[84] Among the Celtiberian women a structure, which consisted of a choker with rods extending up over the head and a veil stretched over the top for shade, was fashionable. The female figures named in the local Irish sagas mostly derive from female figures of the historically unattested migrations period, which are recounted in the Lebor Gabla renn (Book of the Taking of Ireland). Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). WebErgi: The Way of the Third by Raven Kaldera Being Ergi by Lydia Helasdottir The Tale of a Transsexual Norse Pagan Spirit-Worker by Linda Rite of Passage for an Ergi Child by [28] Female rulers did not always receive general approval. WebThe Celtic renaissance really got off the ground upon James Macpherson's publication of the Ossianic poems in 1762-3, which he claimed to be translations of rediscovered works of a poet from the third century. Another story shows Arjuna transformed into a woman and taking part in a mystical dance that men aren't allowed to join. The hair was often coloured red or blonde. In the belief system of the Fon people of West Africa, the world was created by a bigenderdeity. Information about Celtic women of the British Isles comes from ancient travel and war narratives, and possibly the orally transmitted myths later reflected in Celtic literature of the Christian era. As an article in Making Queer Historymentions, this acceptance goes back a long way, with its origins in Tagalog mythology. The pre-colonial Philippines had a pantheistic religion with strong homosexual and transgender themes. If the head of a high ranking family died, his relatives would gather and interrogate the wives as well as the slaves, when the death seemed suspicious. Biblical Period Another factor is the changed attitude to the nature of Celtic culture. [1] Here perhaps matrilineality could be a reason for the selection of these leaders, rather than the king's own sons, but other reasons cannot be ruled out, even if the story is not fictional. These sites attest to the enormous interest in women's spirituality and to the importance of Celtic images in providing metaphors for this to be expressed. In Ireland, Celtic culture remained dominant for even longer. A situation like that among the Picts, where, according to some accounts, kingship was inherited through the maternal line, but not inherited by the women themselves,[43] The Irish clan (fine, compare with the Old High German word wini, 'friend'[44]) was patrilineal and the relatives of the mother had only a few rights and duties relating to the children. [34], On the lead Curse tablet from Larzac (c. 100 AD), which with over 1000 letters is the longest known text in the Gaulish language, communities of female magic users are named, containing 'mothers' (matr) and 'daughters' (duxtr), perhaps teachers and initiates respectively. Very often these mythic female figures embody sovereignty over the land or the land itself (see hieros gamos). The Vix Grave from modern France is the most famous rich female burial, but there are several other significant ones. Difficulty in interpreting the past can even happen when studying ancient writings. "An Anthology of Ancient Mesopotamian Texts,", Department of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology, "Old Norse Religion in Long-term Perspectives", Journal of the Savigny Foundation for Legal History, Southeast Asia Queer Cultural Festival 2021. His legionnaires sang in the triumph that he had seduced a horde of Gallic women, calling him a "bald whoremonger". According to 19th century Unilineal evolutionism, societies developed from a general promiscuity (sexual interactions with changing partners or with multiple simultaneous partners) to matriarchy and then to patriarchy. Because much of the context has been lost or the commentary has come from outsiders, these sources present certain difficulties. In addition, in Celtic mythology, several male heroes, notably C Chulainn, learnt to use weapons from female masters such as Scthach and Aife. WebThe history of the field shows further similarities to the history of the study of ethnicity and race. There were four hands, feet, and ears, and the two faces stared in opposite directions from each other. [75], On a first century AD Celtic gravestone from Wlfnitz[de], a girl is depicted in Norican clothing. Tight-waisted skirts with bells in the shape of a crinoline are also depicted. The links of this chain-belt could be round, figure-8 shaped, with cross-shaped or flat intermediate links, doubled, tripled, or more with enamel inlays (see Blood enamel). They were originally described as mythic people, transformed into deities and later into demons after their respective expulsions by the following wave of invaders - mostly these resided in the Celtic Otherworld. The grave goods of female inhumations indicate cultural exchange with southern Europe, especially the North Italian Este and Villanovan cultures. [31], In later times, female cultic functionaries are known, like Celtic/Germanic seeress Veleda[32] who has been interpreted by some Celtologists as a druidess.