The people who culturaly dominated the area we now know as Wales, at the time of the Roman invasion are known as Brythons, who were Celtic people. They spoke Brythonic, from which modern day Welsh is derived The name Celt coming from the Greek Keltoi and the Roman Celtai, meaning the people of continental Europe who were basically neither Greek or Roman. They along with the Persians, Turks, Germans, Iberians and Thracians were grouped as Barbarians i.e uncivilized people in the eyes of the Greeks and Romans, people who were unshaven and spoke a language they did not understand. In the late Iron Age it is estimated that the population of Britain and Ireland was between 1 and 1.5 million, upon which a smaller number of Celtic-speaking immigrant populations would have dominated the indigenous peoples
The Celts were migrants from the La Tene culture, named after a village on the shores of Lake Neuchatel in Switzerland ( 450BC ), who were connected by linguistic and cultural ties with the Halstatt culture of Austria ( 800 - 450BC ) and before them the Urnfield culture most prominent in an area from Western Hungary to Eastern France and from the Alps to the North Sea ( 1300 - 750BC ). These people were a military aristocracy. Reputed for their courage in war, they were frequently to be found among the mercenaries of the great armies of those early times. These were the warlike Celts of ancient history who sacked Rome and Delphi, eventually marching victoriously across much of Europe and had arrived in Britain by 450 BC, super-imposing upon whatever native peoples were already there. The Celts in Wales were on the fringes of Celtic culture, not their heart, which was centered in Northern Europe, particularly in what is now Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. they were not however centrally governed but loosely connected by similar languages and religions.
The map shows the migrations of the celtic (or proto-celtic) groups around 1000 BC. Note the expansion of the Celts in particular between 500 and 200 BC into the British Isles.
Appearance and Clothing
- Virgil "Golden is their hair and golden their garb. They are resplendant in their striped cloaks and their milk white necks are circled in gold"
- Tacitus "Silurians ( Welsh tribe ) were swarthy ( dark skinned ) with curly hair"
- Strabo "Both gendres liked to wear lots of jewelry ( torcs, brooches, rings, necklets and bracelets )"
- Strabo "They try not to become stout and fat bellied and any young man that exceeds the standard length of the girdle is fined"
The Celts seem to have been a rather striking people. They were a lively extrovert people who loved decoration and bright colours, they were tall, with long fair or reddish hair, the Celtic male tonsure was shaven hair to the front of a line over the top of the head from ear to ear and they would lime wash their hair into spikes when going into battle. The womens hair would have been pinned, braided or knotted in number of styles, sometimes decorated with combs and small ornaments
.
The ordinary men grew beards with their nobles were mustachioed. Their women are described as very beautiful and probably used cosmetics such as berry juice to dye their eyebrows and a herb called ruam to redden their cheeks, lips and finger nails. The Celts were a very clean people, using soap long before the Romans did
The materials the Celts used for making clothing would have been linen, which is the fibre from the stalk of flax but mostly wool, which was woven using looms and the pieces sown together using needles made of bone, bronze and iron. They were also able to incorporate brightly coloured checks and stripes into their clothing eg red from the root of madder, yellow from weld and blue from woad. Their clothing was of such high quality that it was exported to the Roman empire even before the Roman invasion, presumably traded for silks which were worn by nobility
Both men and women wore tunics and cloaks made from linen or wool which were fastened with pins and brooches. The womens cloaks were full length under which they would wear a skirt and the mens were knee length as they also wore trousers.
There were two types of cloak worn. The first was just a large sheet of material draped around the shoulders which would have been fastened with brooches
The second type The Celtic Cloak (birrus) as commented on by the Romans was the best in the known world. It consists of two layers, for insulation, and a hood to cover the head. The outer layer was a coarse wool, woven in checks, stripes which would have also have been waterproofed by oiling with lanolin, the natural grease, found in sheep's wool Their shoes were of one piece wrap around leather tied with a thong. Accessories would have included shoulder bags made of leather, combs of bone, antler or wood, personal knives carried in leather scabbords for eating and leather pouches hung from the belt for carrying combs, tweezers and amulets used to ward off bad spirits.
