The territory of the ancient Celtic people
stretched from Britain, across France and
Germany, to Central Europe. Although
they were not literate to begin with, these
people had a highly developed culture, and
excavations of their graves and religioussites show that they worshipped many
different gods and goddesses. The Romans,
who eventually conquered most of their
lands, left descriptions of some of the Celtic
deities and religious rituals, and identified
many of those deities with their own.Myths of the Ancient Celts
Cernunnos
The Horned God or Cernunnos was often depicted
as the “Lord of the Beasts”, surrounded by animals
that included a bull, stag, wild boar, and serpent.Sucellos’s hammer
The hammer or mallet usually
carried by Sucellos is the reason
for his title, “the Good Striker”.Nantosuelta
The goddess Nantosuelta may have
been associated with prosperity,
wellbeing, and domestic life.WESTERN EUROPETHE GOOD STRIKER
Sucellos, whose name means “the Good Striker”, was found in various
parts of the Celtic world, especially in Gaul (modern-day France)
and Britain. Often said to be a deity of agriculture and forests,
his precise significance is still unknown. He is usually
depicted as a long-haired, bearded figure, carrying a hammer
in his left hand. His main attribute is this hammer, but the
symbolism associated with it is unclear; it may have been a
weapon, a tool used in one of the crafts, or simply a symbol of the
deity’s power. Sucellos is generally portrayed as standing with his consort,
the goddess Nantosuelta, who carries a dish
(perhaps a piece of ritual equipment) and a
long pole topped with a house (which may
indicate that she was a domestic goddess).THE HORNED GOD
Cernunnos is known as the horned god because he took the form of a man with
the horns (and sometimes the hooves and ears) of a stag. He is usually shown with
long hair and a beard, often wearing a neck-ring, or torc, which is the Celtic sign
of noble birth. Cernunnos seems to have been widely worshipped
in Celtic Europe, and was probably a “wild” god like the
Classical Pan. His horns suggest that he was a deity of
fertility, and to emphasize this point, he was associated
with symbols such as the cornucopia (horn of plenty), with
fruit, and with containers of grain. This function probably
encompassed both sexual fertility and the fecundity of the fields.Symbol of Sucellos
Sucellos presided over the grape harvest,
sometimes carrying a pot or a barrel to
store wine made from the grapes.(^68) Neck-ring or torc