[33]). In actual social life, however, a notable meaning cannot be found. Devotion to deities did not follow strict gender lines, and men and women alike left votives at shrines dedicated to both male and female deities. The organization of religion in other areas such as Galatia or Celt-Iberia is less well known. Among the works of Roman historians are the universal history of Pompeius Trogus (Philippic History) which only survives in the epitome[clarification needed] of Marcus Iunianus Iustinus. Seemingly, non-binary deities are welcome in the pantheon of the Fon. The degree to which the new religion absorbed, subsumed, or coexisted with pagan culture is a complex topic linked to the controversial concept of a distinctive Celtic Church. The popularity of modern paganism and Celtic spirituality is strengthened by the assumption that Celtic religion could survive domination by Roman culture and Christianity. [49], In British Celtic law, women had in many respects (for instance marriage law) a better position than Greek and Roman women. In the ancient Celtic religion, there was a belief in an afterlife in the Otherworld which was perhaps considered like this life but without all the negative elements like disease, pain, and sorrow. Even if these women were stereotyped figures of prophecy and magic, the links among druidry, power, and women are clear. A "temporary marriage" was also common. [70][disputed discuss], On account of the poor survival rate of materials (cloth, leather) used for clothing, there is only a little archaeological evidence; contemporary images are rare. Julius Caesar had portrayed an image of the Celts in his Bellum Gallicum, tailored above all to his own domestic political purposes.[12]. Post Views: 25,048. [] It is therefore inaccurate and misleading, to speak of a matriarchy of the Celts, since a significant portion of this race was, we know for sure, always and continually organised as a patriarchy, The feminist author Heide Gttner-Abendroth assumes a Celtic matriarchy in Die Gttin und ihr Heros (1980), but its existence remains unsubstantiated. The cult of the holy well has been the focus of much speculation on pre-Christian survival, but even here there is little direct archaeological evidence for continuity between pagan deities and later saints. Since the wooden body of the spindle does not survive, it is the clay whorl which is most commonly found in graves; stone weights from wooden looms are also common. [62] Whether this right actually existed and was exercised by the Celts is not attested outside the sagas. As Overly Sarcastic Productionsexplains, his story and characterization gradually changed throughout the history of the ancient world. The ways in which gender identities are embedded in religious rituals, symbols, institutions, and language reflect changing social and political power structures, especially in relation to women. Any woman who dropped roofing material was torn to pieces. Irish: is mhnibh do gabar rath n amhrath. [54], Adultery by the wife, unlike adultery by the husband, could not be atoned for with a fine. [77], Three mannequins with reconstructed Helvetic/Celtic women's outfits were displayed in the exhibition Gold der Helvetier - Keltische Kostbarkeiten aus der Schweiz (Gold of the Helvetii: Celtic Treasures from Switzerland) at the Landesmuseum Zrich in 1991. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. It's important to be cautious when interpreting ancient cultures, as modern concepts like LGBTQ+ don't necessarily apply. In the context of religion, writers mention druids, and a few suggest the presence of female druids. Webso ive long held the personal theory that druid might have been a spiritual third-gender role in ancient celtic society. women in househol, Maya As a Yet Celtic women were somewhat better placed in inheritance and marriage law than their Greek and Roman contemporaries. This is called the Geis of the king. The women, identified as worshipers of Dionysos, inhabited an island off the western coast of France and only left to have sex to produce children. She could not normally give away or pass on her property without their agreement. Ancient Celtic culture was polygamous and polyandrous, meaning both men and women could have multiple spouses. A divorce in the case of adultery could only occur with the agreement of both parties and the wife was not permitted to seek one so long as her husband maintained intimate relations with her. The god Enki then creates Asushunamir to charm Ereshkigal with their good looks before stealing the water of life to resurrect Ishtar. Translated from German translation by Josef Weisweiler: Frank Siegmund in the SWR-Interview from the series, Verlag der sterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ancient_Celtic_women&oldid=1144616343, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from June 2019, Articles containing explicitly cited English-language text, Articles containing Transalpine Gaulish-language text, Articles containing Old Irish (to 900)-language text, Articles containing Old Welsh-language text, Articles containing Old High German (ca. As Bustexplains, Aphroditus was a fertility god, with the appearance and silhouette of a woman but with phallic genitalia. Among Celtic women degenerative damage to the joints and spinal column were particularly notable on account of the amount of heavy lifting they did. 2023 . They could dispose of this property freely, unlike in Old Irish law, in which the widow was under the control of her sons. In so far as deities such as the dea nutrix were associated with childbirth or pregnancy, her devotees and perhaps officials were likely to be female, but the goddess Epona, associated with horses and horse craft, was popular among the Roman cavalry. WebThe ancient authors regularly describe Celtic women as large, crafty, brave and beautiful. The modius cap was a stiff cap shaped like an inverted cone which was especially common in the first century AD around Virunum. To create the world, Mawu-Lisa worked together with another god known as Da. People we'd recognize today as trans women and trans men were called