Origins of Modern Day Celtic Surnames

Surnames & Name in General 
From the ancient Celtic and Scandinavian Area Tribes

The Celts did not have last names until much later and last names started with the names of their fathers, like "son of Donald" or "daughter of" and then the mother or fathers name.  Mac, Mc and ap also means "son of".   It was later on that this changed to include the clans or individuals known occupation or contribution to the  bigger tribe/community - Donald the Smith or William the Miller.  These names are still with us today.  In fact my birth name is Mills.  To mention something about each last name will be time consuming, but below I am compiling a list that will be added to as I go on.  I do have also another post on the actual tribe names which was a lot of work, and it is still not done, so if my fans want to help and send me stuff, that would be much appreciated.  If you do so, please write me and I shall include it in the report with a plug to your name on my other article Modern names.   I shall list as many that I know of within the tribes & you can research on your own and discover its magic. 

If you read the article I wrote on Tribal naming then you'll see that some totem names, over time, became the surnames we know today and the last Great Kings or Queens or Chieftains that held them in that clan/tribe. 

Well-known names as Trevelyan, Trelawney, Treherne, Trevor, Polwhele, Pentreath, Pendennis, are Celtic names -  Tre is the Welsh tre or tref (home, hamlet), Irish treabh (house, family, tribe), English thorp; pol is the Welsh pwll, Irish poll (a hole, pit, pool); pen is the Welsh pen (a head, end, hill), and Old Irish cenn now ceann (head, headland), and also beinn (a hill, a summit). Some Welsh and Irish names indicating a father or ancestor; as the Vyvyans, Oliphants, Kennalls, Jenners, Keigwins, Scawens, and others, all most purely Celtic, both in name and blood.
Welsh family names are generally easy to recognise, but in many cases are most often mistaken for English names. Names such as as Tudor, Gwynn (Wynn) Morgan, Meredith, Owen, Griffith, Rhys (Rees, Rice) Lloyd, Howell, Evan, Vaughan, and Craddock. 

It first should be first noted that Surnames did not come into effect until 1057 in Scotland.  Prior to this, our lineage came from our god descendant's totem, above. 

Allmack - in London, having been started by a Highlander, whose original name was MacCall or MacAll.

Davidson  - was Mac Daibhidh - "David's son"

Campbell of Glenure (which means "Glen of Yew"), "I wish he were yew and not alder"i.e., the noble yew tree of his territorial title rather than an ignoble tree. The Campbells - Their Emblem was the gale, some bog myrtle.   
Clan Chattan used with the fir "in commemoration of Rothemurchus from whence they came, & where there grows so many firs, but Clan Chattan derives its name from the totem wild cat - Chattans - Cat totem. 
Cruden - comes from Croih Dain (a Pictish King) or Cro-Dun (the circle on the hill) or Croo-Dane  ( a circle of stones in honour of Danes and Scots who were honouring the slain warriors and the new peace between them (Scots are Irish and Picts mixed).  Picts - called themselves Cruithni .  th in some gaelic languages was pronounced "d" so this is another possibility.  
The Giuthas - "Fir" 
MacDonalds of Braemar were so named because the clan's founder spent in the woods as a fugitive. MacDonalds  -emblem was the heather, boasted that "now the heather was above the [bog myrtle]. 
Clan MacLaren's choice of the laurel , its clan's badge, refers to the name of its founder. Frasers did with the yew of Tomnahurich from where they came.  
Í Néill - great yew (one of the noble types of wood) torn from soil by a storm (Ó Cuív).

Kincaid - comes from Cairbre Cinn Cait - Caibre of the Cat Head, wore some sort of Cat headdress - 'of the tribe of the cat. 

MacCodrums - came from Bardic lineage.  Their totem seems to be seal as they would not kill or eat them, nor use their oils or skins.   Legend has it that the women bearing this name have pain during seal hunting season.

The MacNivens of Islay says that they were descended from a child found at the root of a tree, and thus named "Mac Craoibh[e]an (the son of trees)." 

MacRae - a small charm was recorded that mentions  
MacLeans: B'úr a' choill as na dh'fhás thu -fresh the woodland you sprung from-Siol nam failleanan árd bu mhór stoirm.- seed of the mighty trunks of great storm.
McCarthy - (MacCarthy, McCarty etc)  the oldest clan symbol is a red Stag on a greyish silver shield, with yellow horns and hooves.  Its one leg about to step forward.  The McCarthy name comes from their ancient ancestor called Muiredach Mac Carthach.  This clan is originally from the isle of Ireland, which in the Christian era was divided into 5 kingdoms, Ulaidh, Midhe, Laighin, Mumhain, and Connacht.  I use the ancient spellings here. The McCarthy's are from Munster or Mumhain, ruled by those descendant from Eoghanacht. The Eoghanacht are Spanish Celts (Spain area) from the son Heber of the Spanish King Milesius, spoken about as one of the invasions in their mythology.  Eaghan Mor ("Slave of Nuada") is supposedly the 46th descendant of Heber.  This is the oldest McCarthy written about and he died in 192 CE.  Conall Corc, however, who died in 379 CE, is the the first accepted historical King who was elected by method of tanistry. But in the same area, in the 900's, there were also a family descendant from DalgCais & these two Septs fought.  (A sept) is a sub-group from the same tribe.).  This is where both the McCarthy's and the O'Briens come from.   They feuded for years and finally in 1118, Munster was finally divided in half and became Tuadh Mumhan (Thomod), which is the dynasty of the O'Briens and Des Munham (Desmond), the dynasty of the McCarthy's. Carthach's Grandson, Tadhg 1 MacCarthy was the first King of Desmond.  Their last King's reign ended in 1596 with no male heir. (in pre-Christian times, otherwise know as Celtic pagan times, their was no male heirs, as it was not a patriarchal thing then, it was the fittest - male or female which would take the next lead, usually by vote or contest.  Craddock is the most ancient of Welsh names and one of the most distinguished, for it is but the English spelling of Caradoc (accent on the second syllable) a later form of Caratauc which represents Caratacus (corruptly 'Caractacus') the name of the British warrior who fought so valiantly against the Romans.  Remember that the Celtic tribes shared thei heroes thus, the Irish had the same name Cárthach whence MacCarthaigh or 'McCarthy'; hence Welsh 'Craddock' equals Irish 'Carthy.' At the beginning of the Christian era the Irish form was most probably *Carathachas.
The Hays of Erroll (in Scotland) was said to be tied with the life of a mistletoe that grew on a particular oak tree.
MacCrimmons - From Skye.  Seal lineage.

Mac Cuain - ("The Son of the Sea"). McEwan, MacKewan - Always dream prophesies when associated with sea.

McDonalds - Dog lineage.

McGregors - Bloodhound lineage. 

MacIntosh - Cat totem.

MacKelvies - Dove lineage.

McLeod - had the horse totem.

MacMasters - Pig lineage/totem.

MacNichols - Cat totem.

MacNeishes - Cat lineage (totem).

