Symbolism of the Celtic Cross
Symbolism of the Celtic Cross

Author: Derek Bryce

Publisher: Weiser Books

Published: 1995-11-01

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 1609256549

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A guide to the basic symbolism of the Celtic Cross, featuring rare illustrations. Did you know that the basic symbolism of the cross is that of the world axis, or the link between Heaven and Earth? Or that the main feature of the ornamented Celtic Cross, the wheel cross, is not derived from the crucifixion, but from a more ancient symbol the Chi-Rho monogram, which is the name of Christ in the Greek alphabet? In Symbolism of the Celtic Cross, Derek Bryce traces the pagan-Christian link of the essential symbolism of the axis mundi from standing stones and market crosses (at crossroads and not always “crosses” in form) to the inscribed slabs and freestanding crosses of the Celtic-Christian era. He includes rare illustrations of ornamental Celtic Crosses from such places as Brittany, Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Cumbria, Ireland, and Cornwall. Bryce explores esoteric aspects of the symbolism, alchemy, and the wisdom of Hermes.

Celtic Art
Celtic Art

Author: Miranda Jane Aldhouse-Green

Publisher: Sterling Publishing (NY)

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780806903132

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Green, one of the most respected young scholars of Celtic tradition, is a superlative researcher and a clear, often eloquent writer. In this gorgeously illustrated volume, she approaches Celtic art in terms of what it expresses about Celtic culture's spiritual beliefs and social organization. After an excellent, concise introduction defining and locating the Celtic societies of 700 B.C. to A.D. 600, Green explores class and gender through an examination of jewelry, especially the goldwork usually found in graves, and reveals a Celtic world in which rich princesses enjoyed wine and song with male counterparts. Green then looks at the role of war among the Celts as it is suggested by ornate shields and carefully worked weapons. Finally, she comes to what many will consider the heart of the book: the expression of Celtic spirituality in art, especially through the attention to nature shown in the intricate, interlaced vegetation and animal shapes common to the Book of Kells and far earlier metalwork. A fine addition wherever interest in matters Celtic runs high. -- Patricia Monaghan; p.176

An Archaeology of Images
An Archaeology of Images

Author: Miranda Aldhouse Green

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2004-08-02

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 1134527772

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Using archaeology and social anthropology, and more than 100 original line drawings and photographs, An Archaeology of Images takes a fresh look at how ancient images of both people and animals were used in the Iron Age and Roman societies of Europe, 600 BC to AD 400 and investigates the various meanings with which images may have been imbued. The book challenges the usual interpretation of statues, reliefs and figurines as passive things to be looked at or worshipped, and reveals them instead as active artefacts designed to be used, handled and broken. It is made clear that the placing of images in temples or graves may not have been the only episode in their biographies, and a single image may have gone through several existences before its working life was over. Miranda Aldhouse Green examines a wide range of other issues, from gender and identity to foreignness, enmity and captivity, as well as the significance of the materials used to make the images. The result is a comprehensive survey of the multifarious functions and experiences of images in the communities that produced and consumed them. Challenging many previously held assumptions about the meaning and significance of Celtic and Roman art, An Archaeology of Images will be controversial yet essential reading for anyone interested in this area.

Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture
Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture

Author: Bernhard Maier

Publisher: Boydell & Brewer

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 718

ISBN-13: 9780851156606

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This dictionary, with more than 1000 articles, provides a comprehensive survey of all important aspects of Celtic religion and culture, covering both the prehistoric continental Celts and the later, medieval culture that found written form long after the Celts had settled in the British Isles. Articles in the dictionary also cover the interaction between Celtic and Roman civilisations, and the seminal input of medieval Celtic legend into the Arthurian tradition. The continental and insular Celtic languages, both ancient and modern, are described, and there is a full account of the Celtic deities known to us from the inscriptions and iconography of the classical world. Celtic art and agriculture, the Ossian myth, the Irish Renaissance, and the history of Celtic studies are among other areas treated in depth.

Understanding Celtic Religion
Understanding Celtic Religion

Author:

Publisher: University of Wales Press

Published: 2015-11-20

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 1783167947

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Although it has long been acknowledged that the early Irish literary corpus preserves both pre-Christian and Christian elements, the challenges involved in the understanding of these different strata have not been subjected to critical examination. This volume draws attention to the importance of reconsidering the relationship between religion and mythology, as well as the concept of ‘Celtic religion’ itself. When scholars are attempting to construct the so-called ‘Celtic’ belief system, what counts as ‘religion’? Or, when labelling something as ‘religion’ as opposed to ‘mythology’, what do these entities entail? This volume is the first interdisciplinary collection of articles which critically reevaluates the methodological challenges of the study of ‘Celtic religion’; the authors are eminent scholars in the field of Celtic Studies representing the disciplines of theology, literary studies, history, law and archaeology, and the book represents a significant contribution to the present scholarly debate concerning the pre-Christian elements in early medieval source materials. Contents 1 Introduction: ‘Celtic Religion’: Is this a Valid Concept?, Alexandra Bergholm and Katja Ritari 2 Celtic Spells and Counterspells, Jacqueline Borsje (available Open Access at the University of Amsterdam Digital Academic Repository) 3 The Gods of Ireland in the Later Middle Ages, John Carey 4 Staging the Otherworld in Medieval Irish Literature, Joseph Falaky Nagy 5 The Biblical Dimension of Early Medieval Latin Texts, Thomas O’Loughlin 6 Ancient Irish Law Revisited: Rereading the Laws of Status and Franchise, Robin Chapman Stacey 7 A Dirty Window on the Iron Age? Recent Developments in the Archaeology of Pre-Roman Celtic Religion, Jane Webster