Myths and legends ; the Celtic race . orbade the committal of their doctrines to writing ; anextremely sagacious provision, for not only did theythus surround their teaching with that atmosphere ofmystery which exercises so potent a spell over thehuman mind, but they ensured that it could never beeffectively controverted. Human Sacrifices in Gaul In strange discord, however, with the lofty words ofCaesar stands the abominable practice of human sacrificewhose prevalence he noted among the Celts. Prisonersand criminals, or if these failed even innocent victims,probably children, were encased, nu
Myths and legends ; the Celtic race . orbade the committal of their doctrines to writing ; anextremely sagacious provision, for not only did theythus surround their teaching with that atmosphere ofmystery which exercises so potent a spell over thehuman mind, but they ensured that it could never beeffectively controverted. Human Sacrifices in Gaul In strange discord, however, with the lofty words ofCaesar stands the abominable practice of human sacrificewhose prevalence he noted among the Celts. Prisonersand criminals, or if these failed even innocent victims,probably children, were encased, numbers at a time, inhuge frames of wickerwork, and there burned alive towin the favour of the gods. The practice of humansacrifice is, of course, not specially Druidic—it is foundin all parts both of the Old and of the New World at acertain stage of culture, and was doubtless a survivalfrom the time of the Megalithic People. The fact thatit should have continued in Celtic lands after an other- * Quoted by Bertrand, op. cit, p. Human Sacrifices in Gaul 84 HUMAN SACRIFICES IN EGYPT wise fairly high state of civilisation and religious culturehad been attained can be paralleled from Mexico andCarthage, and in both cases is due, no doubt, to theuncontrolled dominance of a priestly caste. Human Sacrifices in Ireland Bertrand endeavours to dissociate the Druids fromthese practices, of which he says strangely there is notrace in Ireland, although there, as elsewhere inCeltica, Druidism was all-powerful. There is littledoubt, however, that in Ireland also human sacrificesat one time prevailed. In a very ancient tract, the Dinnsenchus, preserved in the Book of Leinster, itis stated that on Moyslaught, tht Plain of Adoration,there stood a great gold idol, Crom Cruach (the BloodyCrescent). To it the Gaels used to sacrifice childrenwhen praying for fair weather and fertility— it wasmilk and corn they asked from it in exchange for theirchildren—how great was their horror and thei
Size: 1304px × 1917px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectcelticl, bookyear1910
