Sacrifice and Prayer CT051

Sacrifice and Prayer CT051

Author: Gary & Ruth Colcombe April 26, 2020 Duration: 34:46

The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911)

Chapter 16: Sacrifice and Prayer

by

J. A. MacCulloch

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.

Names Used in this Section

The Semites

Marseilles 

Taranis 

Teutates 

Esus 

Diodorus 

Strabo

Varro 

Tacitus

druidarum religionem diræ immanitatis

Dio Cassius

Dindsenchas

Cromm Cruaich

Dr. Joyce

Nemedian 

Fomorians 

Fair of Taillte

Perseus and Andromeda

Becuma

S. Oran

S. Columba

Vortigern

Emain Macha

Pausanias 

Ammianus and Livy

Cúchulainn

Conall Cernach

Emer 

oppidum 

Dayak

Poseidonius 

Artemis 

Mallius

Gairloch 

S. Maelrubha

Eilean Maree (Maelrubha)

Eilean mo righ

Eilean a Mhor Righ

Sir Arthur Mitchell

Brianniul

Gruagach

Compiègne

Artemidorus 

Deiotaurus 

Dalan 

Mider

Imbas Forosnai

Filé 

Teinm Laegha

Cétnad

taghairm 

baile

fidlanna

 

Religion of the Ancient Celts can be found on Sacred Texts.

You can find out more about J. A. McCulloch on Wikipedia.

Try the Celtic Myth Podshow for a dramatic re-telling of the Tales and Stories of the Ancient Celts at http://celticmythpodshow.com or in Apple Podcasts.

Our theme music is "Gander at the Pratie Hole" by Sláinte.  You can find their music on the Free Music Archive.


Imagine a shelf of old, beautifully bound volumes filled with tales of ancient heroes, elusive fairy folk, and age-old wisdom from the misty hills and shores of Celtic lands. Celtic Tomes is an invitation to open those books with Gary and Ruth Colcombe, who serve as your guides through this rich literary landscape. Each episode is a curated reading from classic texts, bringing to life the myths, legends, and folklore of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and beyond. This isn't just a recitation; it's a shared experience for anyone who has ever admired those collections in a shop or library but found the time to delve into them elusive. You'll hear the stories of the Celts themselves, the deep lore of the Otherworld, and accounts of magical encounters that have shaped cultural imagination for centuries. Tuning into this podcast feels like joining a conversation in a cozy study, where the weight of history meets the warmth of storytelling. Whether your interest lies in bardic poetry, ancient battles, or the mysterious customs surrounding fairy forts, Gary and Ruth provide a direct, engaging pathway into these narratives. They handle the reading so you can simply listen and be transported, making the vast world of Celtic literature accessible and vividly alive one episode at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 59

Celtic Tomes
Podcast Episodes
Cult Accessories CT054 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:16
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 19: Accessories of Cult by J. A. MacCulloch This chapter covers Temples, Altars, Images, Symbols, and the Cult of Weapons of the Ancient Celts. Religion of the Ancient Cel…
Festivals CT053 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:46
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 18: Festivals by J. A. MacCulloch The Celtic year was not at first regulated by the solstices and equinoxes, but by some method connected with agriculture or with the seas…
Tabu CT052 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:38
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 17: Tabu by J. A. MacCulloch 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 con…
Cosmogony CT050 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:33
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 15: Cosmogony by J. A. MacCulloch The Celts may have possessed the Heaven and Earth myth, but all trace of it has perished. There are, however, remnants of myths showing h…
Animal Worship CT049 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:41
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 14: Tree and Plant Worship by J. A. MacCulloch Animal worship pure and simple had declined among the Celts of historic times, and animals were now regarded mainly as symbo…
Tree and Plant Worship CT048 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:43
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 13: Tree and Plant Worship by J. A. MacCulloch The Celts had their own cult of trees, but they adopted local cults. This chapter also details how the Celts made their sacr…
River and Well Worship CT047 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:11
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 12: River and Well Worship by J. A. MacCulloch Among the Celts the testimony of contemporary witnesses, inscriptions, votive offerings, and survivals, shows the importance…
Primitive Nature Worship CT046 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:31
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 11: Primitive Nature Worship by J. A. MacCulloch McCulloch talks about animism, where everything was a person and the greater objects of nature were worshiped for themselv…
The Cult of the Dead CT045 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:36
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 10: The Cult of the Dead by J. A. MacCulloch The custom of burying grave-goods with the dead, or slaying wife or slaves on the tomb and other grave customs is the subject…
Gods and Men CT044 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:36
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 9: Gods and Men by J. A. MacCulloch In this chapter, he examines the Gods of the Celts and their relationships to man. How kings adopted divine names and characteristics.…