Was there any figure considered to be evil in iron age Celtic paganism religion of England?












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Before Christianization the Celts of England had a pagan religion. Was there any figure in that religion which was considered to be evil?










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    Before Christianization the Celts of England had a pagan religion. Was there any figure in that religion which was considered to be evil?










    share|improve this question









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      12












      12








      12







      Before Christianization the Celts of England had a pagan religion. Was there any figure in that religion which was considered to be evil?










      share|improve this question









      New contributor




      Sonevol is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.











      Before Christianization the Celts of England had a pagan religion. Was there any figure in that religion which was considered to be evil?







      celtic british






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      edited 18 hours ago









      Semaphore

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      asked 20 hours ago









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          2 Answers
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          active

          oldest

          votes


















          12














          Keep in mind that we're reaching deep behind the shrouds of history. Little is known for certain of religious practices this far back; thus, a great deal of speculation and reconstruction is necessary on this topic.





          One possibility is Annis. Also known as Anu or Danu, or Dana. She was a Celtic deity that some writers contend was a malevolent mother goddess who devoured children, or to whom children were once sacrificed. The only recorded instance of this goddess which survives is found in Ireland; however, some have identified the "Gentle Annie" (so named not because she is gentle, but rather to avoid offence) or Annis found in Britain to be the same deity.




          ["Gentle Annie"] may be the same old deity as Black Annis of Leicestershire and Anu of Ireland, whose name lingers in the place name, the Paps of Anu, a mountain group in County Kerry.



          Mackenzie, Donald Alexander. Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth & Legend. Forgotten Books, 1924.




          Toponyms suggests support for this interpertation: the Dane Hills to the west of Leicestershire in England is argued to have been named after Danu. In fact, a figure known as Black Annis survives to this day in English folklore, as an old hag who eats children - she is said to live in a cave in Dane Hills.




          On Easter Monday it was the custom from early times to hold a drag hunt from Annis' Bower to the Mayor of Leicester's house. The bait dragged was a dead cat drenched in aniseed. Black Annis and Gentle Annie are supposed to derive from Anu, or Dana, a Celtic mother goddess.



          Briggs, Katharine Mary, and Katharine Briggs. An Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1976.




          Thus, it has been suggested that Black Annis emerged from the popular memory of sacrifices to the ancient, prehistoric malevolent deity.




          The Celtic mother-goddess - represented among others by Anu or Danu, the Morrighan, and the quasi-historical Medhbh - was goddess both of sexuality and of war. Her terrifying aspect seems to have led to her becoming in later lore a hag - for example the Blue Hag of the Highlands, the Cailleach Bheur, whom Black Annis with her livid face resembles. That such Celtic mother-goddesses were once worshipped in this area is attested by what seems to be a carving of a fertility goddess standing just outside Braunston Church.



          Westwood, Jennifer. Albion: a guide to legendary Britain. Paladin, 1985.






          Another possible example is Adder, which may have received an evil reputation due to being the only poisonous snake in Britain. According to The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore, the Adder:




          . . . was given special mythological consideration as the island's only poisonous native snake. It was said to be a wise creature but very wily. In the Scottish Highlands the adder was associated with the weather-controlling hag, the Cailleach.




          The Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities more bluntly states:




          Adder (British Isles, Christians, Druids)



          Evil serpent deity. The sly and crafty adder is thought by some to be an aspect of Eris, the goddess of strife . . . An adder is said to have caused the battle of Camlan (between Arthur and Mordred) and is also said to be the source of power of the ancient goddess Cailleach Bheur.







          share|improve this answer



















          • 2




            If you bite it and you die, it's poisonous - if it bites you and you die, it's venomous =)
            – CodeMoose
            5 hours ago



















          3














          Your question is difficult to answer definitely because of several factors: what we know about the concepts and beliefs of iron age Europe is a patchwork of evidence, archaeology, contemporary descriptions by other cultures and pure, albeit educated, guesswork. Academia abounds with arguments for and against the reality of the "Celt" as a loose term for a period of technological and cultural change, a coherent cultural group or an ethnicity. And even were we able to make statements about any of these things, the concept of Evil then and now is so radically different it adds a whole other layer of problems.