Decorative jewellery worn by the celtic women would have been toe rings and amulets as well as
Bronze belt chains and Necklaces of metal or as below jet
Celtic men would have worn amulets and torcs, torcs are neck rings made of gold, bronze or iron, some of them were highly decorative and would have been worn by nobility, warriors or land owners
Community Life
“Archaeological investigation of settlements shows that many people in the Iron Age lived in hillforts defended by one or more banks and ditches. The inner bank would have been topped by a wooden palisade or occasionally a stone wall. Within the enclosure people lived in round houses often with porches over the single doorway. The houses were made usually of wicker with wattle and daub walls, arched timber roofs thatched with straw or reeds and with clay or earth floors. In some areas where stone was plentiful the house walls were built of stone. This is true of north Wales at such hillforts as Moel y Gaer. Often the houses had a central fireplace and sometimes a clay oven for baking bread. The grain for the bread was ground on rotary querns. The smoke would have escaped through the thatch and the design of the houses prevented the smoke from decending below head height. A wooden loom might be found in some houses where people wove cloth from wool or flax.”
Not all Celts lived in hillforts as because the Celts were farmers it was often more practical for them to live near their livestock and crops in lowland areas.
All Celts played lyres and harps, loved song, music, and recitation of legends and epic adventures. They used metal or ornamented natural horns for drinking mead made from wheat and honey, and beer from barley
They lived in extended family units or clans ( Clann is a Gaelic word that means children ) with children being raised collectively by close relatives. the maternal uncle often being a major influence in the upbringing of the child. The clan would group their dwellings together on raised ground to form hillforts. These clans connected with others in the locality to form tribes.
Noteable hillforts in Wales
Caer Drewyn (near Corwen)
Castell Henllys (near Newport Pembs)
Moel Fenlli on the Clwydian Hills
Gaer Fawr (near Welshpool), Powys
Ffrydd Faldwyn (Montgomery), Powys
Roundton Hill (near Churchstoke), Powys
Castell Tinboeth, Radnor (also the site of a medieval castle)
Castell Dinas Bran (near Llangollen–also the site of a medieval castle)
The bigger tribes were thought to be several thousand strong. The Welsh tribes known to us are:-
Tribes of Wales at the time of the Roman invasion.
Demetae
The name of the Demetae is derived from that of their patron warrior deity Demotos which literally means the god of mead, or the god of drunkenness. A warrior deity, linked to the ancient Celtic practice of getting drunk before going to battle.
These were the people who lived in the fertile lands of Pembrokeshire and much of Carmarthenshire they were an agrarian peoples living in small farms scattered across the countryside and shared many features of their lives with their neighbours across the Bristol Channel in Devon and Cornwall they also maintained close links with Armorica (Brittany)
Silures
The origin of the name "Silures" would seem to come from the Common Celtic root *sīlo-, 'seed'. Words derived from this root in Celtic languages are used to mean 'blood-stock, descendants, lineage, offspring', as well as 'seed' in the vegetable sense. 'Silures' might therefore mean 'Kindred, Stock', perhaps referring to a tribal belief in a descent from an originating ancestor. Tacitus described them as having a dark complexion and curly hair.
The Silures lived in the high ground and valleys of the area that now covers the Brecon Beacons and the Valleys of South Wales. The Silures were a loose network of groups with shared cultural values, rather than a centralised society.
There are the remains of Silurian hillforts at Llanmelin and Sudbrook, roundhouses at Gwehelog and Thornwell (Chepstow) and evidence of lowland occupation at Goldcliff
Ordovices
The Celtic name ordo is related to the word for "hammer" (Welsh 'Gordd') . The territory of the Ordovices covered most of what is today mid Wales and parts of north and west Wales, they farmed and kept sheep, and built fortified strongholds and hill forts.
The name of this tribe appears to be preserved in the place name Dinorwig ("Fort of the Ordovices") in North Wales.
Gangani and Deceangli
It is known that the tribes had at least five echelons to their society by the size and content of their burials. These could be assumed to be
- Kings and Queens ( buried with chariots and beautiful pieces of art )
- Elite members of society
- Warriors (buried with swords and weapons )
- Common people ( burried with household items such as polished bronze mirrors )
- Slaves (Thought mainly to be the indigenous people whom the Celts subjucated )
Common people committed themselves to subservience to the royalty and it is known that this was a slave orientated society from the discovery of gang chains for 5 or 6 people
Celtic women could choose their own husbands and abortion was a woman's right. Twice the dowry was given for a woman previously married or with children. They could own and inherit property and children took their mother's name and daughters inheirited her possessions, they fought for their tribe alongside the men and unlike Rome and Greece they could rise to be very powerfull and in some instances lead tribes and armies.
