Ravens

I think birds are fascinating creatures, and apparently the ancient Celts did as well. That's why I've included the symbolism of a raven in a novel I'm currently working on.

To the ancient Celts, the raven was a bird of war, a bad omen, even demonic. The Irish druids used the raven for prophecy and tried to interpret the sound of their cries. Try your hand it if you'd like with the video below.

I don't know if I agree completely with the ancient Celts, but I do believe that God can use anything to send a message. Still, all that He has made (and he made these birds) is good. I do like the subtle symbolism, though. Stop, listen, and see what the natural world might reveal to you.

Book of Kells Part Two

Book of Kells facsimile
photo via creative commons by Marius Jennings

Continuing my look at the Book of Kells, an 8th century illuminated manscript.
This illustration is called the Temptation of Christ. There is a lot of subtle symbolism in this piece. The house is Christ church. He is the cornerstone that holds it up (the blond figure in the center.) It is built on the apostles (the heads underneath.) The devil (the black forked handed creature near the top at the right) is outside of the church building. He is capable of tempting, but has still been expelled. There is much more to be explored than this, though. What else do you see?

The Book of Kells explores the four Gospels (New Testament) and the writers are depicted as beasts. These creatures are mentioned in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. From Ezekiel 1:4-10

photo via creative commons by Larry Koester

⁴ I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, ⁵ and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, ⁶ but each of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, ⁹ and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.

¹⁰ Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.

I love the fact that the Irish monks told stories in these illustrations. I'll look at more in my next post.

The Celtic Knot and Spiral

The Celtic knot and the Celtic spiral are a marvels. These intricate designs have no beginning and no end are rich in symbolism--at least in what people assign to them. The ancient symbols did not come with an interpretation of what the creators were intending. Isn't that what makes them so intriguing?


The symbol above is the most ancient, and while it's considered a Celtic symbol, it actually predates the Celts. It is found at Newgrange, a Megalithic Passage tomb in Ireland.

The Celts loved explaining things in threes, so they were naturally drawn to this symbol. It could stand for air, water, and land; or body, mind, and spirit; or man, woman, and child--you get the idea. For Christians it represents the Holy Trinity. My church uses this symbol:I will certainly blog about symbols again. Please share your thoughts!

Celtic Symbolism/HAPPY ST. BRENDAN

©Cindy Thomson

Many people are curious about Celtic symbols and the meaning behind them. Some Christians are even fearful of them, fearing all Celtic symbols as pagan.

I came across a wonderfully written article by jewerly maker Stephen Walker. The article was written back in 1996, but he has added new information. Anyone interested in this topic should read it. You can find it here.

HAPPY ST. BRENDAN'S DAY!
May 16 is the feast day for St. Brendan, perhaps the first white man to discover North America. Read more about him here.

St. Brendan's Cathedral ©Cindy Thomson