          Also there was not so much "a religion" as a syncretic development of belief, changing from period to period and adapting to new influences.



          A lot of the entries given above by Semaphore rely on the designation of entities as "evil" in modern folklore not as evil in Iron Age Britain. Anu for example is most certainly not evil in Irish folklore and more importantly, in the Irish sagas and literature. Rarely are any gods or heroic figures depicted as fully good or fully evil. They are more to be viewed as Nature herself: both beneficial and harmful. Even the story of Chrom Dubh (a dark entity supposedly vanquished by Patrick) relies on christian sources who conflate him with the devil, and cannot be relied upon for any insight into what actual Iron age peoples thought.



          The same is true for Britain, there is such a gap in philosophy between that period and now it would be very difficult to do more than loosely interpret later sources and hope for the best. Just bear in mind almost everything you read will be taken from at best early medieval sources.
          Harding's death and burial in Iron age Britain might be of some help to you in background and belief structures. Celtic Mythology sources can be found online on https://celt.ucc.ie// - mainly Irish but again you might find some inspiration in them.






          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          Geraldine CM Byrne is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.














          • 1




            This was my - uninformed - opinion; that our concept of "evil" has been so thoroughly formed by the the Abrahamic religions that the term as we understand it would be largely meaningless in pre-christian western Europe.
            – Binary Worrier
            13 hours ago








          • 3




            @BinaryWorrier what about the appeal to non-abrahamic polytheist religion that is still dominant, and where there are lots of evil humanoids, for example Hunduism. I am a Hindu and we everyday worship hundreds of Gods and Godesses.
            – Sonevol
            13 hours ago












          • @Sonevol: Indeed, I bow to your experience. In my defence I can only point out that my opinion is "uninformed" :)
            – Binary Worrier
            13 hours ago











          Your Answer








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          2 Answers
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          2 Answers
          2






          active

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          active

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          12














          Keep in mind that we're reaching deep behind the shrouds of history. Little is known for certain of religious practices this far back; thus, a great deal of speculation and reconstruction is necessary on this topic.





          One possibility is Annis. Also known as Anu or Danu, or Dana. She was a Celtic deity that some writers contend was a malevolent mother goddess who devoured children, or to whom children were once sacrificed. The only recorded instance of this goddess which survives is found in Ireland; however, some have identified the "Gentle Annie" (so named not because she is gentle, but rather to avoid offence) or Annis found in Britain to be the same deity.




          ["Gentle Annie"] may be the same old deity as Black Annis of Leicestershire and Anu of Ireland, whose name lingers in the place name, the Paps of Anu, a mountain group in County Kerry.



          Mackenzie, Donald Alexander. Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth & Legend. Forgotten Books, 1924.




          Toponyms suggests support for this interpertation: the Dane Hills to the west of Leicestershire in England is argued to have been named after Danu. In fact, a figure known as Black Annis survives to this day in English folklore, as an old hag who eats children - she is said to live in a cave in Dane Hills.




          On Easter Monday it was the custom from early times to hold a drag hunt from Annis' Bower to the Mayor of Leicester's house. The bait dragged was a dead cat drenched in aniseed. Black Annis and Gentle Annie are supposed to derive from Anu, or Dana, a Celtic mother goddess.



          Briggs, Katharine Mary, and Katharine Briggs. An Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1976.




          Thus, it has been suggested that Black Annis emerged from the popular memory of sacrifices to the ancient, prehistoric malevolent deity.




          The Celtic mother-goddess - represented among others by Anu or Danu, the Morrighan, and the quasi-historical Medhbh - was goddess both of sexuality and of war. Her terrifying aspect seems to have led to her becoming in later lore a hag - for example the Blue Hag of the Highlands, the Cailleach Bheur, whom Black Annis with her livid face resembles. That such Celtic mother-goddesses were once worshipped in this area is attested by what seems to be a carving of a fertility goddess standing just outside Braunston Church.



          Westwood, Jennifer. Albion: a guide to legendary Britain. Paladin, 1985.