kurgarra and galatur, created by the gods to be neither male nor female. [26] The position of Celtic women may have changed, especially under the influence of Roman culture and law, which saw the man as head of his household. https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/gender-and-religion-gender-and-celtic-religions, New Religious Movements: New Religious Movements and Women. She is meant to have taken leadership when no men could be found due to a famine and to have led her tribe from the old homeland over the Danube and into southeastern Europe. A striking occurrence of bnas brictom (Gaulish, meaning "women of magic") is inscribed on a lead curse tablet from Larzac in France (c. 90 ce). WebFrom the third century BCE on, "Galatai," and in Latin, "Galli," are vaguely equated in the sources with the Keltoi. With oral histories going back thousands of years, the Rainbow Serpent may have the longest history of any non-binary mythical figure in the world. Astrid - Old Norse for "super strength." Chaumelires was the site of the sanctuary of Sequana, goddess of the source of the Seine, and an important healing center with an extensive dormitory and hospital complex for those seeking cures. The other, from medieval Ireland, claims that the site of Saint Brigid's Church at Kildare incorporated a pre-Christian sanctuary where women tended a sacred flame. . Large numbers of children are mentioned among the Celts by the ancient authors. In Post-Roman Britain, Celtic culture and rule continued, until pushed to the margins of the island after the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons. Specifically, the Tonsured Maize God (also known as the Foliated Maize God) was a figure from Mayan mythology, depicted across Central America, as World History Encyclopediaexplains. Their connection between rainbows and water alludes to the ever changing seasons and the great value of water to all of life, and the Serpent's presence is used to explain why some water holes never go dry, even in droughts. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. In the Vix Grave a huge bronze krater or mixing bowl was found which indicates the high status of the woman buried there. Eunuchs have important roles in many cultures. [57], The ancient authors regularly describe Celtic women as large, crafty, brave and beautiful. [41] Ingeborg Clarus attempted in her book Keltische Mythen (1991) to reduce the Celtic sagas of Britain to a battle between the sexes, as part of her theory about the replacement of a matriarchy by a patriarchy. Inga - Scandinavian name that has origins in Norse mythology which means "guarded by Ing." The third gender had a spherical appearance. However, despite these limitations, it is possible to consider some of the gender issues as they related to religion among groups of Celts in the ancient world and in the early cultures of insular groups such as Ireland and Wales. Their name, Asushunamir, literally translates as "whose appearance is radiant." 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. The Free Press Journal recounts the story of Arjuna, a major character in the Mahabharata, an epic tale from Ancient India. Our knowledge of the situation of Celtic women on the European mainland is almost entirely obtained from contemporary Greek and Roman authors, who saw the Celts as barbarians and wrote about them accordingly. It has been suggested that native British rites continued as a countercultural religion designated as witchcraft after the introduction of Christianity and continue into the twenty-first century. Modern concepts, like lesbian or transgender, don't fit properly when applied to the ancient world, but neither do concepts like heterosexuality. The description hints that the sacrificial victim was chosen in this way, because the account notes that the victim was jostled. While Mawu-Lisa is a creator god, there are also stories of an even older androgynous god who preceded them. As well as their male and female forms, Inari can also appear as an androgynous bodhisattva, or as various animals including snakes and dragons. The descriptions of ancient authors are rather generalistic; only Diodorus transmits something more detailed. She is imprisoned by Ereshkigal, the goddess of the dead, and afflicted with 60 diseases. However, a bronze statuette of a veiled woman from South Shields (Tyne and Wear), a naked bronze female dancer from Neuvy-en-Sullias (Loiret), and a wooden image of a veiled woman wearing a torc from Chaumelires (Puy-de-Dme) are associated with Gaulish or British religious sites and could depict devotees or officials. This binary determines the clothes that an individual can wear; who they are permitted to be intimate with, and their underlying role in society at large. Should they consider their suspicions to be correct, they would burn the wives, after torturing them in every possible way. They have ring-shaped heads which could be richly decorated in some regions. [47], Among the Iberian, Gallaeci, women had an important role in the family and the clan, despite the importance of men as warriors, indicated by frequent matrilineal succession among them.