McPhees - Seal lineage/totem.

Weir clann - The Dragon Motif was depicted in 1200 AD. on the seal of Hugh de Vere, whilst the Blue Boar, a Druidic caste badge, was derived from the family of Raymond de Vere.Vere changed to Weir.  The southern Picts of Alba (the Scots) - totem tribal badge was the Dragon, this is important to note as Wales area later had the Red Dragon.

Mysteel Mills

Copyright July 27, 2011

Anyone who wishes their name to be added to the list above let me know, or more added to the names already above and I shall continually add as I could be here for years lol.

Out there for the World to See

Since I was a Child, I have always seen the world differently than others around me, including my siblings and parents.  I always felt like an outsider looking in.  My parents chalked my behaviour up to highly imaginative in my play, which to an extent it was, but it was also more than that.  I could feel life where others could not, and I had a strong connection to the natural world around me.  The animals in nature were drawn to me but more especially I could just be with, for hours, trees and plants. I strongly wanted relations and to have friends but never really fit in and became withdrawn and painfully shy because I learned very quickly that I did not think like anyone else.  Kids can be mean.

Spending more time alone, I developed the ability to tap into my more primal instincts.  For some reason, although I am female, and was not around any farm animals often, I came to mimic a stallion horse everyday, watching over everyone like they were my herd. When we were leaving or going to school, I would immediately become the Stallion. The only thing that would shift my focus is if I stumbled upon a plant that called to be because it needed to tell me something. 

I had learned that what others talked, gossiped or giggled about was excruciatingly boring to me and most likely what I had to say to them, was too deep, or sounded insane to others.  Teachers were no help for when I put up my hand, so proud that I knew the answer, they would never pick me and thus confirmed the notion that I was not important. Now that I look back, it more likely was that because I knew all the answers, they chose someone else, but to my 6 yr old mind, it was rejection. Rejection that my inside belief would show mimicked by others on the outside world, almost my whole life.  We see on the outside what we believe about ourselves.  We see it in people even if they had a totally different prospective because we choose to see it.
So what was it that I spoke about to get this reaction you ask?  Some children would ask me how I knew things and I of course I answered "The tree, by the corner there, told me."  Normal to me as I thought the many plants spoke to them as well..... well you can imagine my horror.

My mom always described my behaviour to others as daydreaming and I let her do this because I did not want my parents to think I was crazy too.

Now that the Internet has opened up to such a global connection I know now that I am not weird nor alone.  I know why I had my beautiful son.  He was the voice that I lost, he showed me things I could not see. He brought me out of shyness because of his personality I had to talk with others.  I'd turn my back for a second and he was talking with the table next to us for an example. He was my pride and joy.

He also has his own path of learning, totally separate from me.  I notice that he too has a hard time with communicating and to get his point across he is too direct & oversteps boundaries, hurting people in the process. He mistakes assertiveness with aggressiveness and has no patience to let others speak if they have a different opinion.  With him there is no grey, it is black and white.  He just knows things.  But I believe he is an Indigo child, which have these strong personalities, to clear old nonsense out of the way for future persons.  

My point is, that we all try to survive in our own ways with the resources we know about at different times.  We are all here for our own purpose and lessons, big or small. My son and I both have had weird abilities, sadly by the time I was preteen, I had shut mine down, and spent half my life trying to fit in.

It is a sad thing that many great mentors & those in service industry, those who dedicate themselves to serve others by mentoring, protection, waitressing etc., are the persons most abused. Abused by students, customers and abused by the system for low wages when it is the hardest working people.  It is those at the top who make a phonecall or two or make a yes or a no answer or sign a paper then go home that make the big bucks.  Something wrong there.

You can see this in famous people too.  People like to put you on a pedestal then take all they can from you then when you need a break or drained your cup, they not only leave you in the dust, but they kick you in the gut for good measure, but don't forget the added sugarcoated spoonfuls of perceived justifications for these actions.  They simply can't just leave quietly, no, their ego "needs" to let everyone else know so they will stay away because 'heavens forbid' if the others might hear your side of the story -- it just might conflict with theirs.  But After all that has happened to me, I still have compassion.

Now I am very proud of who I am and have embraced both the dark and the light of me.  I think I scare some lesser developed or insecure people with my strength, but I don't mean to, and as we all know, they attempt to knock you down to their level to feel comfortable.  If you don't back down they run.

My major interests are my ancestors, and a strong interest in the mythology of Arthur, who became, in later tales King Arthur.  On top of this, I've always where sayings or beliefs come from and absolutely love studying this. I am attracted to old castles and want to live in one, even if i have to make my own.  My favorite colour is Electric blue.  I seem to get along with animals and nature rather than people.  In fact, one of my faults is that it saddens me because I've always wanted a close friend or even a friend to do things with.  I am happy though that I did find that and didn't know it, with a girlfriend in Saskatoon.  I met her again after 20 yrs and I still felt like we just left off.  Love you Meg.  XOX.  

Oddly as an adult, Children I now get along with.  Children love me because I connect with their inner play and have a highly developed imagination and creative mind. Adults, as a child and Spiritual Elders I've always been fascinated by.  In fact I've had many odd encounters with them.  Each saying I would be destined for something great and this use to bother me.  I wanted to know what it was.  To be honest i still don't know so I quit worrying and just keep going. This time openly.

I found it odd, coming to Calgary, and the 'witches' or pagan persons here were afraid to "speak the w word", to use a phrase from the wife of a couple, I first met in 1997, who were the meet and greet for me. I already knew that you teach people how to treat you and by acting like you are ashamed of something you invite persons to shame you. I didn't want any part of that.  I've never had any problem, with anyone I've met, including bosses, for my days off or my beliefs.  When I first started, and being shy and always trying to fit in didn't help, I acted like everyone else, being angry and feeling persecuted.  This only attracted the same.

There is something else about me that is or is not weird, but I am attracted to wanting to live in the country surrounded in ancient looking furs and natural furniture around me so I can curl up in them.  Instead I buy, what I call, fluffies, or fuzzies.  You know those furry blankets. I feel comfortable in teepees, or huts, or old cabins.

If I look back at all my 'jobs' and my now chosen profession, I know that I am here to help others and to right wrongs.  I know that just the act of focusing on this or thinking about it will join the consciousness and someone else can pick my thought up. 

Once in awhile, as all humans, I let it all get to me, and I shut down and hide myself away from all others.  I forget about self and empty my cup.  I give too much and people drain me, then when I have nothing else to give, the users leave.

For my son, who is sometimes my opposite, others leave because they feel uncomfortable around his intensity and righteousness.  They do not have the ability the love through this, nor that he is the one that is hyper sensitive.  His outlet is creating Electric music or connective sounds.  I am hoping one day that he will learn to develop the ability to distinguish between the emotional fields that are from others and his own.  Right now he does not.  I learned to shut that down years ago.  I am a watcher and he is a talker. My defence is apathy, his is being cynical.  Both of us hate those who pull, use or abuse authority, especially when we are smarter than they are. most of the time.  Frankly, both of us have trouble finding 'our own kind'. Someone we can talk to about deeper subjects instead of watching sports or what colour you are going to paint the walls or finger nails.

