This article was first published January 14, 2021 on FolkloreThursday.com as Animism and the Living World of the Ancient Celts by zteve t evans
Belief System
The ancient Celts were believed to practice a form of animism in their religion and belief system that provided a meaningful way for them to experience and make sense of the world they lived in. In this work we will discuss animism and the various aspects of animism that the ancient Celts possibly followed concluding with a short discussion of their belief system.
Rather than a religion, animism is more an expression of the energy connections that are believed to flow through all things connecting each to the other and to the greater consciousness. It is this greater consciousness that is the source of all energy and that endows everything with life and sentience. Many early creeds embraced aspects of animism and it is still found in many modern religions and philosophies.
Celtic Identity
The Celts were a varied collection of ethnic groups inhabiting a wide swathe of continental Europe from the west coast of Ireland to the Black Sea and other scattered areas. As a group they appear to have been bound together by common aspects of language, culture and religion rather than ethnicity. They worshiped a wide variety of gods and goddesses which varied from region to region as could the importance and attributes of those divinities. Animism is seen as the one of the threads that connected the beliefs of this vast and diverse group of people together.
Animism
In animism there is a belief that all things possessed a spirit and a consciousness that connects everything together. The sky, Earth and underworld were connected along with natural phenomena such as the weather and everything was all part of a greater conscious universe. Furthermore, even certain words objects and images had sentience and were alive and could be used in conjunction with the greater consciousness to benefit humanity. For the Celt, death was the transmigration of the souls while their ancestors were revered and regarded as alive.
I much prefer the animism of the Celts to any modern religion, it has a real magic to it 😉
Yes, its infinitely better! Thanks for commenting appreciated!
Intriguing.
Thanks for commenting, appreciated!
Very interesting! I hadn’t realized so many river names were derived from Celtic goddesses.
Thanks for commenting, appreciated!
Beautiful blog
Thank you!
The belief in reincarnation along with the cosmic oneness the Celts espoused are two of the most fascinating and deeply touching aspects of their culture. The poems in the story of Taliesin truly encapsulate such beliefs where the titular bard recounts all the forms and shapes and all the places he has been in his many lives.
Thanks for your interesting observations, greatly appreciated!
A nice revisit for St Patrick’s day celebration! Cheers!🍀🍃
Cheers!
I will add this to my future 10 things post, just loved it. 😍
Thank you!