Glossary of Celtic Termonology
Some definations are simple explanations and do not cover the whole meaning of the word
Alban Hefin
Summer Solstice
Annwn
Annwn is a name for the Celtic Otherworld (Wales)
a�s dana
The Tuatha de Dannan, most specifically, the keepers of the arts and magick.
Ard-Ri
The Celtic word for High King.
Avalon
this is another term for the Otherworld; Avalon is also called "the summer land" (Wales)
banshee
"women of the fairies"; these spirits are best known for their supernatural howl in Celtic mythology
Beltane
Beltane is a festival that took place on 1 May; it is associated with fertility, and participants traditionally danced around fires (Ireland)
Brehon
Celtic judges members of the learned class who were keepers of the law
The Brythonic Celts
Those who migrated across Europe somewhat later on a more northerly route and settled in Wales, Cornwall, and the Isle of Man. The Brythonic Celts were called the Ox Cart Aryans.
Celts
The tribe of European peoples of Indo-European origin who migrated into eastern Europe about 6000 BCE from the crescent area between the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. These people, originally called the Battle Ax Aryans, blended with the tribes already in Europe and developed a unique culture called "Keltoi" by the Greeks and Romans. The Celts later divided into two distinct groups:
Gaelic Celts - Those who migrated along a southerly route and settled in Ireland, Scotland, and France. The Gaelic Celts were also called the Chariot Warriors.
dragon
The symbolic representation of the alchemist's or magician's works of power. Also symbolic of the power of specific elements, places in Nature, or collective tribal energies. The shape and form of the dragon could hve arisen from ancient humans' discovery of bones and fossils of massive, prehistoric creatures.
druid
druids played many roles in Celtic society - they were believed to be both teachers and religious advisors
The groups of highly trained priests and priestesses who practiced and taught the knowledge of healing, science, history, magick, natural laws, and universal wisdoms. The druids were divided into groups that specialized in various areas of knowledge. During the druidic revivals of the eighteenth century, these groups were given names to describe their roles. These names were derived from ancient oral traditions as well as more modern sources. These were:
Bards - Singers, poets, genealogists, "political commentators," and preservers of the Celtic oral traditions.
Those who observed and structured wisdom, and set up centers of learning called druidic colleges.
Celtic priests or seers (the Indo-European root id in dru-id being the same as in the Latin videre, to see) who were well versed in all learning and had the gift of prophecy.Equites - The keepers of the Brehon laws, natural laws, and moral philosophies. From the knightly or royal classes, the equites served the chieftains and kings.
Equites
The keepers of the Brehon laws, natural laws, and moral philosophies. From the knightly or royal classes, the equites served the chieftains and kings.
Excalibur
the legendary enchanted sword used by King Arthur was known as Excalibur (Britain)
faerie
"Fey Sidhe" or Otherworld beings derived from a blend of Old Ones or ancestors, tribal deities, and devic forces. Best understood as symbolic of humankind's conscious and/or sub-conscious connection withthe powers of Nature. The realm of faerie is a part of mystical or Otherworld consciousness, encapsulated in tribal memories and genetic structures. Inhabitants of this expanded dimension or realm reflect human images of them. They appear in several distinct categories:
Wise Ones/Old Ones - The elder mystical beings, some of whom inhabit the Otherworld realm, but are able to be accessed and communicated with by human beings. Also considered the spirits of the original ancestors or tribal deities of the Celts.
faerie gifts(gifts of faerie) - The elemental gifts of the Tuatha de Dannan, symbolized by:
Spear(air)
Sword(fire)
Cauldron or cups(water)
Stone(earth)
These gifts symbolized all of the aspects and powers correlated with the elements, both in Nature and in human nature. To these we can now add the druidic, eight-pointed star of spirit.
Filid
Celtic poets members of the learned class in which membership was largely hereditary.
Fomorians
A tribe sometimes allied with the de Dannan, sometimes not. Probably a less mystical tribe of early Celts (or proto-Celts) that inhabited the Britich Isles, particularly Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Not to be confused with the Firbolgs, a much more primative form and possibly vestiges of Neanderthalithic cultures.
genus locurum(geni loci)
The spirit of place or devic energy of a specific location in Nature. Sometimes seen to be attached to a certain tribe as a tribal deity.
gorsedd
a gorsedd is a term used to describe a gathering of bards
Grail
also known as the "Holy Grail", this legendary vessel was the cup used during the Last Supper; the Quest for the Grail was an important element of the Arthurian Saga (Britain)
Imbas Forosna
knowledge that illuminates
Imbolc
the Celtic festival of Imbolc was held on 1 February; it is possibly meant to encourage an end to winter (Ireland)
Indo-European
Refers to the theory that the Celts and their ancestors originated in a region of what in now North India. Further connects the Celts to the ancient Siberian shamanic traditions.
Invicti Solis
Invisible Sun
Lamia
Bloodsucking night creatures
Lord of Light
The Celtic god aspect who reflects the solar light or warrior king. Represented by Lugh, Nuada, and later by Arthur. The symbol of expressive and extroverted forces in Nature and humankind.