Unfortunately this lack of bonding to find others, does not help with the fact that we love to be touched, to be hugged, and to cuddle.  I am a downright suck, I admit, when I am sick and want to be fed and pampered.  I would love my hair to be brushed by another, be bathed and feel supported.  In fact I need this more than others.  With texting, computers and all this supposed easier way of connecting to others, we have lost the most important basic and proven fundamental human need - TOUCH.  My only regret is not hugging my son as much as I should have but try to make up for it now.  I tell him all the time how special he is and that I love him today, always present tense.  In fact I have been 'texting' a new potential date, and am excited, yet disappointed, because he will text me, but won't phone me. I don;'t get it.  This is cold.  No tone of voice.  No body language to visualize.  What is the world coming to.  This is not communicating.

As you can tell, I have huge trust issues.  I've been misunderstood my whole life and betrayed so many times, I cannot even count anymore.  I was a very open person and my shyness comes from not knowing what to talk about to others, saying something and being thought of as weird and not knowing how to express myself.  I have an easier time writing.  It is usually better to keep my opinions and thoughts to myself.  I find most people don't truly listen anyways.

I am my best when I feel that someone has my back, when someone want to pitch in, when I feel I am not alone.  Unfortunately, 90% of the time, I am alone. I was also a single parent and was not there enough for my son.  Society is set up for this abuse of children because of the money game.  

I don't know but I am sure my son felt very alone in the school systems as well, as he would be extremely bored, and know more than the teacher.   I know I had an incident when I was young and the teacher was giving the class shit because they were not listening and got low marks on the metric system test, but he bragged about that he knows he taught it well because I was quiet and got a 100%.  The one odd time, where I overcame my shyness and told him I did not learn it from his teachings (which was a week long), I learned it in 5 minutes from my brother.  He mocked me and told me If I though I was so great, to come up to the board and show the rest of the students, my 5 minute lesson.  I did and they all got 100% in the test right after.

I guess I've always wanted to know the 'why' of everything.  My son is the same way only even more extreme, if there is no point to something, why do it, and for my situation, if it is not explained in an easy manner, its not worth my time or energy. 

This works with people too.  The last round of students did that for me.  I want to know everything about them before they join my tribe.  If you don't have your financial affairs in order, your balance in play and work, your balance of negative and positive or your lacking basic needs, and you don't want  to listen and follow out the new way, seize opportunity to get ahead....then piss off, I have no time or the energy for you; Those who choose to repeat behaviour that didn't change anything in the first place, or people who choose to look for the bad in people to replace looking at themselves.

I love to gift people through Understanding themselves, in this way, I can contribute to healing the world, one person at a time.  I created many courses based off of many teachings of successful persons.  My son also gives a gift of healing through his music.  I try to remain ever open to new things, in an attempt to make the world see that half the drugs out there, especially for children, are unnecessary.  It is our environment that causes both mental and physical disorders.  

For my tribe, started in 2002, since 2009, after a grueling time with dishonourable students, I now go after those who are who are happy with themselves and arent looking for a quick fix or titles.  I found them in persons who are skilled in Drawing, Painting, Decorating, Photography and other skills that show they see the world 'differently' then others.  They are fantastic at inventing new games of social interaction and creating new more efficient ways of doing things.  I find it is those who are not interested in competitive sports but instead personal achievement and their own discipline in martial arts or other interests that are more enlightened and make better tribal members.  They are better listeners and have the courtesy to stop and listen to someone when they play them a song on the guitar at a party, or sing for them, instead of gabbing with their friends.  They are drawn to theatre, comedy and ritual where they can act as a character and express a view or create a mood.  I look also for persons who've gone through major grief or trauma, have been emotionally or physically abused, abandoned, or may have turned to drugs or alcohol as a child, teenager or young adult but have awakened and pulled through in strength.  I feel we were put there in these families or situations so that we would be subjected to very painful and life shattering experiences so that we could figure out how to balance.  Without knowing the extreme harshness of winter, one never truly knows the warm loving arms of summer.  Some never learn that spring will always come and they get stuck buried in the snow.

If any of this sounds like you, and you've been looking for a way to contribute to the new world and bring it back into balance, your tribal family is looking for you.  We know the world is not going to work with the money system of today and we need to wake up and bring back sharing and not wasting resources.

Brahva Cwmevos

Copyright June 29, 2011

Celtic Nobility

The Celtic tribes was divided into different classes or castes of hierarchal nobility. Their society was quite complex but that is written about in my Tribal Structure and Laws article. I shall speak about these different levels but we'll exclude the Druid castes, which will have an article of their own but they would go in the nobility class.

Kings and Queens - the King although respected, did not rule as one would think today.  He had many geasa put on him, (rule restrictions). For the Celts it was not a matter of blood inheritance as it is today.  The King and/or Queen was elected by the tribe and ruled until he was wounded, old or scarred in any way.  At this time the tribe would vote again.  The candidates to choose from came from the most prominant (nobility) classes.  It would be someone the tribe believed showed excellent skills and was able to make hard or quick decisions.  Also they were chosen for their virility and charm.  Kings were usually picked from the elite warrior class.  If  a king had any flaw, missing parts (even a missing tooth), or was inadequate in bed, he was stripped of his title.  This was done because it was believed that the King was a representative of the the Sun which married the earth land and therefore responsible for good crops.  He had to be the epitome of the fertile and virility of the land, which was considered the Mother Goddess and usually represented by a Horse.   She was also in the sky and was called by many names, depending on the tribe but one name is Epona.  To the Greeks, this was Pegasus.  In Celtic mythology, the King was Sagittarius merged with her.  No other scholar has said so but in studying many cultures myself, this seems to be the case.  He was in charge taking care of her and defending her and thus he protects his people.  Possibly, with his bow in hand, he does so the arrow representing the suns rays (semen) penetrating her for growth.  Some famous rulers, in fact became one and the same as their sky Gods.

A "kingdom, was run like a large company.  Their were many lesser Kings, sometimes called Lords, who all ruled their own areas but followed the middle or main Kings rule.  Lesser Kings and Queens were called Lords Or Ladies, hence the titles we get in Northern European Traditional pagan groups.   These lesser Kings would rule the island or land of their area split into 12 to 5 areas.

