DeDanaan

Filed by Aine MacDermot

Celtic tribal organization for the first 1000 years AD was basically the same. The tribe (tuath) was ruled by a king (ri) through a general assembly of the people (oenach). The land the tribe lived on, in Celtic law (aka Brehon Law), belonged to the tribe, unlike other cultures’ law like English law, which stated it belonged to the king. The land was owned by the nobility of the tribe, collectively as families. The extended family (cineadh) was the basic unit.

The family usually was four generations, grandparent to grandchildren. This family unit was known as the Iarfine. It expanded to include great-grandparents (Infine) if they were living, and contracted to just a father and sons (Derbfine) if there were no other generations alive. Land did not pass to the eldest son when a father died, it simply remained a possession of the clan. Individual rights came from one’s position in the family.

Celtic society was divided into three classes: The Nobles, the Freeman (commoners), and the Unfree. Each man had an honor price, which was dependent on his class and status within the class. This formed the basis for any compensation to his family for death, injury, or insult. The Noble class was made up of a sub-strata that included the warriors, specialists, master craftsmen, jurists, doctors, and men of learning [the bards and priests (Druids - *I hesitate to call them priests, sorcerors and seers is a closer approximation, imho)]. The Freeman were peasant farmers and craftsmen of lesser ability than master craftsmen. The Unfree were degraded families, subjected communities, and slaves.

Women were given a high place in Celtic society. According to the marriage laws women controlled all the possessions they owned before the marriage, and could leave with them if necessary. If the woman’s wealth exceeded that of her husband, she controlled the household. Wives frequently joined their men in battle. One of the most famous Celtic women warriors was Boudicca who assisted in the burning of Rome in 60 A.D.

A Chief was a leader of his people, there could be sub-chiefs under his authority. The Chief gave his allegiance to a king (*there was no royalty in ancient Celtic society). A king (rí) could be an “over king” meaning other kings paid him honor, in turn the “over kings” were subordinate to a “high king” (ard ri) if one could rise to subordinate them. Celtic law held that only the king could rule his people, no “over king” had direct power over a lesser king’s tribe or area.

Celtic law was based on custom and not by enforcement from autocratic authority. The family enforced, through custom and tradition, the law as guided by legal specialists called Brehons who interpreted the law for their family. There existed, for centuries, a hatred by the Celts for those invaders who imposed on them a state-enforced legal system.

Poets were very important in Celtic society, there was a whole range of titles a poet passed through before he was called the highest title (Ollamh). An Ollamh was considered on a level with a petty king. A poet’s function in Celtic society was to praise and eulogize his Chief and the Chief’s family. The poet preserved and recited the Chief’s genealogy. A poet had the right to travel and provide service to other Chiefs for which they must pay a fee. In fact the Chiefs so visited were obligated to play host to the poet and his retinue, sometimes as many as 24 people for an Ollamh.

The Celts introduced soap to the Greeks and Romans; they gave the basic shape to tools still in use to this day: the hand saw, chisel, file, and other tools; the Celts developed the seamless iron rim for chariots; their chariot wheels were 4′ 8″ apart, a standard that is today shown on the gauge of our railroads; the Celts pioneered the iron plowshare, the rotary flour mill, a rotary reaper, and horseshoes. Celtic art is interesting because it was abstract.

The Celts gave to mankind from its culture, and in the Dark Ages it was the Celts who preserved the enlightenment, the arts and Christianity and gave it back to man when he saw the light.

Many of the place names used today in Europe come from the names of Celtic tribes. Paris is named for the Parisii, Rheims comes from the Remi. Helvetia, the official name of Switzerland comes from the Helvetii. Belgium is named from the Belgae. The Boii left forms of their names in Bologna and Bohemia. The Gauls left their name in: Galicia, Spain; Nuevo Galicia in Nueva Espana(modern Mexico); Galicia, Poland; and Galatia, Turkey. It was to the latter Saint Paul addressed his epistle to the Galatians.

Some of the Celtic tribes, their general locations and principal known leaders are listed in Appendix V. Names of Celtic Tribes.

“…European culture is inconceivable without the Celtic contribution. Even when the presence of the Celts in their original territory is no longer obvious, we must acknowledge the fact: they are at the root of the Western European peoples who have made history.” - Hermann Noelle, German archaeologist

“While they (Celts) never managed to forge an empire, a stable state, or even an absolute ethnic unity, they laid the economic, social, and artistic foundations of northern European civilization.” - Jan Filip, German historian

“The Celts were energetic, and most inventive. They introduced to northern Europe the use of iron. Iron for tools and weapons, abundant, more efficient than bronze in felling man and forest, tilling the soil, providing transport. And in seven centuries of cultural dominance, they created Europe’s first industrial revolution, its first common market, and its first international court of arbitration.” - Merle Severy, American historian

“The ancient Celts bequeathed more than language, literature, and works of art to European civilization; they gave it a sensitivity and an intellectual disposition…” - Miklòs Szabò, Hungarian historian

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