Roman historian, Ammianus Marcelinus "A Gallic woman, fighting beside her man, is a match for a whole troop of foreigners. Steely-eyed ... she swells her neck, gnashes her teeth, flexes her huge white biceps, and rain wallops and kicks as though from the twist cords of a catapult."
Strabo wrote "that among the Gauls there were three groups of men who were held in exceptional honor: the Bards, the Vates, and the Druids"
Bards were the musicians, singers, and poets.
Vates were soothsayers, diviners, and natural diviners.
Druids were organisers of religion and communication with the gods would have been only through them, this was a very significant power and meant they were held in high esteem as anyone stepping out of line could be excomunicated or "made unclean" by the Druid, which would result with the excommunicated person being unable to communicate with the gods. It is thought that the Druids were a specialist class who held Celtic life together. They would also have been guardians of tradition, teachers, healers and controllers of both the calender and the planting of crops. They must have had a prestigious memory, as nothing appears to have been written down in Celtic culture. Anglesey was a place of specific importance to Welsh Druids. They were said by Caeser to have believed in reincarnation and transmigration of the soul as well as astronomy and the power of the gods and that of nature.
The language of the Celts was Brythonic, Welsh is one of the few surving languages derived from Brythonic and is connected closely with the languages of Cornwall and Brittany. This would have enabled trading links between these countries.
Strabo wrote that Britain: "produces corn, cattle, gold, silver and iron. These things are exported, along with hides, slaves and dogs suitable for hunting. The Gauls, however, use both these and their own native dogs for warfare also."
Metal Working
The Celts were very skilled metalworkers and they are credited as introducing the Iron Age into Britain, as by 400BC they were smelting and crafting iron, they also worked extensive copper mines such as the Great Orme near Llandudno in North Wales. Their metalwork techniques were considered by the Romans to be second to none and were a direct result of their contact with the Halstatt culture of Austria, examples of their skills in working iron would be
- Long bladed slashing swords, honed to a very sharp blade, that completely replaced earlier bronze swords
- They were able to shrink the iron rings to produce barrels
- They were able to make spoked wheels
The Celts at War
- Plato "Warlike people who drank wine to the point of downright drunkedness"
- Aristotle "Were not afraid of anything, not even waves or earthquakes
The author complete with Celtic helmet and spear, guarding a Celtic house at St Fagans museum
We are given the impression that the Celts were continually making war, this has to taken in the context that the majority of the written history we have of them is supplied by the Romans, who were actively persuing a military campaign to subdue and in the case of the Druids to annihilate them. However this is not to suggest that they were not capable of aggressive combat as we know that there was waring between tribes prior to the Roman invasion in relation to the capture of the best farming land, cattle and slaves. Internal tribal wars were often not an all out battle, the tribal leaders wearing golden shields, breastplates and ornamented helmets, would too the sound of ceremonial trumpets send their local champion into man to man combat with the champion of the other tribe, this would be a fight to the death and would often determine the outcome of the dispute. The Celts would decapitate their defeated enemies, as they believed that to posess the head, they possed the soul of that person. They would display the heads as trophies by mounting them in doorways and on fences or they would have them hanging from their saddle belts, they also used them as drinking vessels. Pumpkin lanterns used at halloween are thought to have originated from this custom.
Farming and Diet
The Celts were skilled farmers. Iron Age Celtic Britain consisted almost exclusively of settled farming communities who tended their crops and livestock
Arable farming
In some areas small granaries were raised above the ground on four posts but underground pits were more commonly used to store the surpluses of grain. These underground pits were timber-lined and their excavation has revealed that offerings to the gods were placed at the bottom of the pits before harvest and possibly after a good harvest. Religion and farming were closely linked in Iron Age Britain.
Diodorus Siculus "In reaping their wheat they cut off the ears from the stalk, and house them in pits under ground; then they take and pluck out the grains of just enough of the oldest of them to last for the day, and after they have bruised the wheat make it into bread.
Wheat,oats, rye,barley and millet are thought to have been cultivated in Britain during the Iron Age. The experimental farm Butser Iron Age Farm. has shown that good crop yields were achieved by the Celtic farmers.
An organised system of land mangagement can be traced in Britain throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages. The high level of organisation can be seen in the way that the fields were laid out in a structured way and on a vast scale. Celtic Britain, was an organised agricultural community. In the later Iron Age (about 100BC) woodland was cleared at an unprecedented rate. The Celts made Iron ploughs, the Romans are usually credited with introducing the coulter to Britain but the earliest example of an iron coulter, is from iron age Britain. " Pliny noted that the Celtic plough was superior to the Roman type which replaced it" These were very effective, but were very heavy and needed to be pulled by teams of 8 oxen, this made them hard to turn therefore Celtic fields were long and narrow . The evidence for this is clear from aerial photographs of land which has remained undisturbed. Demand for land was great and even the slopes of hill sides were cultivated.