A High King was a skilled warrior, chosen by the many tribes, who was only used to rally the clans together during times when they had a mutual cause or threat, therefore, this style of King, was not always put in down in history books unless he lasted through many battles or changed history in some way.  These only ruled during the time of the threat, and then the Tribes would go back to their own affairs.  In ancient times, in most cultures, these famous Kings & Queens were thought of as the living Gods in physical form.  Kings and Queens were considered part of the Noble class below.
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Noble class or privileged classes -  These were considered the learned men.  There were many levels of this class, but those categorized in this class were men of knowledge.  These included Warriors, Druids, Vates, Bards and those with a unique talent or occupation was very much needed by the tribe.  Irish called the Vates, Ovates but there are also other names, depending on the area and tribe.  Hosts were also considered part of the noble class.  See occupations article. The Noble class liked to have their heads depicted on coins.  many were found from this period. 
We also must remember that each area of tribes had their own similar but slightly different set of laws which they lived by and these dictated the hierarchy as well.  Every hierarchy is different.  There are many books which tell us some of the areas and their ways.  lets look at this more closely;
In Munster, Ireland, for example, they had several ruling families (the lords).  These families were called Septs. Each of these belongs to one tribe.  Which means they all shared a common ancestor, and Munster's was Eoghanacht. In Ireland, First was the King, who oversaw the entire land with allegience of the lesser Lords who ruled over their own large territories, often known as the "Ard Tiarna" or Ard Ri in earlier times. Finally, there were the lords of lesser areas (Tiarna), who owed fuedal rent and allegience to the Ard Tiarna closest or sometimes to the King.  Below the Kings, were the Knights, some famous bands like the Fianna, Red Branch etc. are written about.  These were the mounted Warriors.  So the magic number 3 is there again, the Royals, the persons with land, and the warriors all had an honour of being this by birth, as usually one followed in their parents footsteps.

The French Celts (which were Anglo-Norman) there was only one King who had complete power over all subjects and did not share with lesser lords.  The Nobility here represented earthly power of military might and they allowed actual power over all physical possessions and control of territory.
For some famous British tribal nobles names from early periods, I found a well written blog.  Just push on the link here.

Freeman or Craftsman Class,

Two classes at the very bottom; The Non-Free - servants and; the criminals. 
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Also included in nobility are the three types of Druids, the Druid, the Bard and the Ovate.  It is not clear but it seems that each of these were divided by three as well.

Bard (British) - In Ireland they are called the Fili and the top, like the King, is called the Ard Fili.  This role was taken by one who was versed in all three areas of Bardic training in their schools.  All Bards were at different levels, but the Ollamh (kind of like a professor degree) was what you were called once you finished after 6 - 7 yrs.., and decided on your specialty  The first type is the poet-musician and story teller.  A very powerful type. The second type of Bard was called the Seanacha, in Ireland and these were the Historians and geneaologists. Their top of course is called the Ard Seanacha.  And the third type were the ones going on to Druid level called the Brehons. They were judges, who would hear grievances and arbitrate disputes.  Kings and Queens did not have any more privilege as to the judgements given to them as would any commoner or freeman, but the Druid classes were.  They are all above the King and/or Queen, especially in terms of hospitality and treatment.  Every law in specific detail about hospitality.  No one could harm one, even on the battle field.  In Ireland, these occupations did not every carry a weapon and were always peacemakers.  The Bards were the ones mostly on the battle field as they had to record what went down and give credit where credit was do and insult as well.

More to come....keep checking back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Book to come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maers Khohias Tribe

Our tribe is waiting for the world to awaken and learn that Barter and trade system must come back or we will kill every country and we are just starting to see the results now.   Money trading hurts more and more people everyday and it isn't even real in the first place.  Once you get that, that sharing and equality is the way to go, then our tribe is waiting for you.  Hierarchy is necessary but not in the way of power over.  We know that the world is all one people and we are very much connected to nature and its resources.  Our tribe focuses on similarities and what we can share, not what we can get from each other.  learn from each other.  We accept all cultures, genders and sexual preferences.

We wish to grow and heal the world.  One person at a time. 

If you start your own Northern European tribe, count on years of paperwork & study as you must classify & symbolize the natural world around you so the source (or mother will know how your group) chooses to read a sign when given.  Or you can make it simple, join and learn from the 30 years of expertise of the Maers Khohias Tribe planning to spread all embracing spiritualism worldwide!!

 

What a Medieval Feast Table looks like!

How to Put on a Fantastic Theme party - 

The Medieval Feast! 

Huge Medieval feasts were done on special holidays, special events like a wedding, or just because company dropped in.   A Celt was always big on hospitality, in fact there was an occupation assigned to this.  The virtue of hospitality was very high on their list.  No matter who the person was, stranger or friend, at the door, a Celt always took them in as a guest and gave them food, water, shelter and entertainment or be shamed.


We know that the dishes served at these Medieval feasts, depended on the type of food available in the area where the tribe or fine lived.  If the Celt was rich, he or she could order from abroad and would have more types of food available.  The key to serving the right amount for any guest, is to serve them above and beyond what you would serve yourself without harming your family financially.  There was no such thing as going cheap to the Celts!   You shared what you had with all!   A Celts is definitely not modest and at some Medieval feasts the guests were served up to 6 or more courses.


In Earlier years the people in the tribe worked for the Chieftains or Kings for free, at these affairs and within the tribe!  In turn, these Lords were responsible for provide food, training, & safety to them in return.   Everybody had their part to play at these feasts and every single person was considered important.  No one would be abused or starved and no one was without respect for each other, even the servants.   

The Grocery List

What will you buy to serve?  Don't panic.  Choose food that naturally grows in your area or food from the hosts particular culture, no matter what that is.  Please remember that the Celts were not a race, as they embraced all peoples and even adopted some customs and even treated all learned hostages with respect.  

Next, decide on whether your feast will be for peasants or nobility.  If nobility, you would have been able to import exotic meats, fruits, vegetables and nuts.  Nobility also had lots of spices and herbs to flavour the food.  Sugar would be expensive so you might want to use Honey instead, as this was the most popular in Europe in medieval times.

Hosting the Medieval Feast! 

  
Okay the grocery list is planned and now you must plan the evenings events.  Even though Medieval feasts were elaborate, don't let that scare you.   Its not that hard to put on a Medieval feast.    Just think of it as eating in a fancy restaurant with each course served separately.   Start out slowly.  For your first one, just do 4 courses!  I will guide you step by step.  You can get more creative, when you get good at it.  If you have a friend or two that can help serve even better but not necessary if a smaller crowd.  Just remember, light fruits and veggies at the beginning to more Heavier foods to digest go towards the end.   Cheese was always served before and after the meal because this is what physicians of the time believed was good digestion.

What are the Drinks?  

Water, ale, beer, mead, milk, and wine were flowing generously.   Cider became increasingly popular in later times.    Each of these drinks listed were believed to have magical properties.  Wine was believed to nourish the body, restore health, aid digestion, clarify ideas, open the arteries, cure melancholy and help in procreation.  Since, we drive vehicles in modern day, just have your wenches serve one drink between each of the courses.  To not embarass that person who loves to drink too much, have the girls have some entertaining distraction ready for them until the next course comes.

Whats on the Table Itself?  

