Women Among the Celts - Research Paper Example

? Women Among the Celts Women Among the Celts The Celtic people remain embedded in the global history for their remarkable independent thinking minds, and natural mysticism that stands outstanding in history. The Celtics are remarkably known for having elaborate and detailed progressivism as seen in their law codes, and the attachment to their native pagan practices despite the widely spreading Christianity. The Celtic life remains today a historical masterpiece of ancient communities and how such an ancient community differentiated itself from the rest through its beliefs, practices and cultures. Similarly, unlike in other ancient communities, the Celtic woman was much different, and played much more roles in the community than women in other communities at this time. Though the current history might have been badly tainted by the Christian monks through Christian moralizing, conquering of such communities, and interpreting their practices in determining what was acceptable and what was not, the Celtic practices and culture regarding women stands as a unique culture, where women played a central role and earned great respect. The Celts were an ancient community occupying the major parts of the British Isles and Europe for more than 800 years, between 700 BC and their last mentions before they were completely assimilated into the Roman Empire around 100AD.1 According to Fox, the Celtics had no established empire, hand no known cities, did not develop any written language, but their culture had a great impact in Europe, spreading all over from Ireland to the Black Sea. In fact as fox explains, their name is derived from the Greek word ‘Keltoi,’ meaning a hidden people; a reference given due to the lack of an elaborate written language. All tales were memorized and carried from generation to generation by the wise men, or the Druids, who were committed to a rigorous study to commit everything in their memory. The druids as explained above included both men and women. The history of the Celtic people was transcribed between 6th and 7th AD by Irish Monks forming the famous collection known as the Ulster Cycle, which is thousands of years old and from which much of the Celtic people history is learned and well conceptualized. Spence argues that in the ancient Celtic society, the Druids and Druidess were members of an intellectual elite group with knowledge and advanced training, which qualified them to practice as priests in the Celtic pagan religion.2 Interestingly, the above elite group underwent a rigorous training of more than 20 years studying astronomy, law, poetry, literature, and history of the community. Female druids had a role of mediating for their community, performing sacrifices, presiding over religious functions, and interpreting omen in the community; they were therefore important religious mediators held in high esteem among the Celtics. Mainly, the Druids and their male counterparts the Brads and Vates monopolized community rituals (Jones, 84).3 Moreover, as Jones noted, no ancient sources explains women as having played any important part as priestesses. This has been problematic in that as Jones argues the Roman observers, mainly males and having come from a male dominated culture could have ignored the recognition of Celtic women in power. This was because; in the Roman Empire, a woman was observed as a possession of a man; the idea of having a female in such a leadership position was not worth any thought to them. The history of having Celtic women as both rulers and chieftains was therefore a greater probability, noting that they were prominently involved in religious practices and rituals; the lack of any evidence to show their roles in power could have been affected by the Roman men’s ego, through which the myths of the Celtics were passed down through generations. This is more probable noting that Tacitus in the first century CE claimed that “the Celtics made no distinction between female and male rulers,” 4 which elaborates on the probability of having women rulers in the ancient Celtic empire. The central role of women in rituals and spiritual matters in the Celtic community is observed in the analysis by Victorian scholars. The gods and goddess in the Celtic community were both a living form in their worship and imagination.5 Myths reveal the religion of the Celtics and the goddess to have been beautiful, passionate and creative. This was due to the role bestowed on females. To the Celtics, their pagan belief was that the universe with all its creativity and beauty was female, and this made them to leave traces of culture that showed women to have been the backbone of the spiritual and moral decrees in the society.6 For example, the mother goddess was significant of the role of women; implying women’s significance in everyday life of the Celtics. The personification of fertility, love, healing, service and other attributes portrays the significant roles that such women played. In fact, according to Fox research has shown that unlike their Greek sisters, Celtic women were free to become druids, to bear arms in war, and to engage in politics.7 This signifies women had a great impact and played leading roles in the society; they were not relegated to the background in the community affairs. McCoy argues that the study of the life of the Celtics and particularly the roles of women makes the use of the term ‘mythic woman.’8 A mythical mystery cannot be referred to as fiction, but it is a revelation of life altering and profound truths. This as McCoy argues is affirmed by the mysteries regarding Celtic women particularly from Ireland, which was the least tampered with evidence compared to other myths, and which gives enough evidence of the high status of women in the Celtic culture.9 The fact that the Celtic oral