.
Celtic image of wheat - shown on a British Coin minted by Cunobelinus. The depiction of wheat on coins suggests that its importance to the life and economy of the region
Celtic fields can be seen in the bottom left corner of this photograph.
The island of Britain is recorded by the ancient writers as being very populous and therefore it is not surprising that there is evidence of soil depletion dating to the Iron Age. However, according to the Roman reporter, Pliny the Elder," the British farmers invented the practice of manuring the soil with various kinds of mast, loam, and chalk." He described how"chalk was dug out from 'pits several hundred feet in depth, narrow at the mouth, but widening towards the bottom.
Few vegetables were known in Britain prior to the Roman Invasion of the country. However, Celtic beans and fat hen were grown and a kind of primative parsnip was found in Britain at that time. Herbs would probably have been the main way to get your 'greens'.
Livestock farming
The Celts would have got their milk from cows, goats and sheep.
Strabo declared that British farmers had "milk in plenty"
Julius Caesar tells us: "The most civilised people have much the same customs as the Gauls. Most of those live on milk and flesh and wear clothes of animal skins".
Undefended settlements have been found in a few upland areas and these are thought to have been summer settlements. The movement with the pastoral herds in the summer continued with the hafody in Wales until relatively recent times.
The Welsh words hendref and hafod remind us about the old way of farming. The hendref was the family's permanent home where they would spend the winter, but during the summer the animals would be moved to highland pastures, or the hafod, to release the best land for growing crops. However, most farming communities were settled in lowland areas during the Iron Age. In many areas hill forts had an associated second enclosure with birch fencing for coralling their cattle and other livestock to protect them from warring parties and cattle rustlers.
The types of Celtic livestock were
Cattle - Cattle was king in the Celtic world and a man's wealth and power was measured by the number of his herd. The Celts introduced, the now extinct, Celtic Shorthorn cattle to Britain. The cows would have provided good milk and the bullocks would have been slaughtered for meat. it has been estimated that two-thirds of the meat eaten by Iron Age Britons was beef. The importance of cattle to the celts is emphasised by the fact that they had upto 20 names of colours for cows
Dexter Cattle - descendants of the Celtic Shorthorn
Sheep - Butchered sheep bones, dated to this period, indicate that most sheep were not butchered as lambs, for meat. Rather, they were kept alive for wool production and when finally butchered, at a mature age, were prepared as mutton. Mutton and some lamb meat accounted for about a quarter of the total consumption of meat. The Soay, Manx, Hebridean and Shetland breeds of sheep which are still found on these islands are the direct descendents of the ancient sheep farmed in Iron Age Britain. They are quite goat-like in appearance and don't provide a great deal of meat. Their main use would have been to provide milk and wool. Unlike modern breeds of sheep their wool can be pulled from their backs without shearing.
Soay Sheep
Pigs - The Celts kept a domesticated pig which like other domesticated animals of the Iron Age were smaller than its modern counterparts. It may have looked something like a cross between the contempory Tamworth pig and the ancient wild boar which roamed the woodlands of ancient Britain. The domesticted pig rather than the wild boar would have provided the British Celts with most of their ham, sausages and bacon which together would only have accounted for about one tenth of the total meat consumption.
Iron Age Pigs - a reconstituted breed that are a cross between the Tamworth and Wild Boar
The Iron Age inhabitants of Britain kept domesticated geese but, according to Julius Caesar, it was unholy to eat them: "They think it is wrong to eat hares or chickens or geese but they breed them as pets"
Celtic religion was polytheistic, believing in many gods and goddesses and was closely tied to the natural world the moon, the sun and the stars were especially important, they worshipped their gods through sacrifice in sacred places like lakes, rivers, cliffs, bushes, groves of trees and bogs. At Llyn Cerrig Bach, archaeologists have found over 150 objects of bronze and iron, including spears, shields and swords thought to have been sacrificial offering thrown into the lake, they would also sacrifice an offering to ask for a good harvest and then to thank for the rulting harvest. If their was a poor harvest, further sacrifices would be made. The Iron Age Celts also sacrificed animals, and humans. Literary evidence for Celtic religion comes in the form of epic poems and tales ( the Mabinogian) and were written several centuries after Christianity became the dominant religion , and were written down by Christian monks, "who may not merely have been hostile to the earlier paganism but actually ignorant of it." Instead of treating the characters as deities, they are allocated the roles of being historical heroes who sometimes have supernatural powers, A common factor in these later mythologies was the otherworld, this was the realm of supernatural beings, who would entice humans into their realm. Sometimes this otherworld was claimed to exist underground, scholars have suggested that the otherworld was the Celtic afterlife.