Your guests will have a riot eating with their fingers, though sometimes a fork was used, but not often.  Usually the only utensil to be seen was the persons personal hip Dirk or sock Sgian dubh.  The forks were only used to either hold the food while you cut a slab off with your dirk (Dirk just means long knife).   
Put out cloth napkins, lemons and water bowls.  There were water bowls and cloth napkins, that yes everybody shared, so don't have one for each have one for every 3 persons who know each other.  Today, we do this for hygiene purposes and maybe you'd like to use the sanitary wipes for after. 

Don't forget they had tankards, drinking horns and goblets, both metal and wooden as well as clay.  A serving spoon would come from the kitchen help but soup was slurped and sopped up with bread!  Bowls and Plates were used and these were wooden and sometimes of precious metal but only for the hierarchy.  

What about Entertainment?

Medieval feasts would usually be followed by hours of dancing, singers, acts, and musicians but there were always acts in between the courses.

What about the Seating arrangement?

Always seat according to rank.  In the Fairs or royal house, this is where the Heralds (who were also trumpet and shield holders) would come in first in parade fashion and hang their parties shield in the appropriate place behind their seat on the wall before anyone would even see the guests.  The Kings table would always be seated prior to anyone entry to watch this parade done in very ceremonious way and no one would dare to get the order wrong.  In other words there was much training in every occupation & one was proud of each as was the Hierarchy of everyone who nodded in approval.

What about Dress? 

If you've been invited, or are going to invite people, to a medieval feast themed event, make sure you or your guests know if its going to be a peasant style feast or is it going to be more like high nobles, lords and kings. Everyone will need to know so they can choose what to wear for costumes to the Medieval feast. I personally enjoy having both with a head table. The fabric in the medieval days was very thick. If you plan on sewing your own costume, use upholstery fabrics. Stay away from pastel colors as they were nonexistent as well as certain patterns like stripes and polka dots. The colors should be bright and rich. Choose colors such as deep blues, deep greens, deep reds, bright yellows and chocolate browns. A good idea would be to ask the century they are thinking, as some centuries didn't have buttons yet.  Remember in Medieval times, the Celts were very different then in the time they were more nomadic.

Step by Step Medieval Feast Course 

1) Have appetizers and light beer and wine out as guests arrive and mingle.  Have the rules and things to do posted on a whiteboard for them to read and discuss.  This is a great way for guests to easier mingle with strangers and saves you some time.  All you have to do is show the way for coats and show them the white sign.  Have a lone harpist or violin or CD with medieval music playing in background.  if you are going elaborate, have your head table seated, and have the servants get the door.  If it is your own group, then have them come in in the order of hierarchy.

2) The 2nd round is a light one such as with a soup or salad.   Serve with water!  Make sure the second entertainer goes after this course, while the plates are cleared.   He or she has the shortest act - 10 to 15 minutes.

3)  Serve a drink now that will go with the 3rd course, just before it comes out.  Choose a watered down mead, if you have any, and a white or red wine.  In the Third Round you serve the meats and vegetables with bread to sop up the juices.  Have the third entertainer last approximately double the length of time as the first one while plates are being cleared.

4)  Serve another drink that will be a desert drink like a sweet Mead is a fantastic choice because the 4th course ends with something sweet. The general rule depends on the Medieval Feast occasion, the more formal, the more fancy the dessert.   The only thing different than today is the reasons for the choices of foods eaten.   Every recipe and preparation had to be done in a ritual protocol that could not be strayed from.

5)  Now that people are fed, have boasting events and other games start, the evenings left over acts.  If you have a Bard, he or she will be responsible for the order of the entertainers.  After about an hour and a half, put out more cheese and appetizers.

Brahva Cwmevos

Celtic Chieftain of Maers Khohias Tribe

Canada

http://www.celtsandvikings.com

 

The Celtic Symbolic Wearing of Circlet

Well the Circlet has been around for a long time and it has many styles depending on the culture. The wearing of it, or any jewelry for that matter was a form of status in the ancient days. Of course the Celtic symbol then for the tiara, circlet or headdress marked you as someone of importance. Someone of noble blood.
Of course the oldest ones found are suppose to be of ancient Egypt according to many articles I've read. Each culture had a very different style as they developed in their own lands as they settled, traded and so on. Some were extremely heavy, some simple and some ornate. We know the Celts have incredible detail in their work from the grave sites found. Did you know that some peoples wore a simple band of cloth tied around the head, exactly like we would wear a head band today. Now looking at the Egyptian ones, some were made of delicate wire, and we can only imagine that these too were worn by the Celts as well. In fact it is the stories of elves in Lord of the rings and other novels that were inspired by the ancient Northern European tribes of both Celtic and Scandinavian origin. We do know that they even wore simple crowns of real flowers as well. All this found in the descriptions found in remnants of mythology, which was how they kept their history.

As the Greeks were very friendly with the Celtic peoples, we know very much that they both traded with each other and in Greek finds we have gold and silver plated wreaths over real leaves. No doubt saved for sacred or ceremonial occasions.

Celtic tribes in the eighth to sixth centuries BCE, created elaborate headdress. A bronze crown was found in Suffolk, England, which was made somewhere between 2^nd and 4^th century CE. Interestingly, it is made almost the same as the gunstrup cauldron, in plate pieces. This time in the magic number of three. It was also amazingly adjustable to fit the wearer. The Celtic tiara means it is not a full circle. There are many tiaras in Europe.

Most made with metal wire of silver, gold, and bronze. These metals were associated with the Sun and moon gods and goddesses. The Northern European tribes had Sun Goddesses as well as Moon Gods and vise versa. The Kings and Queens of these tribes, just as the Egyptians believed, were thought of as divine. Modern day Tribalists believe the same.

Stones of course can be used, these are symbols in themselves and a matter for another article. But they could be shiny rhinestones, which are made of glass, and well made. Crystals were also used. Although today, we are talking about Celtic weddings, as what these would be used for. They are quite popular as there is a resurgence of interest in our own culture again.

We use the tiara to hold the wedding veil in place but some persons are going for more of a circlet look which they also wore. The circlet resembles a bridal tiara except that its placed on the forehead rather than in the hair on top of the head.

We know that the colour Red was only worn by Royalty in the Celtic tribes as was said throughout the myths as well as it represented sacred blood. Green represented regeneration and growth, and many a person wore it, I am sure at Bealtuinne.

by Brahva Cwmevos
Bibliography
I have read so many books that it is hard to say which books I exactly found my research so I shall instead list some of the more likely authors,
Jean Markale
John and Caitlin Mathews
Peter Ellis
LLoyd and Jennifer Laing
The mythologies of the Mabinogion
Arthurian sagas by several authors.

MODERN DAY GroundHog Day - February 2^nd

While I am here in Saskatoon, I thought I would share the celebrations and practices. of each month I am here.  In February some tribes celebrate a sacred holiday called "Imbolc" or "Imbolg" or "Oimelc" depending which area of Northern Europe your tribe was in. To our Norse, Swedish and other Scandinavian ancestors it was called "Oimelc" and later "Feast of Torches". Later the Christians changed the holiday to "Candlemas" or the "Feast of Mary" and today it is called Groundhog day.

