Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions file. We hope that this document will help to answer some of your questions about the Nemeton-L list and about Celtic Paganism and Druidry in general. Agallamh na Paganach is the joint effort of many of the members and friends of Nemeton-L. It is updated periodically with new information items of Celtic and Druidic interest.
Check the date at the top of the file to see when it was most recently revised. We're glad that you are interested in our list, and we hope that you enjoy your stay with us.
Erynn Laurie Listowner Emeritus
While almost everything of interest to Celtic Pagans is on topic for the list, Wicca and Shamanism usually are not. There are many places on the net where these two topics are discussed, and we want to preserve some space for the discussion of specifically Celtic forms of Paganism. Discussion of the shamanic aspects of Celtic Paganism is on topic, but please try to remain within the realm of the Celts and not stray too far into Siberia.
While you are a member of the list, please observe the usual net niceties. We prefer that our list be used for constructive discussion. Flames, Christian-bashing and other forms of net.pollution should be taken elsewhere. We come together in the Nemeton as sisters and brothers, children of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses. Let us act with respect for one another. This doesn't mean that we never disagree, it just means that we want those disagreements to be reasonably polite.
+How do I subscribe/unsubscribe on Nemeton-L?
Instructions for subbing or unsubbing from the main list, the digest, or for contacting the administrators to report technical difficulties, may be found on our web site, pagancentral.com/nemeton .
+Is there an archive for Nemeton-L posts?
Unfortunetly there is no complete archive at this time.
+Is there an FTP site for Nemeton-related files?
Nemeton had an FTP site at one of its previous hosts, but since moving to technovate.org in the autumn of 1997, it does not have an FTP site any longer.
+What if nobody's discussing something I'm interested in?
By all means, feel free to start a topic thread on your own. Don't be afraid to ask questions or to toss out an issue for discussion. Remember to give it a new subject line, so that people have an idea of what your message is about. That way everyone can find the topic threads that interest them right away.
When you post, please put your email address somewhere in your message. Not everyone on the list receives message headers and addresses. This way, if someone is very interested in what you have to say, they can contact you personally. Great friendships can develop through these mutual interests.
+Who are the Celts?
They are an Indo-European people, related to the Norse, the Greeks and Romans, the Vedic Indians, and many other cultural groups. Their original homeland was probably somewhere in the Alps. In the time of their greatest expanse, Celtic-speaking people covered the European continent from Asia Minor in the east (the Galatians) to Spain in the south (Iberian Celts) and Iceland in the far north west (Irish monks). Their survivors are the people of the modern Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Cornwall and Brittany. They speak the languages of their ancestors; Irish, Scots Gaelic, Welsh, Manx and Breton.
+What are Celtic Paganism and Druidism?
These are the beliefs and practices of the ancient Celtic peoples of Europe, brought forward into modern times through research and re-creation. Druidism was the official religion of the Celtic upper classes, while the common folk practiced many forms of worship. Fragments of Pagan Celtic religions are found in poetry, family traditions, traditional tales and folklore, among other sources.
+Do I have to be of Celtic ancestry to worship Celtic deities?
No! Anyone who is called by Celtic Gods and Goddesses can join in their worship. It doesn't matter what color you are or where your ancestors came from. The ancient Celts traded and travelled all over the known world. They married and adopted people of different cultures into their tribes. If your soul is Celtic, no one can tell you that you are not welcome.
+How does Celtic Paganism differ from Wicca?
Wicca is primarily a duotheistic religion, worshipping the Horned God and the Mother Goddess in her three forms as Maiden, Mother and Crone. For most Wiccans, all Gods are the faces of the Horned God, and all Goddesses are faces of the Mother Goddess. Most Celtic Pagans are polytheistic, worshipping many deities who are usually seen as separate entities with their own goals and desires. Celtic Pagans have triple Goddesses, but they are usually three Goddesses of approximately the same age or function, for instance the Gaulish Triple Mothers, the Three Brighids of Poetry, Smithcraft and Healing, or the battle Goddess Morrigan who manifests as Macha, Nemain and Badbh.
Wiccans cast circles in which they worship, while most Celtic Pagans and Druids do not. Celtic Pagans and Druids often worship in groves or stone circles, if they have one nearby.
Wicca uses the four elements Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Many Celtic Pagans see the cosmos as consisting of the Three Realms of Land, Sea and Sky. Fire is not a Celtic realm, but it is very important in Celtic mysticism and religion. It represents the presence of deity, sacred poetic inspiration, and battle frenzy, among other things. When Celtic Pagans discuss elements, they may use the term duile, and may have seven or nine duile in their worldview. This list varies from person to person or group to group. One list of duile includes earth, water, stone, salt, sun, rain, cloud, stars and wind.
The most common Wiccan holy symbol is the pentagram. Celtic Pagans use many holy symbols including the Celtic cross, Brighid's cross, the torc or neck-ring, the triskele or triple-spiral, the awen, which looks rather like this /|\, and the Druid sigil, which is a circle intersected by an upright pair of parallel staves.
Wicca advocates the ethic "harm none," while Celtic Pagans are not bound by the Wiccan Rede.
+How does Celtic Paganism differ from Shamanism?
This is one of the stickier questions of Celtic Paganism. Most Celtic scholars do not believe that the Celts had shamans, while most occult authors believe that they did. Certainly there are some similarities. There are also some very important differences.
Shamanism is a set of practices known from Asiatic tribes speaking Turkic languages. These practices were carried over the Bering land bridge into the North and South American continents by the people who later became the Native American tribes. Shamanism may have been a part of the neolithic cultures conquered and absorbed by the Celts in their travels. Some aspects of Finno-Ugric shamanism may have had influence on northern Celts, as it had influence on the Norse people.
