Delicate swirls and the elaborate patterns of the intricate symbols of Celtic art reflected the beauty of the Celtic culture since the days the Celts were introduced to the world. The most known age of the Celts was the La Tene age. During this time period, the Celts incorporated intricate geometric designs and stylized plants and animals into their crafts. Although halfway through the fifth century BCE, a different type of La Tene art was introduced and it tended to have curvilinear characteristics. In order to produce this ethereal beauty into their art, the Celts had used materials that were found in nature, used symbols and patterns, and themes that were essential and connected to everyday life. In the course of the La Tene culture, the
Celts were known for their exquisite metalwork that requires rare and expensive materials. In order to create the craft, they used tin, gold, amber, pink coral, ivory, and silk. Most of the supplies can be collected from nearby while scarce materials can be easily obtained through trades. Despite the fact that La Tene culture is acknowledged by their metalwork, they also used stones and wood. On some occasions, they would paint the product with natural pigments and extracts. Colors such as ultramarine were gathered from the foothills of the Himalayas while the color Kermes (red) was extracted from insects that occupy the insides of the evergreen trees grown in the Mediterranean. After the necessary goods are collected, they are grounded and bound with egg white, fish extract, or natural gum from trees. However, historians cannot pinpoint what type of brush and pens that were used by them. Artifacts from this era are usually decorated with symbols and patterns. Celtic art do not only captivate the observers with the value of the artifact but their unique symbols and patterns charms all viewers young and old. The symbols consist of triskelion, triquetra, triple spiral, single spiral, threefold and double spiral. Each and every one of these symbols have contrasting and somewhat similar meanings although researchers are not quite sure of the exact meanings. However, not all Celtic symbols are inanimate designs; some would have zoomorphic designs that represent gods and ancestors. The Celtic pattern, or more commonly known as the Celtic Knot, is a complicated art of curvilinear lines. Some examples are the Celtic Knot, Dara Celtic Knot, and the quaternary Celtic Knots. The Celtic Knot has an endless variety of meanings depending on the artist who made them. However, the Dara Celtic Knot represented the oak tree’s root system. In Celtic culture, an oak tree symbolized destiny, power, strength, wisdom, leadership, and endurance and was also the source of inner strength and/or the divine source that humans possess. The last example is the quaternary Celtic Knot; this knot usually indicates the four directions or the four major elements, earth, fire, water, and air. It is said that the knots created in the La Tene era create optical illusions. Although inside these complexities, there is a theme. Through research, the Celtic culture experts were able to find themes of the art. Most Celtic symbols indicated balance or unity while in general the Celtic Knots represented relationships between beings. Celts usually had the belief that nothing can exist by itself and everything is connected and has hidden destiny and every breathing life lives in the flow of life. There are still many pages missing in the book of Celtic culture and wonderful discoveries are yet to be revealed. Celtic cultures are rich and valuable to many people around the world. As a result, people are aching to unravel the shroud that conceals the ultimate knowledge behind the Celtic culture. Although, to achieve this goal it would take time and effort, and every miniscule of discoveries are valuable. As the Celtic theme states, everything is connected and there is nothing in the world that is insignificant.
Many tribes successfully preserved their art. For instance, local Indians of New Mexico still embroider beautiful blankets that have many geometric figures such as triangles and diamonds, similar to tessellations. See Figure 2 below (“Mathematics Used,” n.d.).
Nous sommes Acadiens. (We are Acadians.) Some outsiders see us as a quaint, virtuous people, spending a great deal of time singing, dancing, praying, and visiting? (Conrad, 1978, p.14). Others see us as independent and unsophisticated. We see ourselves as fun-loving, carefree, happy, proud people who have a great love for our culture. The Acadians were French settlers of eastern Canada who were exiled from their land in the 1750?s. The Acadians are known to have settled in the southern bayou lands of Louisiana around that time. The Acadiana people acquired their nickname, ?Cajuns,? from those people who could not pronounce Acadians correctly. Due to the opinion that Cajuns were ?different?, they lived close together and became isolated from others in Louisiana. They have since developed their own distinct characteristics which make them unique and unlike no others in the bayou state. Family, music, housing, food, marriages, and ?traiteurs? were all a part of the simple but challenging lifestyle of the Cajuns.
The object of this book, Early Medieval Art, is to convey the theme “tradition not only receives and transforms, it literally invents a tradition upon which it founded itself” (p. 15) concerning art of the early medieval era. The purpose of this book is to summarize and offer knowledge of medieval art, that will then be included in the greater series of books by other specialists for Oxford University Press. Lawrence Nees accomplished his argument successfully by following the chronological production of the art and the traditions that are imbedded within them. Although, his thesis is strongly supported, Ness’ failure is found in his over reliance on the artwork itself, which then leads to the masking of his personal arguments.
One of the most interesting things about fairytales is how the author has borrowed ideas from ancient myths and legends and kept them alive in their writings. The Princess and the Goblin is one of these fairytales. In writing this novel, George MacDonald has incorporated much of the folk tradition in his characters and plot. Specifically, his concept of goblins seem to be drawn from the tradition of dwarfs, gnomes, and kobolds of Germanic myth and the fairies, or elves, of Celtic myth.
First and foremost, the Celts were a linguistic group that originally hailed from the Bavarian and Bohemian regions of present-day Germany and Czech Republic beginning around 1100 BC. They slowly spread out and migrated to Western Europe (which included modern-day France) and even made it as far as Britain and Ireland. The Celts had 3 main social types: warrior heroes, poets and smiths. Warrior heroes dominated the culture and were the alpha dogs. They were tattooed from head to toe, had long hair worn in ponytails, and wore little to no armor when going into battle. Poets were also held in high esteem since they expressed praise for the warrior heroes. They wrote the great epic poems, as well as love stories and even the law of the people. S...
