Each generation in a tribe faced numerous challenges that it had to face successfully, if the nation was to survive. These included clan obligations, religious relationships, camp work, acquisition of stories, etc. In order to acquire the necessary vital learning, cultures put in place sophisticated systems for the tribe to use. These duties were rooted in his special perspective on the nature of humans and the environment. The ancients considered themselves part of the natural world. They believed that everything came from the same source, so a bear, a wolf or a fish was our brother or sister and part of the evolutionary tree with a purpose. A bear, being a relative, is much more likely to be treated kindly than an object, most urbanized people have become disconnected from their brother. The lives of the members of a tribe were shared with all of creation in a common world. As they examined the natural world, they discovered in nature its wonderful detail of how it worked. Each tribe reproduced the habits of the species it observed so that they lived with the current. In other words, each ‘good’ of the tribe reproduced the teachings of an animal in tribal life and some also began to see the written history of these animal gods in the stars. All ancient mythology is nothing more than the symbolism of a kind of Genealogy of the Tree of Life.
The Magnificent Celtic World Tree attached to the Milky Way as its enormous roots that extended to the Earth, is also what was considered the origin of all peoples, each symbolized by an animal sitting on the tree. Each tribe was descended from these brother animals or gods or from a particular tree, river, etc. And just as animals were sacrificed in the circle of life, so were they. But everything came from the World tree, even the winds and other trees. So many tribes chose the tree, animal, constellation or mountain that they would see the most, as their Mother or Father God. Whether the tribe was Japanese, Indian, First Nations, etc., we are all from the same tree. Some tribes had a turtle instead of a tree, but they all mean the same thing. This is what comprises the universe of the ancients and the understanding of their powers. We can see with this tree, in the Welsh Celts of the Arthurian cults who used their court warriors to help Culhwch (Kul ook) find the ancient animals to search for Mabon: blackbird, deer, owl, eagle and salmon. Ysbaddaden (pronounced-(Is ba thad’n)-meaning Giant Chief.) gives Culhwch several tasks to win over his daughter Olwen (means “white footprint” because she left white flowers where she walked). It is my opinion, given the knowledge that the Celts well into Roman times had Tree Gods from which they descended, that Ysbaddaden may have been the world tree – the “Giant Chief” tree, although I cannot prove this theory. The blackbird replaces the falcon in Norse myths.
in the nordic tree
The Norse decided on the frost giants (being the giants (possibly huge planets) of fire and ice in the voice or sea space that break and become earth and planets but also come from the tree with the rainbow bridge ( milky way), and on its branches were also the main similar ancient animals of creation which included an eagle and its knowledge, a falcon named Vedrfolnir, a squirrel named Ratatosk who runs up and down through the ash tree and carries malicious messages between the eagle and Nidhogg.also four stags run on the ash branches feeding on the foliage and represent the four directions.Their names are: Dain, Dvalin, Dunyr, Durathror.Again all these constellations can be found in the sky. The falcon sits on the eagles head in the sky.
Dain (inactive) – one of the 4 constellations of deer on the branches of the World Tree, an elven name that probably gave birth to elves.
Dvalin (sleeping) – one of the 4 deer constellations, a dwarf name and the second smallest deer is probably the ancestor of dwarves.
Duneyr (lop-eared), the second largest stag, could be the ancestor of any mythical creature with lop-eared ears.
Durathror (lazy beast) – the largest of the deer. Another long forgotten constellation.
Ratatosk (gnat tooth) – the constellation of squirrels. They are the main stars of Cassiopeia, with their feet, body, and two tail stars visible.
Geirrod: the constellation of the eagle, nameless among the Norse, but whose name we find as “Garuda” in Hindu mythology. Some called it the swan. (We call it Elyrch (which means swan in Pwkatta – pronounced Eleerpuh)
Vedrfolnir (dried by the wind) – constellation of the falcon above the eagle’s head.
Nidhogg (poison biter) – constellation of a serpent at the foot of the root of Yggdrasill. The constellation some say is the same as Scorpius, who resides right at the base of the tree’s root. But I read many others who say that the snake is like coiled energy and can move up and down the tree. It is the bridge to the knowledge of another world that sheds its skin and begins anew in each phase of learning.
In a poem called “Grimnismal”, there are four deer on the lower roots and four deer on the upper branches, turning the wheel 8 times. An eagle at the top of the branches and a snake at the bottom. (The eagle now looks like Cygnus the swan in summer.)
One tells of the thunder god Thor helping the hero Aurvandil by carrying him in a basket from the frozen north. On the way, his toe slipped and was bitten by frost, so Thor broke it off and threw it up into the sky to form a star.
An Anglo-Saxon (Celtic/Scandinavian tribe) version of Aurvandil is Earandel, which means ‘morning star’.
A giant named Thiassi, who took the goddess Idunn to gain youth from her eternal apples, was killed by the gods after they rescued her. For lazy for this deed, Odin took the eyes of the old giant and threw them into the sky as punishment. These stars could only be the twin stars Castor and Pollux.
Other associations of myths with constellations
Grendel – In mythical terms, he is a main character who disappears below a lake or sea, implying that he is a constellation that sometimes slips below the celestial equator. Of the northern regions of Saxony, such as England, a good proportion of the Scorpio constellation is below the horizon, and one of the zodiacal constellations. Checking the position, I found out that Scorpius’s position makes it look like he’s drowning in the mythical waters. Scorpius is also a clawed creature who loses a claw and his shoulder in the sky, much like the same thing in the Beowulf story.
