Images of Celtic deities.
As it was already spoken, monuments of pagan art of continental Celts, together with data of antique authors, have a principal value for reconstruction of Celtic mythology. Therefore to begin the analysis it is necessary from them. The most valuable monument is the well-known boiler from Gundestrup (ill. 3.). It is decorated with the gilt silver plates with mythological stages. Plates are located both outside, and from within the boiler.
The disorder in date of the boiler is very great: 4-th c. B.D. - 6-th c. A.D. The most thorough recognises the dating offered by Drexel - from 100 B.D. to 50 B.D., with accent on the first part of this period). He has specified a line of classical and Scythian-Sarmatian features (such elements concern to the last, as notches on bodies of animals, their flattened out lips, cut planes of bodies, the form of griffin wings and movement in opposite directions. Drexel asserted that Celtic workshop responsible for this work, was in an area of Black Sea and could be brought to the north by cymbres. (Bober, 1951). Last idea supports by Schucin, but he sees in shape of the boiler not Scythian, but Thracian fig. (Schucin, 1994, 149).
Interpretation of the stages represented on the boiler from Gundestrup, undertaken by Jean Jacque Hatt (it is resulted in that order what exists in work Hatt).
The first plate shows Celt Taranis (the God of Thunder), compressing in the right hand a wheel, Celtic symbol of a lightning and attribute of divine authority (ill. 4.à). Hatt considers the warrior in a horned helmet, which also keeps for a wheel, as a prototype Celtic Mars (Hatt, 1980, 68). The predatory animals, which are taking place on the right and to the left of Taranis, the French scholar believes attributes of his power. A ramheaded snake and skipping griffins below is located. The snake obviously belongs to an underground empire and is connected to a moisture, and the blockhead associates with vegetation (about what writes and Holan). The griffins, in Hatt's opinion, belong to Celt solar god Belenus (named Greeks Apollo) which softened angry God of Thunder, causing clearing rain. The ramheaded snake, thus, is partly a symbol of a rain.
The second plate (ill. 4.á) shows the god with sta
g horns, sitting having crossed legs. All experts unanimously name him Celtic Cernunnos which frequently name "Stag god". Hatt equates Cernunnos to Celtic Hes, including the first character connected with the world dead, and the second one - with elements of fertility and a crop. In left hand Cernunnos holds the ramheaded snake, in right a ring (or cervical grivna). Hatt believes that this ring intends Goddesses-mothers, the wife of this god. On Cernunnos/Hes's neck the same ring. The god is surrounded with animals. On the left hand from him the wolf, on right a deer is located. The wolf aspires to kill deer (Hatt), but Cernunnos does not permit to it.Second half of stage on same plate shows a way of human soul in Celt paradise. Small man, sitting on a dolphin, in Hatt's opinion, embodies died, floating under protection Cernunnos to Island paradise. This interpretation sounds convincingly as from medieval Irish sagas it is known the world of blessed souls is on island at the western ocean and the image of a dolphin is frequently connected to it. However, th man is attacked by the predatory animal symbolising bad death (Hatt). The Bull, ahead of a dolphin (precisely same it is represented above a deer) conducts died on Island Blessed (Hatt, 1980, 69).
New plate (ill. 5.à) shows Goddess - mother and her both spouses: Taranis - on the right, Hes at the left (Hatt, 1980, 69). Both men deities
it is known on the previous compositions.On the following plate (ill. 5.á) Goddess - mother (spouse Taranis), is submitted as madam of heavens. At the left and to the right of her there are the sockets symbolizing the sky. The goddess is surrounded also
with two animals in which it is possible to find out elephants. In Hatt's opinion, here they personify protective function (the Celts were at war in armies of Carthago and Hellenistic states and could see how fighting elephants used as alive boards). Against whom elephants preserve the goddess? Below we see a predatory animal, in accuracy same as those two, that accompanied the God of Thunder in the first composition. The animal is surrounded with griphons: "the goddess constrains authority of spouse Taranis with help Belenus/Apollo." (Hatt 1980, 70).The next plate (ill. 6.à) shows Goddess - mother under the ground, in possession of the second spouse, Hes/Cernunnos. To the right of her there is Celt deity Smertrius which Hatt considered belonging to circle
Hes and which sometimes identify with Hercules. Smertrius battles to the predatory animal sent by Taranis (Hatt, 1980, 70). To the left of the goddess, in Hatt's opinion, the same is represented Smertrius, but already won a predator and consequently exulting.Further we see a plate (6 á) which Hatt has named "transformation of Goddess-mother into a heron". She, together with two maids, is compelled to make the given transformation to be rescued from "the Infernal dog", sent by Taranis. (So we actually deal
with three herons - an image that like goddess Brigit received the sacred status in the Irish sagas). The Goddess-mother holds in the right hand of the raven being envoy Belenus, sent to warn her from imminent danger (here stretch of imagination Hatt is too courageous). Before a breast of the goddess the soldier and a dog representing avant guarde of army of one more the god - Teutatare shown. However both of them have fallen victims of anger T
aranis (Hatt, 1980. ð. 70).The stage from the following plate (7 à) is named by Hatt "departure of
Teutat's army". From the point of view of the French scientist, two episodes here are combined: celebration of Goddess - mother and Hes (soldiers with boards carry the May tree - the custom of a choice of May queen was kept in Europe during all Middle Ages and went back to a ceremony of a sacred marriage of the god (or king) and the goddesses). Other episode concerns to a theme of struggle of gods. Teutat - the god of a tribe - military collective, sides with a party of the Goddess - mother and Hes. He detach an army and arranges sacrifice - the druid immerses the person in a flank with water (the Roman author Lucan counted such type of sacrifice devoted exclusively Teutat). Hatt suppose that in this case this sacrifice means the union between the world dead and the world alive, some kind of "the oath to the underground world" - Cernunnos/Hes's world (Hatt, 1980, 71). At legs of the druid the dog (it is known, that the Celts used fighting dogs) is represented. Hatt believes it is the same dog what we saw already dead in the previous composition. There are at the top of composition four horsemen led by ramheaded snake (an essence of circle Cernunnos). On their helmets emblems of the various gods conducting struggle against Taranis, accordingly are visible: Belenus's raven, wild Teutat's boar, Cernunnos's stag horns and a rainbow by Mars Lucetius (Hatt, 1980, 71).The next stage (ill. 7.á) shows the god lifting two soldiers, each of which, in turn, holds on small boar. Hatt asserts that here it is represented Teutat, as the judge deciding post
humous destiny of soldiers which at the same time represent a victim to his honour. That soldier, under whose legs is a dog, has shown cowardice and will be eaten with it. The same, under feet which, stands a winged horse - the hero, and will be carried away on Island Blessed.The following external plate is absent. Hatt believes on it the sacrifice of a deer giving power Cernunnos/Hes could be represented. Same it is presented to him by Smertrius/Hercules (the scientist refers on Celtic relief from Donon).
One more internal plate (ill. 8.à) shows aspiration Celtic Dioscuri to sacrifice bulls so that Goddess-mother has returned the human shape. Greek Dioscuri, as is known was two, and here we can see three Dioscuri and bulls too three (it is possible, on one
on each transformed bird). At legs of each soldier armed with sword, on a running dog, and above them three Taranis's predatory animals, sent to prevent sacrifice (Hatt, 1980, 73). To tell the truth, it is possible to assume that trebling is called to strengthen effect of movement only.The following two external plates are treated by Hatt as images, accordingly, pre-Celtic god of hunting favourably accepting deer victims (ill. 8.à) and the god named by Caesar Celtic Dis Pater, the god of dead, submitted here the tamer of dragons (ill. 9.à).
Last from lateral plates (ill. 9.á) shows Belenus/Apollo, satisfying the request of one of Dioscuri to pass to another in which we see Smertruis. (Hatt, 1980, 74).
On bottom of the boiler (ill. 10.) the magnificent bull, and also the jumping person with a sword and two dogs are represented. The stage reminds Crete "bull leaping", but Hatt sees here struggle Smertrius against the dogs sent by Taranis to grasp sacrificial bull (Hatt, 1980, 74).
In the present thesis so vast statement Hatt's analysis of iconography is given for the boiler from Gundestrup represents a unique monument, on a saturation in the mythological images not having equal in art of Barbarous Europe. It gives us extremely big volume of the information on mythology of ancient Gauls which, representing great tradition, was not kept in written sources. Thus, Hatt, being the director of the Museum of an ancient art in Alsace, was the expert on the given tradition and supported the analysis with other data from all volume Celtic and the Gaulish-Roman monuments. In domestic, and it is difficult for foreign scientific literature to meet so courageous and at the same time serious attempt to lift the veil above early Celtic myths. Despite of some imprudent interpretation and disputable particulars, Hatt's analysis, as a whole, it is convincing and is of great importance.
Alex Fantalov
Chapter 2. Mythological characters of West European barbarians
2.2. Mythological images in Celtic culture
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fantalov@lycos.com