The Celts paid great respect to the human head. Roman historians say they cut off the heads of their ancestors, and even their enemies, and worshipped the skulls.
The main Celtic religious festivals were usually associated with the cycles of the sun, moon and pastoral and agricultural cycles of the year eg, Beltaine( 1st May, the start of the light half of the year ) , Calan Awst ( 1st August, festival of the wheat harvest ) and Samhain ( 1st November, the start of the dark half of the year ).
The Celts had many gods and goddesses associated with warfare, hunting, fertility, healing, good harvests and other important aspects of life. Some gods were associated with places. Lakes, rivers, mountains and groves were sacred sites. Animals were held in reverence by the Celts because they displayed many of the attributes such as strength, fertility that the Celts prized. There are over 400 names for Celtic deities (both gods and goddesses). Most were local and tribal names but there are many which were found throughout the Celtic world.
CELTIC GODS AND GODDESSES (particular to Wales )
Arawn God of the underworld, terror, revenge, and war.l.
Arianrhod "The Silver Wheel", "High Fruitful Mother". Celtic (Welsh) Goddess, the sister of Gwydion and wife of Donn. Deity of element of Air, reincarnation, full moons, time, karma, retribution. The palace of this sky Goddess was Caer Arianrhold (Aurora Borealis). Keeper of the Silver Wheel of Stars, a symbol of time and karma. Her ship, Oar Wheel, carried dead warriors to Emania (Moon-land)..
Beli Mawr Fire and sun God, also God of purification, science, fertility, crops and success closely connected with the Druids and the festival of Beltaine (May 1).
Blodeuwedd Symbolizes wisdom, lunar mysteries, initiations. Known to help a garden or a child grow. Known as the Ninefold Goddess of the Western Isles of Paradise and Flower-Face,
Cerridwen Moon, Grain and Nature Goddess. Cerridwen's symbol is a white sow. She prepared in a cauldron a magical brew which stewed for a year and would yield three precious drops. These would bestow on the receiver the wisdom of the past, the knowledge of the present, and the secrets of the future. Cerridwen symbolizes luck, element of earth, death, fertility, regeneration, inspiration, inspiration, the arts, science, poetry, astrology/zodiac.
Creiddylad Goddess of flowers, love. She isconnected with the festival of Beltane and called the May Queen..
Dewi God represented by a red serpent or dragon.
Don Queen of the Heavens and Goddess of air and sea. Ruled over the land of the dead.
Dylan God of the sea. His symbol is a silver fish.
Elaine aspect of the maiden, she was later transformed in the Arthurian sagas.
Gwydion God of enchantment, illusion, magic. Known as a great wizard and bard in northern Wales. his symbol was a white horse.
Gwynn Ap Nudd God of the underworld. Originally a war God who hunted men's souls and lead them to Annwn, the land of the dead. In Celtic (Welsh) legend he is the king of the faeries and elves..
Llew Llaw Gyffes God of harpers, healing, poets, smiths, sorcerers, and waters. A curse prohibited him from having and earthly wife, so his uncles made him one out of flowers and named her Blodeuwedd. . His symbol is a white stag, and is celebrated on August 1, the Celtic ceremony of Lughnasadh.
Llyr God of waters and the sea. May have also ruled the underworld. .
Lugh He is a druid, carpenter, poet, and mason. He symbolizes healing, reincarnation, prophecy, and revenge. Also a Sun God as well hence the Pagan Sabbath Lughnasadh. His symbol is a white stag. He had a magic spear and otherworldly hounds.
Manawydan Ap Llyr Patron of sailors and merchants. His famed possessions include the yellow shaft, the red javelin, the boat, the wave-sweeper, a horse called Splendid Mane, and three swords named retaliator, great fury, and little fury, He also had a suit of armor that made him invisible. He has the gift of immortality
Margawse mother aspect of the Goddess, she was transformed in the later Arthurian sagas.
Mathonwy God of magic, sorcery, and enchantment. .