Imbolc is a festival celebrated by our ancient ancestors around February 2^nd , and most new age pagans don't know why.  It really is because the Planet Venus is seen in the sky and she marked the halfway point between winter and spring. Venus was the original and famous Virgin Goddess of many cultures around the world. In the Celtic culture, she was seen as Brigid in Ireland (Christianized in the stories to St. Brigid). The British Celts called her Brigantia, the Scots called her Bridghe or Bride. The virgin bride. Mary mother of Christ later.

Today, Groundhog Day is a lighthearted day depicting the use of ancient weather divination in a humorous way which is followed both by the U.S. and Canada. But to the ancients, it was an important event because the success of agricultural crops and breeding or animal husbandry was essential to their survival. This would tell them when the growing season portion of the year would begin, thus when to start the seeds indoors and when the seeds outside would again begin to stir. The Ground Hog were used as they were more numerous in Northern but German farmers watched a hedgehog's shadow to predict the weather, other areas watched badgers, in the areas of snakes, like Scotland, some tribes watched snake holes.

So Oimelc was a day of great celebration, after the shut-in life of winter, and was celebrated with a festival of lights, representing small suns, and fertility (of the earth), marked with huge blazes and torches, also representing warmth of the sun and fertility or sexual desire chaste under the blanket of snow.

The word Imbolc means "In the belly" referring to the pregnant ewes. Oimelc means "ewes milk".

Gaelic folklore & Traditions

You would see a ladies wearing a crown of candles, weather divination, purification rituals such as cleaning house for spring, throwing out old thoughts to make room for new ideas and learning, and honouring the sun whose light was coming back to the people. This was the time for "Starting new things", which is another reason why I thought the signs pointed in the direction of moving to Saskatoon now was the best idea. 


Ewes milk and seed dishes were eaten like sesame breads, grains, bannock (yes this is Celtic not just Native American). Lots of fires lit in family hearths, holy wells visited for healing, and Smith-craft started.

A Scottish Gaelic proverb about the day is:

Thig an nathair as an toll
Là donn Brìde,
Ged robh trì troighean dhen t-sneachd
Air leac an làir.

"The serpent will come from the hole
On the brown Day of Bride,
Though there should be three feet of snow
On the flat surface of the ground."

Imbolc is the day the hag Goddess tries to hide the virgin 'daughter' and she gathers her firewood for the rest of the winter.   A repeating Celtic theme is a Winter God dueling with a Summer God, always trying to steal away the Spring Goddess.   In some parts of Europe we instead find the hag who intends to make the winter last a good while longer, she will make sure the weather on Imbolc is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood. The weather prediction therefore stemmed from if Imbolc was a day of foul weather, as it means the Hag was still asleep and winter is almost over  so everyone breathed a sigh of relief.  It was NOT a good sign if it was a nice day.   One of these areas where it was the hag in play was on the Isle of Man.  There the hag could come in the form of a giant bird carrying sticks in her beak.

Girls and young, unmarried, women of the villages create a corn dolly to represent the virgin Goddess, each adorning theirs with ribbons, various baubles, shells or stones. They also make a bed for the 'Bride' to lie in. They then gather together in one house and have supper without the men or other villages stay up all night with the doll, and are later visited by all the young men of the community who must ask permission to enter the home, and then treat them and the corn dolly with respect.

The head of the household is the only one who can smother the fire and rake the ashes smooth, in tribal days this would be the Chieftain. They lay their strips of cloth or healing objects out by these ashes and in the morning, see if any mark was left on the ashes, a sign that Brigid had blessed the objects with the power of healing to use for the year. The girls then carry the "Bride" through the streets, from house to house, where the doll was welcomed with great honor of coins and snacks.
 

Brahva Cwmevos
February 15th, 2011

The Celtic Thought, their Tribal Structure & Laws

The Celtic People's Thinking

In order to understand the tribal Structure below, we must understand the ancient way of thought.  True paganism.  All of ancient Celts were organized in a similar fashion in accordance with a complex hierarchy within a Celtic tribe and the hierarchy extended within its occupations.  All the clans (tribes) of the area had some liberty to adhere to a main tribe, or ruling tribe.  The degree of dependence determined whether an effective part of that tribe and the distance of its commune (or gathering house), had influence it enjoyed within the main tribe council.  obviously then, the lesser tribes on the outskirts of the main tribal territory were the most independent communes.   In other words, everybody had a part to play and everyone's actions rubbed off on the whole of the tribe and working functionality of the tribe.

 

In order to assure some protection in case of war, the Chieftains and/or his/her representatives of these smaller independent fine/clan houses, who attended the gatherings of the tribe,  would each promise to send soldiers to the neighbouring tribes if the need arouse.  These troops were considered to be auxiliary troops, who had to obey the commanders of the main or central tribe.   

Having said this, it was very rare that the many tribes would gather together for the good of the whole.  There are only 3 times, I can think of, off the top of my head, - Vecingetorix, Caradoc and Arthur, (mythical or not), as all of these names are believed to be titles now rather than names, based on the clans or Royals totem, so Arthur could very well be real.  A study most people do not know is that Arthur is mentioned as far back as the 6th century and in the 9th century by the monk Nennius prior to any stories being written.  In his earliest written mythology form, he is all through the Mabinogi and right along side with the other Gods Mabon etc. 

These persons mentioned above, were made a sort of 'High King' which means the Top dog or War Chieftain who unites all the lesser tribes for as long as the threat lasted.  This usually would last a year and a day, and then everyone went back to being faithful to their own tribe.  As you can see then, this title was short lived and therefore these people would NOT actually be listed as a King in historical documents but as ancestral heroes, godlike as they believed.  The most repeated and rewritten story branches of Celtic mythology, lasting longer than any other Celtic tribal regions faiths, about one of these such 'Kings', is that of the Arthurian tales whom followers, unbelievably, still exist today.  These tales began when Britain and Wales were one, yet he is known in Scotland as well.

 As with many cultures, all tribes could be broken down into subtribes, and these subclans broken down again into fines or family units and the bonds to these connecting tribes were always way more stronger than any religious beliefs.  I want to clarify that Clan and Tribe in the ancient days, was the same thing.  Today it is different as clan now refers to individual family names.  They did not bicker back and forth about what is right and what is wrong about their beliefs, as the ridiculous banter that goes on today, they each had their own way period BUT each followed a land law based on an honour code system, one of the virtues that was gladly adhered to by all.  

As said in one of my other articles, so many people focus on making a religion exclusively to the Celts as a whole, confusing the Celts to all have the same ethics or be of a 'race', failing to understand they were all different and the Celts are NOT a race.  They share a similar language.  But regardless of all that the most important point of all they did all share - Tribalism.  None of these other things matter, if you do not keep of one's promise, the promise to be ever faithful to the tribe.  Their word to another, no matter what disagreements came their way, was like gold.  They were loyal to the end, as a lie meant never to be trusted again and shamed.  Tribalism was so important, that no matter what came, the tribe would grow and thrive, as a unit.  You can't join a tribe then a few years later change your mind even if it was a disagreement.  It worked together and 'faced' their fears, for the facing of each other, was the most courage one could show and the most growth in advancement of enlightenment and life lessons.