          Another possible example is Adder, which may have received an evil reputation due to being the only poisonous snake in Britain. According to The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore, the Adder:




          . . . was given special mythological consideration as the island's only poisonous native snake. It was said to be a wise creature but very wily. In the Scottish Highlands the adder was associated with the weather-controlling hag, the Cailleach.




          The Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities more bluntly states:




          Adder (British Isles, Christians, Druids)



          Evil serpent deity. The sly and crafty adder is thought by some to be an aspect of Eris, the goddess of strife . . . An adder is said to have caused the battle of Camlan (between Arthur and Mordred) and is also said to be the source of power of the ancient goddess Cailleach Bheur.







          share|improve this answer



















          • 2




            If you bite it and you die, it's poisonous - if it bites you and you die, it's venomous =)
            – CodeMoose
            5 hours ago
















          12














          Keep in mind that we're reaching deep behind the shrouds of history. Little is known for certain of religious practices this far back; thus, a great deal of speculation and reconstruction is necessary on this topic.





          One possibility is Annis. Also known as Anu or Danu, or Dana. She was a Celtic deity that some writers contend was a malevolent mother goddess who devoured children, or to whom children were once sacrificed. The only recorded instance of this goddess which survives is found in Ireland; however, some have identified the "Gentle Annie" (so named not because she is gentle, but rather to avoid offence) or Annis found in Britain to be the same deity.




          ["Gentle Annie"] may be the same old deity as Black Annis of Leicestershire and Anu of Ireland, whose name lingers in the place name, the Paps of Anu, a mountain group in County Kerry.



          Mackenzie, Donald Alexander. Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth & Legend. Forgotten Books, 1924.




          Toponyms suggests support for this interpertation: the Dane Hills to the west of Leicestershire in England is argued to have been named after Danu. In fact, a figure known as Black Annis survives to this day in English folklore, as an old hag who eats children - she is said to live in a cave in Dane Hills.




          On Easter Monday it was the custom from early times to hold a drag hunt from Annis' Bower to the Mayor of Leicester's house. The bait dragged was a dead cat drenched in aniseed. Black Annis and Gentle Annie are supposed to derive from Anu, or Dana, a Celtic mother goddess.



          Briggs, Katharine Mary, and Katharine Briggs. An Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1976.




          Thus, it has been suggested that Black Annis emerged from the popular memory of sacrifices to the ancient, prehistoric malevolent deity.




          The Celtic mother-goddess - represented among others by Anu or Danu, the Morrighan, and the quasi-historical Medhbh - was goddess both of sexuality and of war. Her terrifying aspect seems to have led to her becoming in later lore a hag - for example the Blue Hag of the Highlands, the Cailleach Bheur, whom Black Annis with her livid face resembles. That such Celtic mother-goddesses were once worshipped in this area is attested by what seems to be a carving of a fertility goddess standing just outside Braunston Church.



          Westwood, Jennifer. Albion: a guide to legendary Britain. Paladin, 1985.






          Another possible example is Adder, which may have received an evil reputation due to being the only poisonous snake in Britain. According to The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore, the Adder:




          . . . was given special mythological consideration as the island's only poisonous native snake. It was said to be a wise creature but very wily. In the Scottish Highlands the adder was associated with the weather-controlling hag, the Cailleach.




          The Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities more bluntly states:




          Adder (British Isles, Christians, Druids)



          Evil serpent deity. The sly and crafty adder is thought by some to be an aspect of Eris, the goddess of strife . . . An adder is said to have caused the battle of Camlan (between Arthur and Mordred) and is also said to be the source of power of the ancient goddess Cailleach Bheur.







          share|improve this answer



















          • 2




            If you bite it and you die, it's poisonous - if it bites you and you die, it's venomous =)
            – CodeMoose
            5 hours ago














          12












          12








          12






          Keep in mind that we're reaching deep behind the shrouds of history. Little is known for certain of religious practices this far back; thus, a great deal of speculation and reconstruction is necessary on this topic.





          One possibility is Annis. Also known as Anu or Danu, or Dana. She was a Celtic deity that some writers contend was a malevolent mother goddess who devoured children, or to whom children were once sacrificed. The only recorded instance of this goddess which survives is found in Ireland; however, some have identified the "Gentle Annie" (so named not because she is gentle, but rather to avoid offence) or Annis found in Britain to be the same deity.




