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Article ON THE RELIGION OP THE CELTS, AND THE CU... ← Page 3 of 7 →
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On The Religion Op The Celts, And The Cu...
particularly favoured the doctrines of the Druids . For the same reasons , rivers have been attributed by classical writers to a divine origin : Apollonius Bhodius represents the jRhone as issuing from the sanctuary of Eternal Night , and Tacitus has reckoned the Rhine among the deities of Germany . This system of worship , mounting up to the most remote antiquity , betrays itself by the vestiges remaining in our days .
Thus , it is considered lucky to drink the water of a fountain at midnight on the last day of the year ; and if the draught is taken from seven sources or springs , there is a supposed efficacy in some diseases . The ancient Celts were accustomed to throw small masses of gold and silver into brooks and rivers , and on opening the sulphureous baths at Baden , in Argovie ( 1420 ) , an immense number of "Roman coins were found in the water . It is said to be not
unusual in Hungary to throw pieces of money into the Danube in honour of a river which is of such benefit to the country . - * . Amongst trees , the oak obtained the highest estimation , a custom which may perhaps be traced even to the days of Abraham . In the Alps , where this tree rarely grows , the pine or fir has been
substituted . Hence is derived the usage of planting on the first of May a sapling of fir before the doors of houses where the unmarried girls were residing , or in front of the fountains of the village , and of hanging up garlands of flowers , and sometimes newly-laid eggs . The Maypole of England and the Christmas-tree of Grermany may thus
trace their origin from the religion of the Druids . As the Celtic doctrines attained to permanency from a longer standing , and became more extended throughout Europe , they degenerated from their former simplicity , and different names were given to the respective attributes of the deity , which were thus personified . Hence arose a multiplicity of divinities , of whom there is considerable difficulty in ascertaining the exact character and offices , as amongst the Druids tradition supplied the place of written documents , and their disciples were taught by verses , which were solely committed to memory , so that nothing has been handed
down even by hieroglyphics or otherwise . In the " Pharsalia" of Lucan these tenets are particularly mentioned . As all information relating to their religion is of interest , we have given the following list of their deities , as taken from the work before- mentioned : —
" First . —Theutates or Taut . He was the supreme god or father , and seems to have combined the attributes of Jupiter with those of Mercury , as he was held to be the inventor of arts and a guide to travellers . The word ' taut' is still preserved in Switzerland , as applied to a lofty rock , near Montreux , which was probably an object of Druid Leal worship . ' Tout , ' in some parts of England , is still the name of the highest point in a range of hills .
' Secondly . —Heaus , the strong and powerful , the representative of Mars , the god of war , carnage , and bloodshed . In the German patois of Switzerland , lice ' s still signifies a violent and quarrelsome person . It has been supposed hy some writers that this deity was pictured with the head of a dog . If so , it must refer to the Egyptian mythology , as * the barking anuhis ' ( latrator anubis ) .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The Religion Op The Celts, And The Cu...
particularly favoured the doctrines of the Druids . For the same reasons , rivers have been attributed by classical writers to a divine origin : Apollonius Bhodius represents the jRhone as issuing from the sanctuary of Eternal Night , and Tacitus has reckoned the Rhine among the deities of Germany . This system of worship , mounting up to the most remote antiquity , betrays itself by the vestiges remaining in our days .
Thus , it is considered lucky to drink the water of a fountain at midnight on the last day of the year ; and if the draught is taken from seven sources or springs , there is a supposed efficacy in some diseases . The ancient Celts were accustomed to throw small masses of gold and silver into brooks and rivers , and on opening the sulphureous baths at Baden , in Argovie ( 1420 ) , an immense number of "Roman coins were found in the water . It is said to be not
unusual in Hungary to throw pieces of money into the Danube in honour of a river which is of such benefit to the country . - * . Amongst trees , the oak obtained the highest estimation , a custom which may perhaps be traced even to the days of Abraham . In the Alps , where this tree rarely grows , the pine or fir has been
substituted . Hence is derived the usage of planting on the first of May a sapling of fir before the doors of houses where the unmarried girls were residing , or in front of the fountains of the village , and of hanging up garlands of flowers , and sometimes newly-laid eggs . The Maypole of England and the Christmas-tree of Grermany may thus
trace their origin from the religion of the Druids . As the Celtic doctrines attained to permanency from a longer standing , and became more extended throughout Europe , they degenerated from their former simplicity , and different names were given to the respective attributes of the deity , which were thus personified . Hence arose a multiplicity of divinities , of whom there is considerable difficulty in ascertaining the exact character and offices , as amongst the Druids tradition supplied the place of written documents , and their disciples were taught by verses , which were solely committed to memory , so that nothing has been handed
down even by hieroglyphics or otherwise . In the " Pharsalia" of Lucan these tenets are particularly mentioned . As all information relating to their religion is of interest , we have given the following list of their deities , as taken from the work before- mentioned : —
" First . —Theutates or Taut . He was the supreme god or father , and seems to have combined the attributes of Jupiter with those of Mercury , as he was held to be the inventor of arts and a guide to travellers . The word ' taut' is still preserved in Switzerland , as applied to a lofty rock , near Montreux , which was probably an object of Druid Leal worship . ' Tout , ' in some parts of England , is still the name of the highest point in a range of hills .
' Secondly . —Heaus , the strong and powerful , the representative of Mars , the god of war , carnage , and bloodshed . In the German patois of Switzerland , lice ' s still signifies a violent and quarrelsome person . It has been supposed hy some writers that this deity was pictured with the head of a dog . If so , it must refer to the Egyptian mythology , as * the barking anuhis ' ( latrator anubis ) .