The gods of the ancient Celts

The gods of the ancient Celts

Though the Celtic world at its greatest extent covered much of western and central Europe, it is said that it was not politically unified, nor was there any substantial central source of cultural influence.

As a result, there was a great deal of variation in the local practices of Celtic religion (although certain gods; for example, the god Lugh & mdash; appear to have travelled throughout the Celtic world). Inscriptions of more than three hundred deities, often equated with their Roman counterparts, have survived, but most appear to have been local or tribal gods, and few were widely worshipped.

The nature and functions of these ancient gods can be deduced from their names, the location of their inscriptions, their iconography (models, statues or carvings etc), the Roman gods they are equated with, and similar figures from later bodies of Celtic mythology.

Ron Dennis http://www.enteradomain.com