Myrrdin "Merlin", Sorcerer, Druid, Wizard and Magician. Originally an ancient Welsh Druid, priest of the old religion, and great magician. He was transformed in the later Arthurian sagas. Legend says he now lies sleeping in a hidden crystal cave..
Nuada (Noo-ada) Celtic (Irish & Welsh) God of harpers, healing, historians, magic, poets, warfare, writing.He had to step down when he lost his hand in battle; it was replaced by a silver one. .
Olwen Goddess of flowers and springtime. Also symbolizes love and re-birth. "Under the forgotten oak, she slept, lily breasts and crocus arms and wild daisy hair."
Pwyll God, prince who married the Goddess Rhiannon and bore a son, Pryderi. God of cunning, virtue. Called Pwyll pen Annwn (Pwyll, head of Annwn) because he replaced Gwynn ap Nudd as ruler of the underworld at one time.
Rhiannon Patron Goddess of horses and birds. She symbolizes fertility, the moon, enchantment, charms, and poetic incantations.Rhiannon gave birth to a baby boy, and while she slept, her nurses were supposed to watch over the child. But they failed in the task, and the child was mysteriously abducted during the night. Before Rhiannon awoke, the nurses found that the baby had disappeared, and fearing revenge, they smeared the blood from the dog's bones around Rhiannon's sleeping body. When she awoke, they declared that she had devoured the child. Judgement was passed, and Rhiannon's punishment was to remain in the palace of Narberth for seven years. Every day, she would sit near a horse block, and relate her story to everyone who passed unless they had knew it already. She also had to offer to guests and strangers in on her back. Forunately for her, they rarely accepted the offer and permitted her to perform her penance.
Taliesin God of song, known as Prince of Song, Chief of the Bards of the West, and Patron God of the Druids, he was a great magician and bard..
.
OTHER CELTIC GODS AND GODDESSES
Amaethon God of agriculture, husbandry and luck
Airmid A healing Goddess, Goddess of medicinal plants and keeper of the spring. Regenerates, or brings the dead to life again.
Andraste The moon, divination, rabbit magic.
Artio Celtic wildlife Goddess.
Balor . Although he was born with two good eyes, one was ruined in an accident; the eye is so hideous that he only opens it in battle so that its venom will slay whoever is unlucky enough to catch glimpse of it;
Camalus "Of the Invisible Sword", "Heaven". Celtic God of war and sky..
Cernunnos God of virility, fertility, life, animals, forests and the underworld. Druids knew him as Hu Gadarn, the Honored God. Ancient Celtic images show him seated in a lotus position, naked, with antlers or horns on his head. Christians demonized this benevolent God and is where the image of the Christian devil comes from. Animals that were sacred to him: bull, ran, stag, and horned serpents.
Creidhne God of metalworking;
Cyhiraeth Celtic Goddess of streams, her scream fortells death.
Druantia "Queen of the Druids". Celtic Fir Goddess and Mother of the tree calender. Symbolizes protection, knowledge, creativity, passion, sex, fertility, growth, trees and forests. Her feast day was Beltane
Epona Celtic (Britania & Gaul) Goddess of horsebreeding, healing spring, prosperity and mountains. Called Divine Horse and the Great Mare, the Goddess of horses was acknowledged and worshipped by Roman soldiers..
Goibhniu God of blacksmiths, weapon-makers and brewing.
Maeve Celtic Goddess of Earth, fertility and war. She was a great conqueror and enjoyed enslaving the men of the Armies she defeated as spoils of war to pleasure her at will. Also known as the "Drunk Woman". The mere sight of Maeve blinds enemies, and she runs faster than the fastest horse. She needs thirty men a day to ease her sexual appetite. Also a fertility Goddess.
Mider Celtic God of the underworld.
Morrigan "The Great Queen". Celtic Goddess of war and death who could take the shape of a crow or raven.
Rosmerta "The Great Provider". Celtic Goddess of fertility and wealth. Her symbols are a cornucopia [horn of plenty] and a stick with two snakes. She may be invoked for fertility or money.
Sequana River Goddess. Health.
The White Lady Celtic all Celtic countries; goddess of death and destruction. Called the Dryad of Death and Queen of the Dead.
Refferences
http://resourcesforhistory.com/Celtic_Farming_in_Britain.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/wizard/celticdeities/
http://www.cpat.org.uk/educate/leaflets/celts/celts.htm
http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/Celtic/history.html
http://archaeology.suite101.com/article.cfm/archaeology_and_the_celts