[48]. If she was pregnant with her husband's child, she could not have intercourse with other men before the birth of the child, even if thrown out by him. After these three days, the ordinary punishments would apply to both in the event of injury or murder. Two articles by Wendy Davies, "Celtic Women in the Early Middle Ages," in Images of Women in Antiquity, edited by Averil Cameron and Amlie Kuhrt, pp. In the Hallstatt period, hairnets have been found; in some accounts, individual emphasised braids (up to three) are mentioned, but most women tied their hair back in a braid. A prominent story in the "Prose Edda" involves Loki transforming into a woman to trick the goddess Frigg, learning the weakness of Odin's son Baldr. Some were transformed by magic or curses. Helga - Norse for "holy" or "sacred." Miranda Green's Celtic Goddesses Warriors Virgins and Mothers (London, 1995) surveys both society and mythology into the early Christian period. Just as the god of rice is an important figure in Japan, the god of maize was an important figure in pre-colonial Mesoamerica. On the other hand, he says of Boudicca, before her decisive defeat, "[The Britons] make no distinction of gender in their leaders. Encyclopedia of Religion. They were an ambiguously gendered version of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Strabo [21] mentions a Celtic tribe, in which the "Men and women dance together, holding each other's hands", which was unusual among Mediterranean peoples. Dr. Moudhy Al-Rashid, an Assyriologist at Wolfson College Oxford, explains that an assinu was a gender-fluid person. Men, who controlled the wealth, dedicated most of these monuments, but women also feature as dedicatees. An enumeration of the most important female figures of history (not exclusively Irish) is found in the account of the poet Gilla Mo-Dutu Caiside which is known as the Banshenchas (contains 1147 entries). According to the Southeast Asia Queer Cultural Festival 2021, while Bathala is considered to be ambiguously gendered, a deity named Makapatag-Malaon was explicitly both male and female and the highest deity of the Waray people. In medieval Welsh literature, the character Rhiannon from a medieval Welsh tale, whose name means "Great queen" (Rigantona), has been linked with the Gaulish and British goddess Epona. [60][61] In the Irish saga of Conchobar mac Nessa, the king is said to have the right to the first night with any marriageable woman and the right to sleep with the wife of anyone who hosted him. These people are known first as neighbors to the Greek traders The "Lady of Vix" was a young Celtic woman of exceptionally high standing, who suffered from pituitary adenoma and otitis media. A. Pelletier's La Femme dans la societ gallo-romaine (Paris, 1974) considers the position of women in Gaul, whereas Lindsey Allason-Jones's Women in Roman Britain (London, 1989) covers British society. Written accounts and collections of these myths are only known from the early Middle Ages. Many Internet sites contain information drawn from secondary sources or personal experience. [25] According to Irish and Welsh law, attested from the Early Middle Ages, a woman was always under the authority of a man, first her father, then her husband, and, if she was widowed, her son. The druids were an elite religious caste functioning in western areas of Gaul, Britain, and Ireland, and their role overlapped with that of bards and poets in the post-Roman world. One, succinctly summarised by Overly Sarcastic Productions, begins with Ishtar heading to the underworld to reunite with her dead husband Tammuz. Growth disorders and vitamin deficiencies can be detected from the long bones. Most inscriptions date from the Romano-Celtic period (first century bcefourth century ce) and indicate the importance of female deities rather than the position of women in religion. (April 27, 2023). She calls matriarchy the "Pre-Celtic heritage of Ireland", and she claims that the transition to patriarchy took place in the 1st century AD in the time of King Conchobar mac Nessa of Ulster. An annual rite of reroofing a temple occurred during daylight hours on a single day. One figure, in particular, is named Bathala. There is little evidence of gender diversity in the ancient legends of these isles. Fittingly, festivals of Aphroditus usually involved men and women swapping both their clothes and their gender roles. One occurs in a medieval Welsh poem, "The Spoils of Annwn," which describes a supernatural journey to a land where nine women keep a fire burning under a cauldron. Far from seeing it purely as a curse, Arjuna uses this magical transition as a disguise while he is in exile, wearing women's clothes, taking the name ofBrihannala,and becoming a teacher of music and dance. A rape had to be atoned for by the culprit by handing over the sort of gifts customarily given at a wedding and paying a fine since it was considered a form of "temporary" marital tie.[46]. If the husband wished to carry out a clearly unwise transaction, the wife possessed a sort of veto power. Usually referred to as a man, the Tonsured Maize God is depicted as eternally young and attractive, ornamented with jade, and with long flowing hair like corn silk. A pouch was often hung from the belt on the right side. [43] In Wales, the wife was allowed to leave her husband if he committed adultery three times, if he was impotent, and if he had bad halitosis taking with her the property which she had brought into the marriage or acquired during it. Source material must, therefore, be clarified by archaeological evidence, which, however, can only answer certain kinds of questions. A belt with two ribbons hanging down at the front holds the dress in place. Indigenous people across Australia share some beliefs in common, and a widely revered figure among them is the Rainbow Serpent. The names of Gaulish and British women priests are recorded in connection with classical cults, and at least one Gaulish woman dedicated a temple altar to a native Gaulish goddess. Good surveys of modern Celtic paganism and Celtic spirituality