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Greek and Roman writers frequently made reference to the druids as practitioners of human sacrifice. [35] Caesar says those who had been found guilty of theft or other criminal offences were considered preferable for use as sacrificial victims, but when criminals were in short supply, innocents would be acceptable.
The gods had mostly human features, with human forms, male or female gender, and familial relationships, and lived in a society organized like human society; however, their sight, hearing, and strength were superhuman, and they possessed a superhuman ability to influence the world. [112]
Celtic paganism, as practised by the ancient Celts, is a descendant of Proto-Celtic paganism, itself derived from Proto-Indo-European paganism.Many deities in Celtic mythologies have cognates in other Indo-European mythologies, such as Celtic Brigantia with Roman Aurora, Vedic Ushas, and Norse Aurvandill; Welsh Arianrhod with Greek Selene, Baltic Mėnuo, and Slavic Myesyats; and Irish Danu ...
The Celts of the ancient world believed that many spirits and divine beings inhabited the world around them, and that humans could establish a rapport with these beings. [2]: 196 The archaeological and the literary record indicate that ritual practice in Celtic societies lacked a clear distinction between the sacred and profane; rituals, offerings, and correct behaviour maintained a balance ...
Slave women were mostly war booty, female property given up by insolvent debtors, [37] or foreign captives and could be employed within the household or sold for profit. As slaves, women had an important economic role on account of their craft work, such that in Ireland, the word cumal ('slave woman', Old Welsh : aghell and caethverched ) was ...
Although known only from Roman contexts, the name Epona ('Great Mare') is from the Gaulish language; it is derived from the inferred Proto-Celtic *ekʷos 'horse', [5] which gives rise to modern Welsh ebol 'foal', together with the augmentative suffix-on frequently, although not exclusively, found in theonyms (for example Sirona, Matrona) and the usual Gaulish feminine singular -a. [6]
Áine - goddess of parental and familial love, summer, wealth and sovereignty; Banba, Ériu and Fódla - patron goddesses of Ireland; Bodb Derg - king of the Tuatha Dé Danann; Brigid - daughter of the Dagda; associated with healing, fertility, craft, platonic love, and poetry; Clíodhna - queen of the Banshees, goddess of fantasized love ...
There were the farm village and the individual farm. The prevalence of either of these forms of settlements depended upon the nature of the land. [54] The prevalence of the individual farm among Germanic peoples has sometimes been ascribed to their love of independence. Such individual farms depended upon a plentiful supply of water.