Those who spoke truths about even their feelings, right or wrong, were always helped as nothing was kept in.  No one had to tell them what to do because every occupation and purpose was clearly defined and every single person was important to keep this running smoothly.  If someone did get out of line, everyone had an honour price, and whatever was handed down in judgement was carried out to save 'face' and show others that they can be trusted.  This real wealth (as in money is not real it is a promissory note) affected the entire clan.

What is interesting is that the people whom we would think would be in power did not have the same kind of power as we would view it in modern day thinking.  For one, Kings or Queens were elected by the people.  When it came time to choosing a successor, the entire tribe voted.  In fact the higher you were in the hierarchy chart, the less rights and the more obligations and geasa you had put upon you.   The people ruled period.  It was never until later when they met the Roman and Norse areas influence that the successor was the first born.  Kingship was not inherited by birthright.

The freemen or working class peoples were put into occupational castes ad this was done by inheritance but not forced upon one if they possessed the interests or natural skills to choose another.   Following in your parents footsteps was a honour to your families name.  Wealth for the Kings was not handed down to their own family.  It would be used for the tribe.  If they had personal items and passed away, these things would be acquired by their fine.  

Now here is another example where their virtue Honour and their tribal system, becomes was a more important way of life, then any religion system.  Kingdoms are too big to rule for one person so each Clan was responsible for the actions of every member.  If you had one bad apple, you were all labeled the same.  This alone kept everyone in check.  The worst punishment was to be sent out on your own, alone in others lands, with no honour price.  If you made a wrong, you had to pay for the crime usually your honour fee and the clan paid it if you didn't.  Every action you took, the clan was responsible for.   You can see how no one would want to turn their back on their own family or even a member that pissed you off.  This would not happen unless the greatest of crimes was done.    Family always stucktogether through thick and thin, it was a responsibility, sadly people do not get this today.

Self initiators of todays newer pagan traditions, do not get  this concept.  They even thumb their nose up at sacred lineage, usually because the those untrained traditionally are not taught the reasons behind initiation or its lineage.  

Lineage behind you gives great power and, as with any power, it must be held in a responsible manner, not to be just given over to another without permission from the original tribe who holds it.  It provides a tangible link to the tribe, its tribal area and its proof of permission to be included in thus family, is given only at the ceremony and permission by the one who is the leader of the tradition that passed it to you.  Anyone caught doing so without permission, or even giving the secret and/or similar ritual, even if parts were changed, is thought of as dishonorable.   You cannot take claim of the common ancestor unless adopted for life by that tribe.


Lineage ensures the right to form your own clan, teach that way, or use the clan's items.  It gives one legal protection to an individual.  Even the apprenticeship of a Celts occupation song dance, rite or the holding of a particular tools, must be given in honour.  For example, a warrior cannot just choose to carry a  sword or carry a blade, without the rights handed down.

EDUCATION STRUCTURE

When the occasion arose, that a person showed a talent for a different profession, he would be shown to the teachers of that profession and accepted for training there as an adult.  As a child, all went to a foster clan for their coming of age to adulthood.  Unlike the quick give me a title attitude of the new-age pagans today, the priest Castes took 20 years to receive their titles and they went by a sort of degree system, receiving a new title to show where they were in their training.

The warrior caste made lots of work for the tribal blackmith who was considered a brilliant magical artist.  One piece of Armor that I find funny is that they associate the vikings with horned helmets yet none have been found there BUT the Celts had a horned helmet, like two cones, and these have been found.  For a great view of it, see - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celts   but don't put much credence in some of the article. ... or mine for that matter.  It is best to weigh every scholars writings with others and things you've found in order to make an educated opinion, let alone voice it.

The art of true learning is to listen.  Those that spend time talking or disputing do not know how to truly listen, but that is another lesson & that is not what this article is about.

Each clan was responsible for the education of the entire tribes young.  At certain ages, the child was sent to be fostered by a neighboring clan thus ensuring the bonds of the whole of the tribe.   He would first training to learn its cultural knowledge then move on and become an apprentice at his or her chosen or inherited profession.  

The women had gaitherin's in the 'Sun' room or kitchen ceilidhs where both male and female elders, Grandparents and so on, would pass down these tales, sacred clan or tribal song or skills such as knitting.  The clan always helped each other in accordance with abilities per age groups so that they could produce their share and occupation for the entire tribe.  Sometimes, this made the children closer to their foster parents then their blood parents as shown with the 'games of Lugh' which he held in honour of his foster mother or the tales of Lancelot or other legendary heroes based on relationships with foster mothers.  This foster training system was still going on in some areas up until the 18th century.

Structure of the Banquet Festivals

Seating at these affairs was always done with great ceremony, with the trumpeter or orn blower ( the Announcer) introducing the entrance of the Chieftain leader of that Clan and each clan sitting in order of rank.  They had even a special task for the honoured shield carrier who would come in and place their shields on the walls for their leaders in a procession prior to the entrances as well.   The meat was first served to the chosen champion (warrior) who had showed the greatest courage .

Depending on the tribe, some celebrated four festivals, some a different four, some 6 and some 8, depending on the surrounding influences and tribal ideas.  More on this, in my Medieval Feast article.

---------------------------------

A chart from top to bottom of the Whole tribe & how each part is run.

In this section, we will look at the breakdown in tribal structure and the laws that govern that.  On closer observance of the law books, we can really start to understand the terms used in the groups within groups of the tribes. It really was quite brilliant, and almost the same as a company needs to be run today. Any company or group, that truly wants staying power, must have a hierarchical chart, as without one, all groups will be short lived. If you never learn your place and find the importance of one's place, all vying for false 'power', for title does not mean power.  Title means to serve other, not that one is more important, better than, or more intelligent than others.  All of this can be studied in more detail in Volume four of "The Ancient Laws of Ireland", translated then printed in 1879.

Oh by the way, keep in mind that this was written down when Christianity was prevalent, so some of the laws were adjusted to this new age & but most was maintained.  It doesn't give any light on woman occupations but does give insight into their rights in relationships.  We do know from other evidence that women also ruled and led armies.

Knowing this now, here goes the actual terms of the Structure;

Fine - The original Family the Irish called the "Geil Fine".   This family must have the male parent and four children.  The geilfine means the "Chief" of this fine but others say it means "hand family".  When this Chief dies, the sons split from this group and form their own.  If not each stays and becomes larger.  So the largest a fine can be of 5 males. 

