fingernails, reddened their cheeks with roan, darkened their eyebrows with berry juice. They wore their hair long and braided or piled up on the head. They usual dress was a sleeved tunic tucked into a large, gathered, belted shirt or simply an ankle length tunic and a cloak, the ever present dagger or sword, and leather or fur footgear tied around the legs. Mustaches were common and the hair shoulder length. A horned helmet indicated a powerful warrior.
The Celtics were an energetic people with a zest for life. They were strong psychics, in tune with the forces of Nature and the power of the human mind. What we now call magick was an integral part of their belief system. and the basics of that system are still as usable today as they were then.