Learning About Celts Through Roman Authors The Celts left very little written documentation behind them. What is known about the Celts has been discovered through archaeology and through the writings of Roman authors such as Caesar, Strabo and Tacitus. Caesar wrote about the Celts in his Gallic Wars as he documented his arrivals in Britain in 55 and 55 BC. Strabo was a Roman geographer, and included his knowledge of the geography of Britain in his texts, and Tacitus in his "Agricola", his histories and his annals also wrote of his knowledge of the Celts. These three authors, amongst others, gave us written evidence of the agricultural lifestyle of the Celts, their trading, commerce and economy, their tribal system, their politics and their religion.
Ancient Celtic society was a little bit different from those of today. They were governed by a council of nobles; the king was not the law maker, but rather law applier. Their religion and believes also differ from those of today. They had a polytheistic religion which included the existence of more than one divine-being just like Greek or Norse mythology. Women were prominent in the society, they had more rights than that time Roman and Greek women did. They lived on better conditions than most of the modern world women live today. They went to fight in the battle while other society’s women looked after their children, cleaned their houses and cooked for their husbands. Ancient Celtic women did all of those things, too, except for these ones; they could own their own property, get a divorce, choose their own husband, be a judge, doctor, teacher, poet, a druid; briefly they even have chance of getting a job . Little girls were trained to fight with weapons like swords. Even in Ireland of 1940’s, women were responsible for the care of vegetables, pigs and some farmer animals, just a few of women worked outside and they lost these jobs on marriage.
Modern American culture thrives on the ancient religions of the Greeks and Romans. The Hellenistic myths are kept alive today in the popular culture of the western world. Yet little is commonly known of the religions and myths of the ancient people just to the north of the Romans; the Celts (7). The Celtic region spanned the British Isles, and the north western portion of the European continent from prehistoric times until the Roman invasion in the first century where the region shrunk to Ireland and Scotland (7). Though many conquered cultures managed to survive through Roman rule, the Celts did not (5). This essay explores the limitations of our knowledge of the Celtic religion, and ancient Irish culture, it details how we know what we know about Celtic beliefs, discusses the evolution of Irish culture from the early third century, up until the sixteenth century, and looks at the specific myths that have managed to survive to present day.
Upon hearing the term ‘Celtic,’ the first things that come to mind are the awe of their intricately patterned jewelry, lively music, and the flowing tunics they wore. These people are also known for being fierce warriors and for their superstitious, nature-centered religion. Celtic customs are still alive and well in places like Ireland and the western reaches of Britain, but within this essay I shall explore their origins and traditions.
The literature of the past can reveal a lot about the lives, culture, traditions, and history of the people who wrote it. Through a story, poem, or any other form of writing, lifestyles, people, and society can be described in great detail. Beowulf is a great example of this. Beowulf is one of the most important works in Anglo Saxon literature, being one of the few surviving works in Old English. It tells the story of a warrior named Beowulf, who travels to Denmark to help the Danes defeat a monster named Grendel. He then goes on to defeat Grendel’s mother and returns home to rule over his people as a great king for many years, until he is forced to fight a dragon attacking his land, dying in the process.Throughout the poem, elements and culture
The word culture can be used and explained in many different ways. The most common use of the word culture is to define a set of values, beliefs and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group. Many people understand the meaning of culture as a way of life. In different countries, regions or states all over the world have a different ways of doing, completing, celebrating, recognizing, or handling situations to the way they live their daily lives. Most every culture have a way of identifying themselves, either by a Flag, song, or a dance to express their way of life or show their pride. For example, the culture of Ireland has many different meanings and symbols that are unique to the country of Ireland. Ireland is often called the ‘land of saints and scholars’ referring to the golden age of monastic learning, or the ‘emerald isle’ referring to the golden landscape. Ireland has its own flag broken into sections symbolizing different parts of their culture, a constitution for the people, a National
Roman art grew and it was called “Romanesque”. Sculptured scrolls and elongated figures enriched the doorways of churches, and the doors themselves were used as frames for sculptured pictures of the Bible stories. Sculpting grew more rapid into what was later called the “ Gothic”, the Medieval. The sculptors became more skillful in carving human figures. Artists used animals and plant life for decorative details and ideas.
French culture and society has evolved from many different aspects of French life. From the mastery of French cuisine to the meaning of French art, the French have changed and evolved in many ways to produce a specific modern culture, the dignified culture of the French. One thing that parallels the progress and continuation of French culture is the role of women throughout France. Compared to other nations, the role and rights of women in France were confronted earlier and Women’s suffrage was enacted earlier. The role of women in France, because of the early change in perception of women, enabled France to develop faster and with less conflict than other competing nations.
the tradition of primitive tribes. “In many cases the painting was only used to decorate
Culture refers to the way of life of a particular society or group. The five features of culture are: customs and traditions, religion, arts and literature, government, and language. The word “culture” actually originated from France. It derived from a French term, (also from the Latin version) “colere”, meaning “to tend to the earth and grow, cultivate and nurture” (Zimmerman, K. French Culture : Customs & Traditions. LiveScience. 21 January, 2015.). Paris, the French capital, isn’t just after the latest trends, though. The city is known as the center of fashion, cuisine, art, and architecture. France is, to date, one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations.