The Religion of the Ancient Celts

Book Excerpt: e animals they slew, apologising to them for the slaughter. This apologetic attitude, foundwith all primitive hunters, is of the nature of a cult. Other animals, too sacred to be slain, would be preserved and worshipped, the cultgiving rise to domestication and pastoral life, with totemism as aprobable factor. Earth, producing vegetation, was the fruitful mother;but since the origin of agriculture is mainly due to women, the Earthcult would be practised by them, as well as, later, that of vegetationand corn spirits, all regarded as female. As men began to interestthemselves in agriculture, they would join in the female cults, probablywith the result of changing the sex of the spirits worshipped. AnEarth-god would take the place of the Earth-mother, or stand as herconsort or son. Vegetation and corn spirits would often become male, though many spirits, even when they were exalted into divinities, remained female.With the growth of religion the vaguer spirits tended to become gods andgoddesses, aRead