The Ancient Celts were not a race of people or people from just one nationality; they were in fact a group of people who had begun to spread throughout Europe from around 1000BC. Respected by the mighty Romans, (whom the Celts managed to defeat), the Celts lived in a wide area that extended from the West in the British Isles to the East where modern day Turkey is now located.

The Celts had a distinct structure; with the highest rank being the king who ruled each individual tribe or group. Each of these tribes was divided into three strata: the noble men (who were the knights and fighters), the Druids (who were the religious leaders, judges, healers, advisers and teachers as well as being believed to have magical ability) and the farmers and commoners (who did all the manual work).

It is from the Ancient Celts that we have inherited a vast amount of animated mythology which is made up of many tales. These tales have been passed down to us by both word of mouth and because in the middle ages the Irish and Welsh monks wrote down these tales that had been passed down to them from their Celtic ancestors. The tales are full of adventure, magic, heroism, romance, and enhancement – the perfect basis for good stories. The literature then only came into being in the 11th century when the stories came from a time even before the Roman Empire; stories from a young, mystical and magical time. Many of these myths came from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Brittany.  Legends of gallantry like King Arthur and Camelot and love stories like Tristan and Isolde.

Celtic religion, magic and mythology were all entangled together and there were more than 400 names for Celtic Gods and Goddesses – most of what we know of them today has come through Greek, Roman, Irish and Welsh sources. Their four main festivals were associated with both magical and supernatural worlds and natural cycles of the sun and moon – these festivals were Imbolc, Beltaine, Lughnasa and Samhain.

The life of the Celts revolved around mythology and magic and they relied on the Druids, the Shamans and the seers with their supernatural and magical powers for advice on harvesting and healing, consequently the tales that they left for us are full of magic, heroes, fairies, wizards and monsters.
Cauldrons, which have now become synonymous with magic and witchcraft, were very important in Celtic mythology. There were different types of cauldron, all with their own magical power. One such cauldron was the ‘cauldron of plenty ‘, this was a cauldron that never emptied and kept the tribe supplied with a constant source of food; another belonged to Bendigeitvran - the Welsh Celtic God of Regeneration; his cauldron was a ‘cauldron of rejuvenation ‘and had the magical power to bring warriors killed in battle back to life.

What we now know of as Ireland was an extremely magical place for Celts; the Tuatha De Danann (people of the goddess Dana/Danu) lived on what were called “the islands in the west,” and are said to have travelled on a big cloud to the land that would later be called Ireland. The Tuatha De Danann became known as the Fairy-Folk or the Sidhe of Irish Mythology and Folk Lore and was thought to control the harvest and to make the cows provide milk and the Celts worshipped them and made them sacrifices. In fact in modern day Ireland many people still leave food out at night for the fairies to eat!

Celtic mythology is a legacy that we have received from a romantic people; a group of people who used mystery, magic, enchantment and a pagan religion to protect their people and lands. Reading the stories today, it is difficult to know just what is historical fact. However the vibrant myths that they have bestowed to use make for some magical and enchanting reading today, whatever the truth.