Cult Accessories CT054
Celtic Tomes
This chapter covers Temples, Altars, Images, Symbols, and the Cult of Weapons of the Ancient Celts.
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Festivals CT053
Celtic Tomes
The Celtic year was not at first regulated by the solstices and equinoxes, but by some method connected with agriculture or with the seasons.
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Tabu CT052
Celtic Tomes
The Irish geis, pl. geasa, which may be rendered by Tabu, had two senses. It meant something which must not be done for fear of disastrous consequences, and also an obligation to do something commanded by another.
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Sacrifice and Prayer CT051
Celtic Tomes
The Celts offered human victims on the principle of a life for a life, or to propitiate the gods, or in order to divine the future from the entrails of the victim. We shall examine the Celtic custom of human sacrifice from these points of view first.
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Cosmogony CT050
Celtic Tomes
The Celts may have possessed the Heaven and Earth myth, but all trace of it has perished. There are, however, remnants of myths showing how the sky is supported by trees, a mountain, or by pillars.
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Animal Worship CT049
Celtic Tomes
Animal worship pure and simple had declined among the Celts of historic times, and animals were now regarded mainly as symbols or attributes of divinities.
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Tree and Plant Worship CT048
Celtic Tomes
The Celts had their own cult of trees, but they adopted local cults. This chapter also details how the Celts made their sacred places in dark groves, the trees being hung with offerings or with the heads of victims.
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River and Well Worship CT047
Celtic Tomes
Among the Celts the testimony of contemporary witnesses, inscriptions, votive offerings, and survivals, shows the importance of the cult of waters and of water divinities. This chapter also details the many fairies and folklore creatures associated with water.
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Primitive Nature Worship CT046
Celtic Tomes
McCulloch talks about animism, where everything was a person and the greater objects of nature were worshiped for themselves alone.
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The Cult of the Dead CT045
Celtic Tomes
The custom of burying grave-goods with the dead and other grave customs is the subject of this chapter. McCulloch also talks about the role of fairies and the festival of Samhain.
info_outlineWedding Customs
British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881)
Book 3 Chapter 6
by
Wirt Sikes
Ancient Wedding Customs of the Welsh, including the custom of bidding for wedding gifts and the importance of the person doing the Bidding! We learn how to steal a Bride away and how to reform a wife who hen-pecks her husband.
- Wedding Customs 0:54
- The Bidding 1:36
- The Gwahoddwr 3:55
- Forms of Cymmhorth 7:32
- Horse-Weddings 9:43
- Stealing of a Bride 11:24
- Obstructions to the Bridal Party 14:20
- The Gwyntyn 14:32
- Chaining 15:10
- Evergreen Arches 16:56
- Strewing Flowers 17:45
- Throwing Rice and Shoes 18:00
- Rosemary in the Garden 20:22
- Names after Marriage 23:36
- The Coolstrin 24:10
- The Ceffyl Pren 27:49
Names Used in this Section
All proper names and words in Welsh or other languages are recorded here in the show-notes and we've done our best to get the pronunciations right for you.
Cymmhorth
Gwahoddwr
Gwyntyn
Coolstrin
Ceffyl Pren
Pembroke, Cardigan and Carmarthen
Cardiff
Ty'r Bwci
Llanfair ar y Bryn
Owen Gwynt
Elen Morgan
Llewelyn & Margaret Gwynt
Evan Gwyn, Maes y Blodau
Gwladys & Hannah
Mary Bowen, Llwyn y Fedwen, llannon
Rhys Morgan, Castell y Moch
Howel, Gruffydd, & Gwenllian Morgan
Pant y Clacwydd
Llansadwrn
Cwrw da
Nos Blaen
Priodas Cymmhorth
Cyfarfod Cymmhorth
Merry Andrew
Pic: The Old-Time Gwahoddwr
Carmarthenshire
Glamorganshire
Malkin
'toujours trop tard'
'Les Brigands'
Gwrando, leidr hoyw'r ddafad,
Ai ti sydd yma heddyw'n geidwad?
Ai dyna y rheswmcloi y drysau
Rhag dwyn y wreigan liw dydd goleu
Sketty
Sabines
Apuleius
Sabine Virgins
Rector of Merthyr
Tenby
Herefordshire
Lampeter
Mr. & Mrs. Jones of Glandennis
Roberts of the Dingle
Williams of Pwlldu
Jones of Nevada
John Thomas
Betty Willkiams
Dick Shon
skimitry or skimmington
Clos (breeches)
Breconshire
British Goblins can be found on Archive.org
You can find out more about Wirt Sikes on Wikipedia.
Try the Celtic Myth Podshow for the Tales and Stories of the Ancient Celts at http://celticmythpodshow.com or on Apple Podcasts.
Our theme music is "Gander at the Pratie Hole" by Sláinte. You can find their music on the Free Music Archive.