Lord of the Underworld
The Celtic god aspect who represents the mysterious, tanist wizard, such as in the Merlin, Taliesin, or the King of the Summerland. The symbol of the latent or introverted forces in Nature and human nature.
Lordly Ones
Most tangibly reflect humankind and ancient archetypal Celts in elemental aspects. Theses are the most regal and perfect forms, thus their image reflects as the lord or lady of air, fire, water, earth, or spirit. In Celtic myth, these are most closely linked to images of the de Dannan, and may indeed be best representative of that ancient, pure breed of mystical Celt.
Lughnasadh
Lughnasadh is a festival celebrated 1 August; it was held in honor of the sun god Lugh and the harvest (Ireland)
Mabinogion
the Mabinogion is a collection of Welsh tales (Wales)
matristic
A culture or philosophy that emphasizes the importance of Earth as the essential mother nurturer, the Earth as the Mother Goddess.
mermaids
female creatures who are described as half human and half fish; their male counterparts are known as mermen
nemeton
nemeton is a word that means sanctuary
oak
ancient evidence suggests that oak trees were sacred both to the druids and to other members of Celtic society
ogham
this early form of writing is said to be inspired by Ogma, the Irish god of eloquence; the word is alternately spelled "ogam"
Ogham Script
A system of druidic writings, made up of a series of lines in various combinations, which further correlate with sacred trees and plants to have their own specific qualities or meanings.
Ollamh
The highest level of Filid. These poets played the roles of sage, prophet, and
historian for the tuath. The ollamh had the legal status of a ri.
Opalescent Ones
Most classically reflected as the gossamer-winged, traditionally defined "fairy." Even more etheric than the Shining Ones, the Opalescent Ones seem to represent the energies from within our finest human qualities, and are thus projected from and illuminated by our development of these higher aspects of human nature.
Otherworld
Celtic term to describe the afterlife or the realm that paralleled the worldly realm. Considered to have been inhavited by mystical beings such as the Fey or faeries. Sometimes called the Summerland, the Happy Plain, Isles of the Blessed, the Mystic Isles, and other names.
Ri
The Celtic word for King or Chief. Each Tuath was led by a Ri.
Round Table
in Arthurian mythology, King Arthur's knights gathered at the legendary Round Table
Samhain
Samhain is a festival held on 1 November; it marks the Celtic new year, and indicates a time when the Otherworld was accessible (Ireland)
Sapientia
Celtic Goddess of Wisdom.
shamanic steed
A symbolic representation of the vehicle that carries the seeker from the worlds of consciousness into the realms of the Otherworld and mystery (the shamanic realms).
Shining Ones
Also called the Riders or Riders of Sidhe. They are less tangible and more mystical thatn the other faerie, most likely representing realms of consciousness that are still expanding and evolving within the eternal present (that is, the past, present, and future). The Shining Ones are etheric and transcendent and reflect one's personal view of the many highly evolved dimensions of time and space.
sidhe
a sidhe is a hill, and the Tuatha De Danaan were believed to dwell in hills in the guise of fairies or aes sidhe (Ireland)
Both the locations in which the oldest mystical and magical arts were preserved and the identity of the keepers of these locations. After the Milesian or Gaelic Celts entered Ireland, many of the de Dannan were given the regions considered most sacred and magickal. They were then blended in myth with the spirits of place in these locations. Therefore, the de Dannan became associated with the devic forces of Nature and the Otherworld. The Sidhe may be seen as being both the realm and its inahabitants, consequently under the dominion of Tuatha de Dannan.
slieve
the word slieve means mountain (sliabh in Irish); in Celtic mythology, mountains were the homes of many gods and goddesses
Sunna
Norse Goddess of the Sun
t�in
this is the word used to indicate a cattle raid in Irish mythology; some examples of a t�in are the T�in B� Cuailgne and the T�in B� Fraoch (Ireland)
Tara
Tara was traditionally the ancient seat of the High Kings of Ireland
Teinne
Celtic personification of Holy Fire.
trois matres
The Celtic triple-aspected Goddess, traditionally, divided into Maiden, Mother, and Crone to symbolize the cycles of Nature as budding, growing, and fallow periods, as well as the cycles of a woman's life. Lunar traditions also relate the Triple Goddess to phases of the new, full, and waning moon times.
Tuath
Celtic word for tribe or clan. In early Irish Celtic society these tuatha or tribes were the largest types of comunal organization.
Tuatha de Dannan
The tribe or children of Danu, the Celtic Earth Mother Goddess. Often considered to be only mythic or mystical, the de Dannan were more likely the earliest tribes of Celts (or proto-Celts) that migrated into the British Isles. They were renowned for their phenomenal mystical and magickal skills.
Vates
Those who observed natural phenomena, and made diagnoses and divinations.
Wyrd
A Saxon word meaning the web of life and the actions of the weavers or the Fates. Probably the original form of the modern English word "weird," which gives it an interesting aspect and defuses any negative connotations surrounding it
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