The Otherworld in Celtic mythology is the realm of the dead, the home of the deities, or the stronghold of other spirits and beings such as the Sídhe. Tales and folklore describe it as existing over the western sea, or at other times underground (such as in the Sídhe mounds) or right alongside the world of the living, but invisible to most humans. Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. ... Ancestor worship, also ancestor veneration, is a religious practice based on the belief that ones ancestors possess supernatural powers. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Celtic mythology. ... Sídhe (IPA , shee, Modern Irish: sí) is an Irish and Scottish Gaelic word referring first to earthen mounds that were thought to be home to a supernatural race related to the fey and elves of other traditions, and later to these inhabitants themselves. ...

Crossing Over

Celtic folklore and mythology are full of tales that tell of humans wandering into the Otherworld, and of supernatural beings crossing over into the human realm. This is considered most likely to happen at particular, liminal places, or on special days of the year. For instance, on the Gaelic festival of Samhain (November 1, seen by many as the Celtic New Year), it is believed that the boundaries between the worlds become even more permeable than usual, and mortals might cross over to the spirit world - usually accidentally - and the inhabitants of the spirit world might cross over into the mortal realm. The spring festival of Beltane (May 1) is also seen as a time when the Otherworld is particularly close at hand. Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. ... Liminality (from the Latin word līmen, meaning a threshold) is the quality of the second stage of a ritual in the theories of Arnold van Gennep, Victor Turner, and others. ... The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, whose language is of the Gaelic (Goidelic) family, a division of Insular Celtic languages. ... Samhain (pronounced ) is the word for November in the Irish language. ... This article is about the Gaelic holiday. ...

Traditionally, much folklore and folk practice is concerned with preventing the intrusion of spirits into this world, or the loss of humans to the Otherworlds, and many charms and taboos exist for protection from these incidents. Some of this is seen in fairy lore, where humans fear the fairies might steal human babies and leave Changelings in their places. However other traditions think more kindly of the fairies and other spirits, and encourage the leaving of offerings for them, such as milk and baked goods, in order to form a treaty or friendship with them. Trolls with the changeling they have raised, John Bauer, 1913. ...

Role in Mythology

This mythical world has been described lavishly in Irish poetry and tales as being a land of paradise, happiness, and summer, and is often described as a series of islands where the various deities and ancestors now live. Many mythological heroes, such as Cúchulainn and Bran in The Voyage of Bran journeyed to various Otherworld realms as part of their adventures. Young Cúchulainn, 1912 illustration by Stephen Reid. ... The Beginning In Irish Mythology, Bran, son of Febal, embarks upon a quest to the Other World. ...

Sídhe: The dwellings of fairies

The Irish tradition tells that the fairies are descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann, an ancient Folk that was thrown to the Underworld by the actual inhabitants of the Island, the Gaels, who came from Spain led by chieftain Míl Espáine. The Tuatha Dé Danann (peoples of the goddess Danu) were the fifth group of inhabitants of Ireland, according to the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions) tradition. ... In Irish mythology Míl Espáine (Latin Miles Hispaniae, Soldier of Hispania, that is Iberia or modern Spain and Portugal) is the ancestor of the final inhabitants of Ireland, the sons of Míl or Milesians, who represent the Goidelic Celts. ...

"The riders of the Sidhe" (1911), canvas painted by the British artist John Duncan, which depicts the riding of the fairies during Midsummer night. The riders carry the treasures of the sídhe, the Nuada's sword and Dagda's cauldron among them.