          ["Gentle Annie"] may be the same old deity as Black Annis of Leicestershire and Anu of Ireland, whose name lingers in the place name, the Paps of Anu, a mountain group in County Kerry.



          Mackenzie, Donald Alexander. Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth & Legend. Forgotten Books, 1924.




          Toponyms suggests support for this interpertation: the Dane Hills to the west of Leicestershire in England is argued to have been named after Danu. In fact, a figure known as Black Annis survives to this day in English folklore, as an old hag who eats children - she is said to live in a cave in Dane Hills.




          On Easter Monday it was the custom from early times to hold a drag hunt from Annis' Bower to the Mayor of Leicester's house. The bait dragged was a dead cat drenched in aniseed. Black Annis and Gentle Annie are supposed to derive from Anu, or Dana, a Celtic mother goddess.



          Briggs, Katharine Mary, and Katharine Briggs. An Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1976.




          Thus, it has been suggested that Black Annis emerged from the popular memory of sacrifices to the ancient, prehistoric malevolent deity.




          The Celtic mother-goddess - represented among others by Anu or Danu, the Morrighan, and the quasi-historical Medhbh - was goddess both of sexuality and of war. Her terrifying aspect seems to have led to her becoming in later lore a hag - for example the Blue Hag of the Highlands, the Cailleach Bheur, whom Black Annis with her livid face resembles. That such Celtic mother-goddesses were once worshipped in this area is attested by what seems to be a carving of a fertility goddess standing just outside Braunston Church.



          Westwood, Jennifer. Albion: a guide to legendary Britain. Paladin, 1985.






          Another possible example is Adder, which may have received an evil reputation due to being the only poisonous snake in Britain. According to The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore, the Adder:




          . . . was given special mythological consideration as the island's only poisonous native snake. It was said to be a wise creature but very wily. In the Scottish Highlands the adder was associated with the weather-controlling hag, the Cailleach.




          The Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities more bluntly states:




          Adder (British Isles, Christians, Druids)



          Evil serpent deity. The sly and crafty adder is thought by some to be an aspect of Eris, the goddess of strife . . . An adder is said to have caused the battle of Camlan (between Arthur and Mordred) and is also said to be the source of power of the ancient goddess Cailleach Bheur.







          share|improve this answer














          Keep in mind that we're reaching deep behind the shrouds of history. Little is known for certain of religious practices this far back; thus, a great deal of speculation and reconstruction is necessary on this topic.





          One possibility is Annis. Also known as Anu or Danu, or Dana. She was a Celtic deity that some writers contend was a malevolent mother goddess who devoured children, or to whom children were once sacrificed. The only recorded instance of this goddess which survives is found in Ireland; however, some have identified the "Gentle Annie" (so named not because she is gentle, but rather to avoid offence) or Annis found in Britain to be the same deity.




          ["Gentle Annie"] may be the same old deity as Black Annis of Leicestershire and Anu of Ireland, whose name lingers in the place name, the Paps of Anu, a mountain group in County Kerry.



          Mackenzie, Donald Alexander. Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth & Legend. Forgotten Books, 1924.




          Toponyms suggests support for this interpertation: the Dane Hills to the west of Leicestershire in England is argued to have been named after Danu. In fact, a figure known as Black Annis survives to this day in English folklore, as an old hag who eats children - she is said to live in a cave in Dane Hills.




          On Easter Monday it was the custom from early times to hold a drag hunt from Annis' Bower to the Mayor of Leicester's house. The bait dragged was a dead cat drenched in aniseed. Black Annis and Gentle Annie are supposed to derive from Anu, or Dana, a Celtic mother goddess.



          Briggs, Katharine Mary, and Katharine Briggs. An Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1976.




          Thus, it has been suggested that Black Annis emerged from the popular memory of sacrifices to the ancient, prehistoric malevolent deity.




