Ivar the Boneless was a Viking chieftain, of Danish origin. A personality surrounded by legend. He undoubtedly had a lasting effect upon the bio-culture of Britain and Ireland. Unlike those who had come before him, Ivar was more a conqueror than a raider. He will forever be remembered as the leader of “The Great Heathen Army”, who arrived on […]
Ragnar Lothbrok, the son of the legendary king of the Swedes, Sigurd Ring, famous for conducting raids on the British Isles and Holy Roman Empire within the 9th century. Icelandic sources dictate that Ragnar Lothbrok was the scourge of Britain and France in the Middle Ages. He had three wives and fathered the famous Ivar the Boneless, […]
The legendary Niall of the Nine Hostages lived and ruled Ireland at sometime between the late 3rd century and early 4th century C.E. He was a great expansive King and the ancestor of many people in areas where Gaelic people settled. The Early Life of Niall of the Nine Hostages There are various legendary accounts of Niall’s birth. The […]
Introduction Alfred the Great was the famous king of the West Saxons from 871 to 886 CE and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 to 899 CE. He was the youngest son of King Aethelwulf, who had died when Alfred was young. After becoming King, Alfred won a decisive victory in the Battle of Edington […]
Historians and academics better know the ancient Irish book Lebor Gabála Érenn as The Taking of Ireland. This important text consists of six different invasions culminating with the people we know today as the Gaels. Irish monks documented and wrote down the surviving oral traditions compiling all into one book. It begins with the very […]
Before the Roman invasions, Britain was more an ideological counterpoint than a geographical entity. “There is distant Britain, the furthest people of the world, set in an unknown sea, where even the signs of the zodiac are not recognisable.” Caesar documented that the Britons dye their bodies with woad. The woad produces a blue colour, further […]
The Morrigan is the “great queen” of war and fate in Gaelic mythology. She appears as a crow inciting warriors to battle, helping bring about victory over their enemies. The Morrigan encourages warriors to be brave and strikes fear in their enemies. She would appear before great battles and circle the battlefield. As mentioned previously, she would appear […]
Brigid, the exalted one. She was a highly revered feminine personality venerated by both pre-Christian and Christian Gaels. The Gaels saw her as one who had an influence and association with wisdom, poetry, healing, protection, blacksmithing and domesticating animals. Pagan Ireland Brigid was the daughter of the Dagda. She was a woman of wisdom and possessed mastery of […]
“The club-wielding chief of the Irish Tuatha dé Danann.”. The Dagda was considered to have power over both life and death and was associated with fertility, agriculture, magic and Druidry. The Dagda was a highly skilled personality and wise beyond measure. He is associated with life, death, the changing of the seasons, agriculture, fertility, magic and druidry as […]
Thunor, a commanding personality venerated by the Anglo Saxons. The epitome of masculinity, the fiercest character of the Germanic pantheon. Known as Thor contemporarily, Thunor is an important figure in the history of the Anglo Saxons. Much of all the traditions that have survived regarding the red haired, red bearded hero are known from literature produced in […]