are Ronald Hutton's The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles (Oxford, 1990) and Marion Bowman's "Contemporary Celtic Spirituality," in New Directions in Celtic Studies, edited by Amy Hale and Philip Payton, pp. As a Gaul himself (he belonged to the Vocontii tribe), Trogus would have transmitted much of his information at first hand. During the Classic period (250 to 950, In the medieval period, few women described women's lives; mostly, the record was written by men, expressing men's perception. With a name meaning "man and woman in one," Bathala can be considered either intersex or non-binary. This is demonstrated by the different positions the needles are found in burials. Anthropology: Third Genders in Indigenous Societies. In The Canterbury Tale, The beard occupies a significant symbolic terrain across time and cultures, and can be metonymical of the male person or of maleness, although this a, Gender and Religion: Gender and Australian Indigenous Religions, Gender and Religion: Gender and Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Gender and Religion: Gender and Ancient Mediterranean Religions, Gender and Religion: Gender and African Religious Traditions, Gender and Religion: Gender and African American Religions, Gender and Religion: Gender and Chinese Religions, Gender and Religion: Gender and Christianity, Gender and Religion: Gender and Japanese Religions, Gender and Religion: Gender and Mesoamerican Religions, Gender and Religion: Gender and North American Indian Religious Traditions, Gender and Religion: Gender and Oceanic Religions, Gender and Religion: Gender and South American Religions, Gender and Religion: Gender and Zoroastrianism, Gender and Sexuality in School and the Workplace, Gender and Sexuality Issues in Medicine and Public Health. The exact meaning is unclear, but this, unlike other curses, indicates that the women themselves have power to harm. WebTL;DR: We have no firm evidence of how gender and sexual diversity was seen in ancient Ireland as the only direct sources on this period are archaeological, but there are hints They're believed to be the source of all rivers and water, as well as symbolizing fertility. Participation in religious life also seems to have been more varied. Athair: The Irish name for father. WebIf the analysis at this site is correct then this would mean that the skeletal remains of third gender individuals prove that transgender people were recognised by this ancient The Philippines is one of the friendliest countries in Asia for the LGBTQ+ community. A study in the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journaldiscusses this, noting that the view of modern archaeologists is influenced by a modern view of binary gender which can easily gloss over intersex and non-binary people from the ancient world. A Kami named Inari, the god of rice. The ancient authors regularly describe Celtic women as large, crafty, brave and beautiful. Diodorus and Suetonius, in particular, describe the sexual permissiveness of Celtic women. According to Suetonius, Caesar spent a lot of money on sexual experiences in Gaul. The lives of Celtic women two thousand years ago can teach us a lot about equality today. It's important to remember that, as the University of Hawaiinotes, this term isnow considered highly offensive when used to refer to people. The abbot and saint Adomnan of Iona produced the legal work Cin Adomnin (The Canon of Adomnan) or Lex Innocentium (The law of the innocents) on the property of women (especially mothers) and children. This institution of the 'inheriting-daughter' has a parallel in ancient Indian law, in which a father without sons could designate his daughter as a putrik (son-like daughter). On the one hand, great female Celts are known from mythology and history; on the other hand, their real status in the male-dominated Celtic tribal society was socially and legally constrained. Fedhelm from the Ulster cycle (seventh to eleventh centuries ce) studied in Alba, a reflection of the druid's long apprenticeship as mentioned in classical sources, and appears with the sole purpose of uttering prophesies. However, as a chapter in the book "Ancient Maya Women"explains, there's good reason to believe that Mayan society recognized a third gender, and the Maize God is seemingly a big part of this. Theoi elaborates further, that people in the Classical and Hellenistic eras depicted Dionysus as pretty, youthful, effeminate, and frequently drunk. These are all clichs of the Greeks and Romans about barbarian peoples. He describes the condition of women up till that point, with self-aware exaggeration, as cumalacht (enslavement), in order to highlight the importance of his own work. Tanken Japanmentions that Inari is a shape-shifting spirit who is also paid respect by Japanese Buddhists. The Greek god of wine, Dionysus had a long history. was specified exactly for men and women of different social classes and the compensation for women (or their heirs in the event of their death) was significantly smaller, often half the cost for a man of the same class. Humans are natural storytellers, and ancient cultures used myths and legends to explain facts, both about nature and culture. Other female figures from Celtic mythology include the weather witch Cailleach (Irish for 'nun,' 'witch,' 'the veiled' or 'old woman') of Scotland and Ireland, the Corrigan of Brittany who are beautiful seductresses, the Irish Banshee (woman of the Otherworld) who appears before important deaths, the Scottish warrior women Scthach, Uathach and Aoife.

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