|
In Ireland and Great Britain, there are many ancient "Druid" altars, beds, rings, stones, stone circles and temples. However, radio-carbon analyses assign dates such as 1380 BCE (Wilsford Shaft) to 3330 BCE (Hembury). Ancient Druids have used megalithic monuments such as Stonehenge, but did not necessarily build them. Of the 374 Celtic deities which have been found, over 300 occur only once in the archeological record; they are believed to be local deities. There is evidence that their main pantheon of Gods and Goddesses totaled precisely 33 (a frequently occurring magical number in Celtic literature). Some of the more famous are: Arawn, Brigid, Cernunnos, Cerridwen, Danu, Herne, Lugh, Morgan, Rhiannon and Taranis. Many Celtic deities were worshipped in triune (triple aspect) form. Triple Goddesses were often sisters. |