traditions have been tampered with before the traditions were written down on paper is much obvious, though it is not clear whether such tampering of the information was deliberate or not. In all aspects, the Celtic women are presented as strong characters with much influence in the society. These strong women according to McCoy mostly likely made it into paper, though the real nature of the women was transposed and could not have reflected the actual Celtic women. For example, the women who made it to historical writings were portrayed as vicious and presented the image that any women considered influential had to adapt manly features, or had great flaws that may not be attributed to a normal woman; an example is the portrayal of Queen Maeve who is portrayed by history as one who was a war monger out to increase her prosperity.10The portrayal of Celtic women was believed to have been badly affected and influenced by the grip of Christianity in the Celtic world as had been argued before. For example, many legends about Goddesses or women were badly altered deliberately in a way that reduced the previous powerful woman in the Celtic society to an animal status. This deliberate manipulation of the legends is observed in the case of the modern Halloween witch, who is presented to be crackling over a cauldron, in which she would later cook a Christian child.11 Another myth of the legend Celtic women that seems to portray them in the negative light is in the myth of the Irish Goddess from Meath, who met with St. Patrick around 400C.E. She is presented as a crone who had already been turned to a snake for eating berries, which he had forbidden her to eat.12 The effects of the Roman culture was that it relegated women to the background, as only servants of their masters could have led to such negative portrayal of women goddesses and leaders in the Celtic empire. As Christianity spread widely, it slowly swallowed the entire Celtic empire. Therefore, these myths portray that there were women of power in the Celtic empire, who collided with Christianity doctrines leading to such negative image of women; being at crossroads with the Romans, and considering that women had no place in the Roman culture, such women in high esteem places were therefore diminished, and a myth passed down through generations, portraying them as low creatures or creatures who did not conform to the normality in the society. However, such conflict really portrays the existence of such high esteem, leaders in the Celtic empire before the empire was swallowed by the Roman Empire. The Celtic culture more focused on female deities, which is an indication of the high esteem of women in the society, and mainly points to a society that was focused on women, similar to the argument by McCoy above. According to Larrington the Celtic mythology portrays a dominant role played by women or either portrays a society, where a woman was the focal point, though this arrangement was greatly affected by the ethos of Christianity and patriarchy. For example, the female Celtic goddess who was sacred turned to being violent and the giving qualities of such a goddess turned into destruction and death; lastly, the women who in the Celtic society had enjoyed much freedoms and an almost equal status with men were faced great suffering in the midst of unending violence.13 Therefore, the Celtic women could be said to be a reflection of the goddess; she was once honored for her life giving abilities, was thought to be wise, and treated as an individual human. As the Celtic mythology portrays, such features are evident despite the deliberate manipulation to change such ancient history. For example, according to Larrington, the goddess could have been described as beautiful, possessed great power, and a dual –natured female figure; there were also goddesses of fertility, and the goddess of natural cycles of life including death.14 The goddesses portrayed creativity, and especially in interrelation to giving life in all its aspects; making the Celtic society embrace and recognize a woman due to her ability to bring forth generations by giving birth. Therefore, the goddesses were beautiful and controlled immense powers, which presented the role of a woman in the society to be of great importance, though these were later changed by the Christians and Romans after the community was swallowed up by the latter. Women in the Celtic community enjoyed much higher status than any other women of their time. They shared the responsibilities and burden that come with freedom. For example, females who owned properties were required to fight for such property such as land just as men; if a woman transgressed in the society, they were punished with the same severity as men.15 Such equality laws led to a community that was much important to the Celts for personal identity in addition to protection; the worst punishment that could be fall anyone was banishment from the community, which made people to adhere to laws that formed a solid society. Most remarkable among the Celtic women was their rights to own property, seek for divorce, retain their own property and expect their dowry to be returned after this divorce.16 Moreover, the women could demand an honor price as damages in case of murder of their kinsmen; they were even allowed to take their grievances before the judges. Interestingly, as McCoy explains, any child born of unmarried woman was not declared illegitimate as many communities of the time did. All freeborn people were protected under the law and no stigmatization was allowed in this society.17 These women rights may be compared to the current women rights in various enlightened societies, indicating that the Celtics were much more enlightened than some societies in the current age. Therefore, women in this society represented the sovereignty of