Although it has its origins with the Celts, it has become a national symbol of Ireland. The Celtic Harp, or Cláirseacht in Irish, is a square harp that was played before kings and chieftains. It also represents the three stages of life - Maiden, Mother, Wise Woman. The Trinity knot may confuse people at first blush, associating it with Christianity, but the Trinity knot is much older and one of the most recognized of all Celtic symbols, the joining of three entities, as three was a sacred number to the Celts. Celtic knots are typically formed with no beginning and no end - symbolising eternal life. The Celtic knots have been found in Roman mosaics and on church steeples and influence all aspects of Celtic symbolism. The knots are stylized and can take any number of shapes, from triangles to rings to Christian crosses, such as the Celtic “high cross”. One of the most famous Celtic symbols is the Celtic knot, which has been incorporated into many types of jewelry and symbology. There is also a bit of a divergence between Celtic and Irish when it comes to religions and religious traditions, specifically the introduction of Christianity into Ireland.īut the truth is that there is no hard-and-fast delineation between Celtic and Irish jewelry, as the two cultures are so intermingled and influence each other so intrinsically. Much of what we think of as the nation of Ireland can be attributed to the many wars fought to maintain their sovereignty. It has a long and fabled past and a proud tradition and heritage. Ireland, on the other hand, is a nation that was born out of the Celtic culture. Today, Celtic is more of a cultural term than an official genetic one, and refers to many of the people in these faraway lands. Also Catalonia in Spain and Brittany in France, were locations where the Romans were never able to fully destroy the Celtic people. The places we think of today as traditionally Celtic, namely Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The Celts once spanned much of western, Eastern and central Europe, but many were either assimilated or wiped out by the expanding Roman Empire. The primary difference between the Irish and the Celts is that the Celts are a group of people while Ireland is a nation. Each influenced the other, and the jewelry designs that come from Celtic and Irish jewelers are some of the most beautiful and deeply meaningful in the world. But there is a difference, one that goes back millenia, and it’s a fascinating story. For many people, they don’t even realize there’s a difference between the two. For many people around the world, when they think of Irish they also think of Celtic, and vice versa.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |