6. Certain animals had a sacred significance for Celtic Britains.
For all their love of warfare and skill at metalworking, the Celts were primarily farmers and hunters, dependent on the land for their livelihoods and lives. Animals, whether domestic or wild, were the basis of that life, providing food, raw materials and transport. So it is unsurprising that animals had a sacred significance to the Celts; not only as necessitates of life but as mediators between people and the divine.
Many deities became associated with particular animals that had a vital role in Celtic society. The stag, long valued for its meat and antlers, was the companion beast of Cernunnos, the god of fertility and forests. Horses, in the meantime, essential to the warrior caste, were associated with Rigantona, a goddess of sovereignty. Animals, however, were also seen as a way the gods manifested themselves in the Celtic world. Birds were particularly significant. In the Welsh mythological saga, The Mabinogion, the hero Llew turned into an eagle after his fatal wounding at the hands of his wife’s lover, Gronw. Later in the tale, Llew’s wife Bloddeuwedd turns into an owl.
One of the most famous British Celtic god’s linked to a bird is Bran the Blessed. Bran’s original name, Bran Bendigeidfran, means ‘blessed raven” and the Celts saw the raven as his bird. After his death, Bran’s companions buried his head on the mound that was to become Tower Hill so that the god could continue to protect Britain. The legend of the ravens of the tower of London, who must never leave lest Britain fall to her enemies, has its roots in Bran’s personification as a raven.
Animals, however, could also act as links to the spirit world in their own right. In particular, speckled salmon were associated with wisdom and knowledge, because the Celts believed it was the oldest and so the wisest of the animals.