The Tuatha had no other choice than to take refuge under the sídhe, a Celtic word which denotes the hills where the long barrows lay and which is used also to name a special kind of fairies in Ireland and in the Scottish Highlands, the daoine sídhe. All through Ireland legends can be heard about Knocks (from the Irish cnoc), hollow hills which are inhabited by extended fairy communities ruled by a King or a Queen: The most known sídhe in Ireland are Knockma, where the throne of Finvarra (King of the fairies of Connaught) is located, Knockany, ruled by Ainé, Queen of Munster, and Newgrange, a megalithic building which is related with the Angus Óg myth. Image File history File links Riders-sidhe-L.jpg‎ The title of this painting is the Riders of the Sidhe, it was made by the pre-raphaelite painter John Duncan. ... Image File history File links Riders-sidhe-L.jpg‎ The title of this painting is the Riders of the Sidhe, it was made by the pre-raphaelite painter John Duncan. ... For the Canadian politician, see John Duncan (Canadian politician). ... Midsummer celebration, Ã…mmeberg, Sweden Midsummer, or Litha as it was known by the ancient Germanic peoples, refers the period of time centered upon the summer solstice and the religious celebrations that accompany it. ... Sídhe (IPA , shee, Modern Irish: sí) is an Irish and Scottish Gaelic word referring first to earthen mounds that were thought to be home to a supernatural race related to the fey and elves of other traditions, and later to these inhabitants themselves. ... King Finvarra, also called Finvara, Finn Bheara, Finbeara or Fionnbharr, is the High King of the Daoine Sidhe in Irish folklore. ... Newgrange, located at , , is one of the passage tombs of the Brú na Bóinne complex in County Meath, is the most famous of all Irish prehistoric sites. ... Angus Og may refer to: Angus Og: Celtic God of Love Angus Og: A comic strip which ran in The Daily Record Angus Og, the Lord of Islay at the time of Robert I of Scotland (Bruce) Angus Og († 1490), bastard son of John of Islay, Earl of Ross and...

The sídhe can be found by humans in certain times in the year, specially in Midsummer, when they are seen often dancing under the moonlight.

In Brittany and in Asturias similar traditions are kept: In the Asturian mythology there are many stories who describe human encounters with xanas (fairies), which are dancing around one of them, the Xana Mega, the Queen of Fairies. The castro of Altamira is said to hide an enormous underground realm which is ruled by a royal couple, and whose entrance is to be found in some place on the hill. Traditional coat of arms Modern flag (Gwenn-ha-du) Historical province of Brittany région of Bretagne, see Bretagne. ... Anthem: Asturias, patria querida Capital Oviedo Official language(s) Spanish; Asturian have special status Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 10th  10,604 km²  2. ... XANA (also spelled or Xana) is the digital entity antagonist in the French animated television series Code: LYOKO. // Description The Eye of XANA. For some unknown reason, XANA hates humans, most significantly the ones who constantly foil its plans: Aelita, Jeremie, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi. ... Castros de Baroña, Baroña, Porto Do Son, Coruña Castro de Troña, Pías, Ponteareas, Pontevedra Castro culture (Cultura Castreja in Portuguese, Cultura Castrexa in Galician and Cultura castreña in Spanish) is the archaeologists descriptor for the culture of the northwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula...

The sacred isles of the Western sea

According to the Celtic beliefs, beyond the Ocean lay the Isles of Paradise: Lands inhabited by supernatural beings, where pain and desgrace are absent. In the Irish tradition, the ninth wave divides the land of the mortals from the Other World, coinciding in these sense, with the rituals that sterile women make in La Lanzada beach (Galicia), where they clash with nine succesive waves hoping to become pregnant. In Celtic mythology, the boundaries of the mortal world are marked by the Ninth Wave. ...

Otherworld views of the ancient Celts

Many Graeco-Roman geographers tell about the Celtic belief on islands consacrated to Gods and heroes. Among them were Anglesey (Mon), located before the Northern Welsh Coast, which was the sacred island of the druids of Britain; the Scilly islands where archaeological remains of protohistorical temples have been found; and some of the Hebrides Islands, which were in the Gaelic tradition home of ghosts and demons: In one of them, Skye, the Irish heroe Cúchulainn was educated by the war godess Scathach. The Isles of Scilly (Cornish: Ynysek Syllan) are an archipelago of islands off the Cornish coast. ... This article is about the Hebrides islands in Scotland. ... Young Cúchulainn, 1912 illustration by Stephen Reid. ...

Byzantine scholar, Procopius of Caesarea, described this way the Otherworld beliefs of the ancient Gauls: It was thought that the Land of Dead laid in some place West of Great Britain. The Continental Celtic myths told that once the souls of the dead had left their bodies, they travelled to the Northwestern coast of Gaul and took a boat in direction to Britannia. When they had to cross the Channel, the souls went to the homes of the fishermen, and knocked desperately at their doors. The fishermen went then out of their houses and led the dead to their goal in ghostly ships. Procopius (in Greek Προκόπιος, c. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC For Gaul after the Roman conquest, see Roman Gaul Gaul (Latin Gallia) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the...

There are still remains of those beliefs in the Breton and Galician traditions. In Britanny the name Bag An Noz is used to denote those ships who carry the dead to their goal: Anatole le Braz describes in his book La legènde de la mort chez le bretons armoricains, the existence of souls processions which make their way toward coastal places like Landernau, in order to start their last travel from there.

In the northern coast of Galicia is placed the village of San Andrés de Teixido, where there is a little hermit consacrated to Saint Andrew which keeps, according to the legend, his bones. Because his tomb was at the end of the earth, the saint was very sad. Jesus comforted him and said: "Do not worry Andrés for those who do not visit you in life will surely visit you in death"^[1]. And, yes, it is still said in Galicia "Anyone who does not visit San Andrés de Teixido when he is alive must visit after he is dead"^[2], then one thinks that the people who did not visit the sanctuary in life will have to do it after life taking the form of serpents and lizards: Because of that, the pilgrims who travel to the hermit take care of not to step on those animals. Strangely, San Andrés de Teixido is located near Cape Ortegal, which according Tacitus was the place where "heavens, seas and earth end": it was the End of the World^[3]. Some Spanish authors, like Constantino Cabal, have supposed that the Pagan inhabitans of Northwestern Spain believed that this place was the starting place of the souls of the dead on their trip to the Other World. In this matter, traditions of Astorga tell us of a Rock of the Souls (identified with San Andrés de Teixido) situated on the Sea of the Dead, that is, the Ocean which sorrounds the Norther Coast of Galicia. There are two well-known places called Galicia: Galicia, one of Spains autonomous communities. ... Gaius Cornelius Tacitus Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (c. ... Episcopal Palace of Astorga Astorga (Latin Asturica Augusta) is a city in the province of León, Spain. ...

In short, these are traditions which testify still today the ancient Celtic beliefs in an Other World located beyond the Sea.

Tír na nÓg, the Land of the Young

Tír na mBan, the Land of women

Paradisus Avium

Appletree: the Celtic tree of immortality

Solar myths

Annwn, the Welsh Otherworld

See also

• Annwn
• Mag Mell
• Sídhe
• Tír na nÓg

Annwn or Annwfn, ( under-world or un-world, sometimes inaccurately written Annwyn, Annwyfn or Annwfyn) was the Otherworld, the land of souls that had departed this world in Welsh mythology. ... In Irish mythology, Mag Mell (plain of joy), also called Tír na nÓg (land of the young), Land of the Living, the Many-colored Land and the Promised Land, was a mythical realm achievable through death and/or glory. ... Sídhe (IPA , shee, Modern Irish: sí) is an Irish and Scottish Gaelic word referring first to earthen mounds that were thought to be home to a supernatural race related to the fey and elves of other traditions, and later to these inhabitants themselves. ... Tír na nÓg, called in English the Land of the Young, was the most popular of the Otherworlds in Irish mythology, perhaps best known from the myth of Oisín and Niamh of the Golden Hair. ...

Notes

1. ^ Do not worry Andrés...
2. ^ San Andrés de Teixido Sanctuary
3. ^ Cabo do Mundo (End of the World)

References

• James MacKillop, Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, Oxford: 1998. ISBN 0-19-860967-1