The Celts lived in the northern hemisphere and had very little knowledge of the southern hemisphere. We now know that the seasons in the south are inverted compared to the Northern hemisphere. While the North is in Winter the South is having summer. So there is a dual cycle to the year. one for the north and one for the south. As the North is celebrating Samhain, the South is enjoying Beltane.
So this places a lot of rethinking of the old Celtic traditions. Cernunnos doesn't die as the days get shorter. The days get shorter due to the angel of the earth in respect to the sun. So the changing of the days would be the cycle of the goddess not the god. Cernunnos is ever vigilant looking over the animals. The battle of the holly and Oak kings is just a changing of the guards. The cycle of life continues but in a different way. Life must end for new life to start, and the changing from the north to southern hemispheres allows plants and animals to continue the cycle. The plants die and wither away to make room for the new life.
In this manner, winter is not a bad thing. It is the recovery and cleansing of the earth. There is many other minor gods or dieties that die only to return the next year. The Corn king doesn't sacrifice himself for the world. The Corn King feeds the world around him as long as they respect him. He provides his bounty to man and then leaves for other lands so that the land he graced could be cleansed and prepared for his return.
not all has been figured out. For those that view Cernunnos as the Sun aspect. As the fertility god as well he travels to the different hemisphere to tend to his creations that need more attention, but never completely abandons the other hemisphere. He is the greenman to be in the woods and watch over the animals.
A few thoughts.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any evidence that the Celts believed in a flat Earth and were unaware of our planets spherical nature? A few other civilizations which existed at the same time and were within reach (some even trading with the Celts) seem to have possessed this knowledge). They may not have known of the differing seasonal cycle in the Southern Hemisphere, but I doubt it would have mattered to them as the Celts seem to have practiced a mostly local religions (as in specific to the particular tribe and area of control).
There is also little to support the notion that the Celts viewed Winter as anything other as necessary for the coming Spring. Cernunnos sheds his antlers and regrows them over the course of the year but there is no data that suggests he 'dies' and is reborn. This seems like a later addition to cross-pollinate between Celtic and Wiccan belief systems.
I do not mean to sound critical. Nothing wrong with trying to gel Celtic Beliefs with Modern Science (and the two often work wonderfully together).
Where did you get the 'flat earth" from what I said? I never mentioned flat earth. And I never stated anything about the planets, so you are implying a lot into what I briefly wrote.
DeleteSome groups treat the sun as cernunnos, at Samhain he dies and then is reborn on Yule.
My apologies, it seemed like you were saying that the Celts didn't know about the Southern Hemisphere, which would imply that they didn't know that the Earth was spherical. The word "planets" should have been "planet's" as in the possessive "our planet's spherical nature". It was a typo but should still have been clear from the context.
DeleteAs to Cernunnos being a solar deity who dies at Samhain - that is a modern invention which is not supported by any lore that I am familiar with. People are free to believe as they wish, but as you mentioned 'Celtic Beliefs' I felt it important to clarify what is and is not Celtic in origin.
No offense was intended.