Religion M5: Religions of Ancient Origin

Celtic origin of the universe

began as an emptiness -> Danu, the flowing mother, and Tuatha Dé Dannan, the fiery father, united as partners in creation, their forces from took the raw potential of their creation brought light to fill the darkness, motion to shatter the stillness, and energy to give life a place to grow. this balance laid the foundation for everything that would follow.

Celtic principal beliefs

Spirits, polytheistic, otherworld, nature as sacred, cycles

Examples of Celtic Deities

Dadga - immense power, healing, 'father figure'

Lugh - skill and balance

Brigid - fertility, healing, spring

Danu - 'mother nature'

Celtic rituals

seasonal festivals, offerings, sacrifices, prayers and rituals connected through nature Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh

Significance of Celtic rituals

connect with the supernatural, seek protection and fertility, honour ancestors, strengthen community

Celtic search for meaning

taught that humans were a part of a sacred natural world, and that life, death and nature were interconnected

Nordic origins of the universe

The interaction between the realms of Niflheim (ice) and Muspelheim (fire) produced Ymir, his body from which the gods later created the world from

Nordic principal beliefs

polytheism, nine worlds connected by Yggdrasil, fate and honour were highly important

Nordic supernatural powers and deities

Controlled and influenced aspects of the natural world, war, wisdom, fertility and fate.

Odin - knowledge, wisdom, war

Thor - thunder, protection, strength

Freyja - fertility, love, magic

Freyr - fertility, prosperity

Nordic rituals

Blot (offerings), sacrifices, feasts, prayers, seasonal festivals

Significance of Nordic rituals

helped people honour gods, seek protection and maintain relationships between humans and the supernatural

Nordic search for meaning

taught to live with courage, honour and loyalty, despite fate and death being unavoidable