Grendel’s Mother – There is a small constellation adjacent to Scorpius called Lupus the Wolf. He also ‘drowns’ in the mythical waters just before Scorpius. If we read closely, there is a reference to her being a “wolfish swimmer”. Lupus has associations with Pan and fauns, and in Roman culture, the festival of it survived into Christian times.
Vidofnir – rooster/rooster that is perched on the highest branch of the World Tree would most likely be Polaris, the North Star or magnetic north. It is golden and shines like a storm. An immortal guard who watches over the world. A symbol of the heralded ‘solar fire’. On earth his totem sings at dawn for the victory of light and the return of life. Among the Germanic tribes he is a spiritual guide. This same ‘son’ is also Arthur, the pole star who has a cart or a plow. If we change the V to the W we get “Widofnir” which means (Weaver of the winds), the name of the skies of Vanir, considered the Norse deity of fertility.
Horses of many cultures
Sun/Star Horses – In the Prose Edda, most are described as the mounts of various gods. Horses seem to involve the sun and moon chasing or leading the sun to the next zodiac sign or adventure. Sleipnir (Svadilfari’s son) is the most famous of the horses only because he was Odin’s mount. Goti is Gunnarr’s horse. Grani was Sigurdr’s horse. Gulltopr (also called “Gold-Top”) was Heimdallr’s horse. Hoof-Tosser, Kertr, Slangvir were others. Vakr was the horse of the morning. All-Bright, Alsvidhr, Arvakr, Early-Wake, Gladr, Gullfaxi, Sheen-Mane, Shining-Mane and Skinfaxi. There are also night horses and some of those names mentioned are Fjarsvartnir – Frosty-Mane.
These can go in any sign, as they are always pulling the Sun God or the Night Star God on their course. They could be legends of a single tribe. So you can really put any animal for each ‘good’ (smaller groups are part of a larger tribe but also function as an independent unit).
Auriga, the Auriga or Wagoner in the early days the Wainman, is the French Cocher, the Italian Cocchiere and the German Fuhrmann. Its key star was considered a goat and sometimes a unicorn, then the myths turned to the major constellation Capricorn, the Turks had a mule.
The Sacred Horse is a powerful symbol of intelligence, speed, grace, strength, virility and fertility. It was once seen in the constellation now called Pegasus. Called Epona to some Celtic tribes and so on. His flowing mane represents the bright rays of the sun as the Horse is a beast that carries the chariot of the Sun, or that of the Moon, through the sky. According to Kristian Kristiansen, in an article called Rock Art and Religion, horses appear in many early Bronze Age rock carvings that show ancient scenes of fertility rites. He/She believes that the Horses were the symbolic twins that would be both ships and horses, night (ship) and day (horses). The horses were consulted by priests who would decipher their movements and sounds. Horses were held sacred in many temples until Christianity, as we see with derisive humor in the movie “A Knights Tale,” desecrated a church. The church tried to cover up a lot of things from the pagan past.
Arthurian horses – Spumador (“the one who foams”, sea foam and cloud); an Arthur horse.
Bel Joeor – horse – Tristan / Passe-Brewel or Passebreul horse – Tristan.
Berring-horse-Lancelot. Long-necked chestnut horse (Animated Steed of Great Britain) – Kai (Kay).
Cloven-hoofed horse (Plundered horse of Great Britain) – Owain (Yvain).
Drudwyn Horse – Mabon / Gwynn Dun Mane – Mabon. Dun-Grey (Great Britain pack horse) – Rhydderch Hael.
Gringalet, Gringolets, Gringuljete horse with red ears – Lahelin, Orilus, Urjan, Lischois and Gawain.
Callrei – Arthur.
Caw of Scotland – Pale Yellow Stud Horse (Awarded Horse of Great Britain) – Lleu.
Passeland-Arthur. Lluagor (the host opener) – Caradawg’s horse.
arthuric The word “Nightmares” is a name that was derived from the Celts who thought they were brought to them by a visiting horse goddess like Epona: the night, the moon, mystery, and magic.
Nordic Horses: Gyllir, Blakkr, Hamskerpir, Silfrintoppr, Hrafn, Sinir, Amfaxi, Skeidbrimir, Hoenir, Gardrofa, Glaumr, Tjaldari, Glenr, Lungr, Valr, Marr, Vigg.
In most Celtic myths, the horses are either black or white, providing further evidence for night and day or the dark and light half of the wheel of the year.
So, in conclusion, we see in many cultures that whether it be deer, bird or other animals, they represent the four directions. Even a First Nations tribe displayed this at an opening ceremony at the 2010 Winter Olympics in BC Canada – Each animal represented one of the Four Directions constellations, the White Buffalo (north), the Eagle (east) , the Wolf (south) and the Bear (west).
By Brahva Cwmevos
Copyright April 2, 2012
Bibliography –
This article came out of my head, but over the years I have been influenced by the writings of Kristian Kristiansen, Eddas, and other Celtic scholars such as Mathew and Caitlin, Peter Ellis, JeanMarkale, etc.