          The Celtic mother-goddess - represented among others by Anu or Danu, the Morrighan, and the quasi-historical Medhbh - was goddess both of sexuality and of war. Her terrifying aspect seems to have led to her becoming in later lore a hag - for example the Blue Hag of the Highlands, the Cailleach Bheur, whom Black Annis with her livid face resembles. That such Celtic mother-goddesses were once worshipped in this area is attested by what seems to be a carving of a fertility goddess standing just outside Braunston Church.



          Westwood, Jennifer. Albion: a guide to legendary Britain. Paladin, 1985.






          Another possible example is Adder, which may have received an evil reputation due to being the only poisonous snake in Britain. According to The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore, the Adder:




          . . . was given special mythological consideration as the island's only poisonous native snake. It was said to be a wise creature but very wily. In the Scottish Highlands the adder was associated with the weather-controlling hag, the Cailleach.




          The Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities more bluntly states:




          Adder (British Isles, Christians, Druids)



          Evil serpent deity. The sly and crafty adder is thought by some to be an aspect of Eris, the goddess of strife . . . An adder is said to have caused the battle of Camlan (between Arthur and Mordred) and is also said to be the source of power of the ancient goddess Cailleach Bheur.








          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited 17 hours ago

























          answered 18 hours ago









          Semaphore

          6,30512765




          6,30512765








          • 2




            If you bite it and you die, it's poisonous - if it bites you and you die, it's venomous =)
            – CodeMoose
            5 hours ago














          • 2




            If you bite it and you die, it's poisonous - if it bites you and you die, it's venomous =)
            – CodeMoose
            5 hours ago








          2




          2




          If you bite it and you die, it's poisonous - if it bites you and you die, it's venomous =)
          – CodeMoose
          5 hours ago




          If you bite it and you die, it's poisonous - if it bites you and you die, it's venomous =)
          – CodeMoose
          5 hours ago











          3














          Your question is difficult to answer definitely because of several factors: what we know about the concepts and beliefs of iron age Europe is a patchwork of evidence, archaeology, contemporary descriptions by other cultures and pure, albeit educated, guesswork. Academia abounds with arguments for and against the reality of the "Celt" as a loose term for a period of technological and cultural change, a coherent cultural group or an ethnicity. And even were we able to make statements about any of these things, the concept of Evil then and now is so radically different it adds a whole other layer of problems.



          Also there was not so much "a religion" as a syncretic development of belief, changing from period to period and adapting to new influences.



          A lot of the entries given above by Semaphore rely on the designation of entities as "evil" in modern folklore not as evil in Iron Age Britain. Anu for example is most certainly not evil in Irish folklore and more importantly, in the Irish sagas and literature. Rarely are any gods or heroic figures depicted as fully good or fully evil. They are more to be viewed as Nature herself: both beneficial and harmful. Even the story of Chrom Dubh (a dark entity supposedly vanquished by Patrick) relies on christian sources who conflate him with the devil, and cannot be relied upon for any insight into what actual Iron age peoples thought.



          The same is true for Britain, there is such a gap in philosophy between that period and now it would be very difficult to do more than loosely interpret later sources and hope for the best. Just bear in mind almost everything you read will be taken from at best early medieval sources.
          Harding's death and burial in Iron age Britain might be of some help to you in background and belief structures. Celtic Mythology sources can be found online on https://celt.ucc.ie// - mainly Irish but again you might find some inspiration in them.






          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          Geraldine CM Byrne is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.














          • 1




            This was my - uninformed - opinion; that our concept of "evil" has been so thoroughly formed by the the Abrahamic religions that the term as we understand it would be largely meaningless in pre-christian western Europe.
            – Binary Worrier
            13 hours ago








          • 3




            @BinaryWorrier what about the appeal to non-abrahamic polytheist religion that is still dominant, and where there are lots of evil humanoids, for example Hunduism. I am a Hindu and we everyday worship hundreds of Gods and Godesses.
            – Sonevol
            13 hours ago












          • @Sonevol: Indeed, I bow to your experience. In my defence I can only point out that my opinion is "uninformed" :)
            – Binary Worrier
            13 hours ago
















          3














          Your question is difficult to answer definitely because of several factors: what we know about the concepts and beliefs of iron age Europe is a patchwork of evidence, archaeology, contemporary descriptions by other cultures and pure, albeit educated, guesswork. Academia abounds with arguments for and against the reality of the "Celt" as a loose term for a period of technological and cultural change, a coherent cultural group or an ethnicity. And even were we able to make statements about any of these things, the concept of Evil then and now is so radically different it adds a whole other layer of problems.



          Also there was not so much "a religion" as a syncretic development of belief, changing from period to period and adapting to new influences.



          A lot of the entries given above by Semaphore rely on the designation of entities as "evil" in modern folklore not as evil in Iron Age Britain. Anu for example is most certainly not evil in Irish folklore and more importantly, in the Irish sagas and literature. Rarely are any gods or heroic figures depicted as fully good or fully evil. They are more to be viewed as Nature herself: both beneficial and harmful. Even the story of Chrom Dubh (a dark entity supposedly vanquished by Patrick) relies on christian sources who conflate him with the devil, and cannot be relied upon for any insight into what actual Iron age peoples thought.



          The same is true for Britain, there is such a gap in philosophy between that period and now it would be very difficult to do more than loosely interpret later sources and hope for the best. Just bear in mind almost everything you read will be taken from at best early medieval sources.
          Harding's death and burial in Iron age Britain might be of some help to you in background and belief structures. Celtic Mythology sources can be found online on https://celt.ucc.ie// - mainly Irish but again you might find some inspiration in them.






          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          Geraldine CM Byrne is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.














          • 1




            This was my - uninformed - opinion; that our concept of "evil" has been so thoroughly formed by the the Abrahamic religions that the term as we understand it would be largely meaningless in pre-christian western Europe.
            – Binary Worrier
            13 hours ago








          • 3




            @BinaryWorrier what about the appeal to non-abrahamic polytheist religion that is still dominant, and where there are lots of evil humanoids, for example Hunduism. I am a Hindu and we everyday worship hundreds of Gods and Godesses.
            – Sonevol
            13 hours ago












          • @Sonevol: Indeed, I bow to your experience. In my defence I can only point out that my opinion is "uninformed" :)
            – Binary Worrier
            13 hours ago














          3












          3








          3






          Your question is difficult to answer definitely because of several factors: what we know about the concepts and beliefs of iron age Europe is a patchwork of evidence, archaeology, contemporary descriptions by other cultures and pure, albeit educated, guesswork. Academia abounds with arguments for and against the reality of the "Celt" as a loose term for a period of technological and cultural change, a coherent cultural group or an ethnicity. And even were we able to make statements about any of these things, the concept of Evil then and now is so radically different it adds a whole other layer of problems.



          Also there was not so much "a religion" as a syncretic development of belief, changing from period to period and adapting to new influences.



          A lot of the entries given above by Semaphore rely on the designation of entities as "evil" in modern folklore not as evil in Iron Age Britain. Anu for example is most certainly not evil in Irish folklore and more importantly, in the Irish sagas and literature. Rarely are any gods or heroic figures depicted as fully good or fully evil. They are more to be viewed as Nature herself: both beneficial and harmful. Even the story of Chrom Dubh (a dark entity supposedly vanquished by Patrick) relies on christian sources who conflate him with the devil, and cannot be relied upon for any insight into what actual Iron age peoples thought.



          The same is true for Britain, there is such a gap in philosophy between that period and now it would be very difficult to do more than loosely interpret later sources and hope for the best. Just bear in mind almost everything you read will be taken from at best early medieval sources.
          Harding's death and burial in Iron age Britain might be of some help to you in background and belief structures. Celtic Mythology sources can be found online on https://celt.ucc.ie// - mainly Irish but again you might find some inspiration in them.






          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          Geraldine CM Byrne is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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          Your question is difficult to answer definitely because of several factors: what we know about the concepts and beliefs of iron age Europe is a patchwork of evidence, archaeology, contemporary descriptions by other cultures and pure, albeit educated, guesswork. Academia abounds with arguments for and against the reality of the "Celt" as a loose term for a period of technological and cultural change, a coherent cultural group or an ethnicity. And even were we able to make statements about any of these things, the concept of Evil then and now is so radically different it adds a whole other layer of problems.