the land and community that ran deep and strong; this could be the source of the image of a woman being the sacred caretaker of the land. 18The use of women as Druids as explained above, a group of wise people, philosophers advisers, and other revered people, who acted as the custodian of morals and laws in the society indicates the extent to which women participated in both social, political, and religious activities in this society. Condron explained the significance of the female warrior goddess as having respect for death, and to present the natural life cycles which is death and life. Moreover there was a close interrelatedness between the goddess and the human woman. As the source of life was greatly credited to a woman, the origin of life was observed to be female; at times of pain or joy, humans would therefore turn to the goddess, honored in her many roles.19 This was the major reason as to why the female deity was worshiped, and her female subjects treated with much respect and dignity in the Celtic community. Dissent was traced from the mother, and more emphasis given to the mother relationships. However, scholars have revealed that the power did not rest on women, as the mythologies may tend to be analyzed, but only the focus was placed on women. In other words, life was respected and was taken to be of tremendous value in what may be of most natural and physical sense, which led to much emphasis and importance being placed on a woman, either a goddess or human. As Condron argues, women were perceived to have much respect and honor; female symbolism dominated many images in sacred and religious places. The relationship with motherhood was a central element in maintaining a strong social fabric. The entire society was glued together by a common allegiance to tribe, which was closely organized around the goddess.20 Despite the major progress made by the Celtics to advance the status of women, much of these benefits were destroyed by the intrusion of Christianity in their empire, which tuned the previously peaceful goddesses to warrior goddesses, leading to continued decline in women respect and leadership in the society, mainly driven by attacks and violence, which changed the earlier respect for life and death, turning to an emphasis on death and bloodlust.21 With women involved in war, men also began to feel threatened by women, in what seemed to be competition for strength and domination, while the Christian clerics were on a heated campaign to satire the goddesses. The belief and practice of Christianity was indirect contrast to the worship of female deity, with the goddesses becoming as violent as the society that created them. Ellis also explains that the status of the goddesses and women in the Celtic society declined due to continued rape, while others died in child birth, with rape destroying their symbolism in the society.22 However, such goddesses did not decline abruptly, but they gave birth to brave warriors and great men who cemented their status as women of status in the society. This led the warrior society to triumph and overcome the earlier wise women society.23 Therefore, it led to the introduction of the war goddess, which was an adaptation of the culture of war to wreak havoc and destruction; the goddess was portrayed as being ferocious and with great sexual appetite. Ellis explains. Therefore, the new life changed the roles of women, with many of them participating as warriors in war with great cruelty targeting women in the battle field.24 In most cases, they were raped by their course warriors, starved of food, or used as baits against the enemy, which led to much destruction of the earlier peaceful women. However, history still shows that despite such atrocities against women by enemies and their fellow warriors, women still played a successful role in the battle field. Despite such successful roles, the society was about to perish as the source of life was in great disaster, with many children being orphaned, starving; life began with murder unlike the prosperity of the previous Celtic community. The Celtic society could be argued to be one of the most enlightened ancient communities of all times. Though much of their histories exist through mythology and might have been severely altered by the Romans and Christianity as from 100AD, the existing Celtic mythology portrays a community that was much similar to the modern communities in regard to rights and roles of women. Women in the Celtic community participated in all spheres of the community; political, spiritual, and leadership in addition to being viewed as sacred custodians of the community and the Celtic land. Women just like men participated equally in all affairs of the community and as history shows, most Druids and priests were composed of women, with numerous images of goddesses portraying the importance of women in the society. Therefore, the though the Celtic community was torn apart by violence as the Romans and their Christianity ideals sought to assimilate this community, it still lives through mythology as one of the most civilized community of the ancient times. Bibliography Condren, Mary. The Serpent and the Goddess. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1989. Ellis, Peter Berresford.  Celtic Women:  Women in Celtic Society and Literature. London:  St. Edmundsbury, 1995 Fox Jo. Women of the Celts in Myth, Legend, and Story, Sky Views 8th June 1996 http://www.pabay.org/skyeviews.html accessed 4th Dec. 2012 Jones, Prudence and Nigel Pennick.  A History of Pagan Europe.  New York:  Routledge, 1995 Larrington, Carolyn. The Feminist Companion to Mythology. London: Pandora, 1992 McCoy, Edain, Celtic Women’s Spirituality: Accessing the Cauldron of Life, MN, 1998. Spence, Lewis.  The History and Origins of Druidism.  Totowa, NJ:  Rowman and Littlefield, 1976 Read More