In shamanism, the shaman is in full control of the spirit and its flight at all times. Traditional Celtic Pagans gained access to altered states of consciousness through the loss of control to the deities or possessing spirits. In this way, Celtic religion was similar to the possession trances of Voudon.
Both Celtic religion and shamanism have a world tree. In shamanism, the shaman climbs the world tree to go into the seven heavens. In Celtic religion, the Gods descend on the tree to mortal realms. Celtic poets are identified with the tree. The higher a poet's rank and ability, the higher a part of the tree they became. While shamans climb the tree, they are not identified with the tree itself.
The shaman becomes a shaman in response to a physical, emotional or spiritual crisis. The calling of shamanism cannot be refused. Druids and poets were chosen based on talent, family status, wealth, and other external characteristics. While shamans can never leave their calling, students of Druidism could leave their schooling if they so chose.
Shamans learn directly from the spirit realm, and may take training with a senior shaman. Druids and poets went through twelve to twenty years of formal schooling in history, literature, law, music and magic before they were qualified to practice their arts.
Shamans access their Otherworldly realms by their own choice. In most Celtic tales, Celtic Pagans entered the Otherworlds because the Gods brought them there. They rarely had a choice about entering or leaving. Access to Celtic Otherworlds often happens by accident to people who may or may not have an interest in travelling there, while shamanic access happens under specific circumstances.
Some modern Celtic Pagans are attempting to create a Celtic form of shamanism, and this is a valid path, but it has little basis in the historical religions of the Celtic people.
+What holy days do Celtic Pagans celebrate?
All Celtic Pagans celebrate the "cross-quarter" festivals. Samhain is celebrated around the first of November. It is our New Year celebration, and a time to remember our ancestors and beloved dead.
Imbolg or Oimelc is celebrated around the first of February. It is the festival of the Goddess Brighid, and is the time of year when lambs are born.
Beltain is the spring festival of the first of May. Maypole dances and bonfires are common elements in this festival, and this is when planting is begun.
Lughnassadh is the festival of first harvest, held around the first of August. This is the festival of the God Lugh, held throughout the Celtic world.
Some Celtic Pagans also celebrate the quarter days of Winter solstice, approximately the 21st of December, Spring equinox near the 21st of March, Summer solstice around the 21st of June, and Fall equinox near the 21st of September.
The quarter days were more commonly celebrated on the European continent, while the cross-quarters were most often celebrated in the Celtic islands. Some groups celebrate other holidays which honor their deities or important points in their ritual year.
+What deities do Celtic Pagans worship?
Tongu do D¹a toinges mo thuath, I swear to the God my tribe swears to.
Each Celtic Pagan worships one or more deities from the Celtic culture they most resonate with. Most commonly found are Irish and Welsh deities. Here is a short list of some of the better known Gods and Goddesses, with a few of their attributes. There are many good reference books which give more details.
Daghda - Irish, the "Good God," father God, lord of Druidry and knowledge, a God of prosperity.
Danu, Don - Irish, Welsh, the ancestral Mother Goddess, and a land Goddess, originally a Goddess of springs and rivers.
Lugh, Llew, Lugos - pan-Celtic, a God of light, a warrior, and God of many skills.
Bile, Bel, Belenos, Beli - pan-Celtic, an ancestor God, lord of death and the dead, a stag God and solar deity often associated with ram-horned serpents.
Brighid, Brigantia, Bride - pan-Celtic, a triple Goddess of poetry, smithcraft and healing.
Morrigan - Irish, a triple Goddess of war, often found in the three persons of Nemain, Macha, and Badb. Macha, when found alone, is often seen as a horse Goddess. The Morrigan can also appear as a sovereignty Goddess who gives a king the right to rule. Some sources say that Morrigan is one of the titles of Danu.
Mabon - Welsh, the young God who is mysteriously carried away and brought back from the Otherworld. He may be a similar figure to Oengus mac ind Og of Ireland.
Modron - Welsh, the Mother Goddess.
Dian Cecht - Irish, a God of healing.
Goibhniu, Govannon - Irish, Welsh, a God of smithcraft, who brings immortality to the Gods through his ale-feast.
Manannan, Manawyddan - Irish, Welsh, a sea God, and keeper of the gates to the Otherworld.
+What are the basic ethical concepts of the Celts?
Patrick the Christian asked Caelte this question: What maintained the Fianna in their lives? Caelte answered him thus: Truth in our hearts, strength in our arms, and fulfillment in our tongues.
These three basic ideas, Truth, Strength and Fulfillment, can be seen as the most important Celtic virtues. But many other things were important to the Celts. Some of their values included honor, justice, loyalty, courage, community, hospitality, gentleness, wisdom and eloquence.
The Celts valued their warriors as much as their mystics. Sometimes the two were one and the same. Modern Celtic Pagans also value their warriors, poets, artists and mystics. As Celtic Pagans, we try to uphold the values of our ancestors as they apply to us in a modern society. For a more extensive exploration of Celtic ethics, see "The Truth Against the World."
+Sometimes people use strange looking words in their posts. What is all that stuff?
Many people sign off their posts with phrases in Gaelic or in Welsh. If you are unfamiliar with the phrase, please ask, and it will be explained. One common signoff is "slın" or "slainte," which means "health" in Irish.
+What should I read if I'm interested in learning more about Celtic Paganism?
A good readings list is available on our web site: pagancentral.com/nemeton/books.html
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