Sept - Once a family becomes larger than five original males, these males with four sons of his own must form his own own fines.  When there are five fines, they can now can grown up to 17 men large and these are called Septs, but all these still belong and are under the rule and sometimes protection of the original Chief.  Now if any one of these sons or his sons sons made the Sept have 17 members, the eldest of the Sept would be booted out and lose all his privileges of being first son but this would never be the original Chief who would always remain.   It is written that these children could be also be adopted so these clans were not necessarily of the same blood.


Clan/Tribe - The five groups from the Four Septs and the original one, each of 17 persons.  Family rank was by the youngest or newest member, not the oldest or longest like we would do today and of course still with the original Chief or Chieftain.  The youngest would recieve all the inheritance when Chief died and the eldest would be kicked out or lose dignity as he aged.

*Tribal land was called a kingdom. If you study ancient Ireland alone, there were approx 150 kingdoms. There were no measured borders, just as far as the eye could see.

-------------------------------------

Conclusion

After reading the above, the most important thing that I want you to take away from this is that nothing was considered 'owned' by an individual, including knowledge, it was the clan or tribes alone.  So in modern terms, You could not be trained by a group, then take this training elsewhere without permission from the whole, or the founder of that tribe or tradition.  Not even the land where they held their rites can be used by others as the ancients did not consider land individually owned but shared by "the people" (the tribe) whose traditions and Gods are there.  

Another silliness of modern persons is taking and worshiping somebody else's Gods.   For one they are not on your land, they are tied to the land they come from.  They are not "out there" in the sense of the Christian God, they are the energies in your particular lands surroundings.  They bare also considered that lands ancestors.  You cannot choose to take someone elses' mother.

Miscelaneous Celtic Facts

• Goddesses mostly ruled the land and the Gods the sky in later iron age and possibly bronze.
• Kings before they married a bride had to undergo a ritual to marry the land itself. (Gerald of Wales (1146 – 1223 CE). Sex with white mare, drank broth from flesh.
• Kings have to be perfect. If they are missing any body parts or are scarred in anyway or if they could no longer have sex, they could not be King. Why because they strongly believed he would cause the land damage.
• If you disrespected the Goddess you would cause wasting of the land as well.
• The Hero to be King, it was said, had to go through severe testing by the goddess to make sure they were worthy of her hand. The earliest tale of this is Niall and his brothers. Arthurian legends retains it as well – Gawain and Raglan, and also if a King treats his Queen badly. Queen most definitely is directly linked to the Goddess in physical form.

• We see from historical facts that Cartimandua (sleek pony), leader of the Brigantes, and Boudicca, leader of the Iceni, they were warrior queens in their own right and clearly were considered Goddess by their very names.
• If a Queen rules , the King is only her consort – Queen Maeve shows this.
• Wore torcs for divinity or aristocracy

• we know for sure they had a need to sacrifice valuable objects to their gods.
• - we know there were in Swizerland tribes as the bogs filled of Celtic items 100 BCE, lake Neuchatel.

SUMMARY

Some of this way of life, in my opinion, should return to modern day and with it would come more respect for our fellow man and the earth and its creatures.  We need to learn to live on natural replenishing resources, not irreplaceable secondary products that will be used up like oil and gas. 

Brahva Cwmevos

"LaurieLee Mills"

Copyright February 08 2011

The origin of Wands

A wand was carried by those who were of a specific office. Not everyone was allowed to carry a wand. In traditional modern paganism, the same thing goes. Only once you reach a certain level would the apprentice be bestowed a wand. The wand becomes a symbol of their power. The same thing goes for a ceremonial mace, a sceptre or a staff. The wand was also translated as 'the rod'. All show a different office or position. The wand is seen as a masculine energy as it is phallic shaped. In some modern Wiccan traditions they see it fit into an element - either fire or air. Celtic practitoners use it in a very different sense.

Wands are very unique to the Celtic culture. There are others who say the priests of Zoroastrian religion but theirs is very thick and involve many twigs to make a thick branch. There is more lore dealing with wands with the Celts than any other culture. According to Peter Ellis, Mannanàn Mac Lir carried a wand of apple. Apples in Celtic myths are always on an isle surrounded by water so this would make sense. Since this God is the Isle of Man.

Looking at some other cultures in literature, like in the Key of Solomon Book 2, "The staff should be of elderwood or cane, and the wand of hazel or nut tree, in all cases the wood being virgin, which means no more than one year's growth. To me this means the ancients were very careful not to have the wand absorbing too much energies so that the owner can imbue it with his or her own energies. Imagine how powerful a wand would be when it was passed on to the successor from a powerful magick user. It was written that the wand had to be cut from the tree in a single stroke, on a Wednesday, at sunrise. The characters shown should be written or engraved thereon in the day and hour of the planet Mercury."

Most modern day people, including the play acting witches don't really believe in magic. The only difference is the untrained book witches want to believe it works. The ancients were nearer to knowing the truth about Science than those who called themselves Scientists today. Science has taught us much But there are still mysteries, and beneath them even more.

The wand on top of being a tool to show hierarchy, it was also used to hold, draw or direct energy. The wand itself cannot perform the magic, it is the power from person behind it. Those who do not practice, and instead are all talk or study instead of hands on, are not powerful people. The wand also holds the metaphysical properties of the material it made from and as everything in nature holds a spirit. It is believed it has life within. To the Druid, the tree had a life force called the dryad, thus it was very important to name your tool. When the wand was cut from the tree, this spirit was asked to stay in the wand as well.

Because most wands were made of wood, very few have been found and dated, but many were written about all through the myths, as said especially in Northern cultures. In Egypt, wands were found made of hippopotamus ivory.and were shaped in a semi-circle with many symbols and drawings carved on them. Many with specific animals. The Wands of Horus are hollow cylinders filled with a variety of special stones for healing. In this culture as well, different roles possessed different wands depicting certain levels of training, some taking many years to acquire.

The Harry Potter type wands we use today are in the style of the Northern tribes, like the Celtic and Scandinavian tribes. The Druids and Godi were the shamanic priests of the Celts & Scandinavians.  In many cultures where Tribes consisted of many different clans, the leaders, druids and/or healer would carry a decorated staff or wand so that others would know how to identify these positions. The Celts are the same as the Canada Indian tribes, when it comes to a customs of taking the head of a fallen enemy to be placed on a staff and displayed outside the village. This was to capture the power of the enemy and to honor the valor of the enemy as well. Now some wands are pronged, like the ancient caduceus (in its most ancient form) appears as a forked or cross rod forming a loop. To the alchemists of the time, the person holding the caduceus meant that he learned “that which poisons can also heal”. For the Norse, Völvas means "wand carriers". 
 

Rods are just another version of the wand but longer. A person who carried a rod that had been charged during a storm of both thunder and lightening, had the power to settle all disputes. Thus giving that person judge and mediation authority. If it was empowered under the full moon of Samhuinn, it gave the carrier great authority over spirits of heaven and earth. Other rods were purposely charged for individual events like childbirth.  To sum up this essay, you can learn alot about the gods by the wands they carry.

Brahva Cwmevos

(Laurie Lee Mills)

Copyright January 2011