          Also there was not so much "a religion" as a syncretic development of belief, changing from period to period and adapting to new influences.



          A lot of the entries given above by Semaphore rely on the designation of entities as "evil" in modern folklore not as evil in Iron Age Britain. Anu for example is most certainly not evil in Irish folklore and more importantly, in the Irish sagas and literature. Rarely are any gods or heroic figures depicted as fully good or fully evil. They are more to be viewed as Nature herself: both beneficial and harmful. Even the story of Chrom Dubh (a dark entity supposedly vanquished by Patrick) relies on christian sources who conflate him with the devil, and cannot be relied upon for any insight into what actual Iron age peoples thought.



          The same is true for Britain, there is such a gap in philosophy between that period and now it would be very difficult to do more than loosely interpret later sources and hope for the best. Just bear in mind almost everything you read will be taken from at best early medieval sources.
          Harding's death and burial in Iron age Britain might be of some help to you in background and belief structures. Celtic Mythology sources can be found online on https://celt.ucc.ie// - mainly Irish but again you might find some inspiration in them.







          share|improve this answer








          New contributor




          Geraldine CM Byrne is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
          Check out our Code of Conduct.









          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer






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          answered 14 hours ago









          Geraldine CM Byrne

          311




          311




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          New contributor





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          • 1




            This was my - uninformed - opinion; that our concept of "evil" has been so thoroughly formed by the the Abrahamic religions that the term as we understand it would be largely meaningless in pre-christian western Europe.
            – Binary Worrier
            13 hours ago








          • 3




            @BinaryWorrier what about the appeal to non-abrahamic polytheist religion that is still dominant, and where there are lots of evil humanoids, for example Hunduism. I am a Hindu and we everyday worship hundreds of Gods and Godesses.
            – Sonevol
            13 hours ago












          • @Sonevol: Indeed, I bow to your experience. In my defence I can only point out that my opinion is "uninformed" :)
            – Binary Worrier
            13 hours ago














          • 1




            This was my - uninformed - opinion; that our concept of "evil" has been so thoroughly formed by the the Abrahamic religions that the term as we understand it would be largely meaningless in pre-christian western Europe.
            – Binary Worrier
            13 hours ago








          • 3




            @BinaryWorrier what about the appeal to non-abrahamic polytheist religion that is still dominant, and where there are lots of evil humanoids, for example Hunduism. I am a Hindu and we everyday worship hundreds of Gods and Godesses.
            – Sonevol
            13 hours ago












          • @Sonevol: Indeed, I bow to your experience. In my defence I can only point out that my opinion is "uninformed" :)
            – Binary Worrier
            13 hours ago








          1




          1




          This was my - uninformed - opinion; that our concept of "evil" has been so thoroughly formed by the the Abrahamic religions that the term as we understand it would be largely meaningless in pre-christian western Europe.
          – Binary Worrier
          13 hours ago






          This was my - uninformed - opinion; that our concept of "evil" has been so thoroughly formed by the the Abrahamic religions that the term as we understand it would be largely meaningless in pre-christian western Europe.
          – Binary Worrier
          13 hours ago






          3




          3




          @BinaryWorrier what about the appeal to non-abrahamic polytheist religion that is still dominant, and where there are lots of evil humanoids, for example Hunduism. I am a Hindu and we everyday worship hundreds of Gods and Godesses.
          – Sonevol
          13 hours ago






          @BinaryWorrier what about the appeal to non-abrahamic polytheist religion that is still dominant, and where there are lots of evil humanoids, for example Hunduism. I am a Hindu and we everyday worship hundreds of Gods and Godesses.
          – Sonevol
          13 hours ago














          @Sonevol: Indeed, I bow to your experience. In my defence I can only point out that my opinion is "uninformed" :)
          – Binary Worrier
          13 hours ago




          @Sonevol: Indeed, I bow to your experience. In my defence I can only point out that my opinion is "uninformed" :)
          – Binary Worrier
          13 hours ago










          Sonevol is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










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          Sonevol is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.













          Sonevol is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.












          Sonevol is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
















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