"O Lady of the Fair Hair,
Sing to me of the fair ancient land.
Yours divine voice
Whispers the poetry of magic
that flow through the wind,
Like sweet-tasting water of the Boyne.

"Girls, forever young and beautiful,
Dancing around the broken dun,
Where long forgotten heroes
sang of victory
And drank ales
to old memories.

"Sing to me one last time,
Goddess of the Fair Hair,
Before my old ear fail me.
Let me see you dance,
Before your beauty fade away
from my failing sight."

— Song to the Lady of the Fair Hair,
from the Book of Heroes.

“We now leave the mild climate of the ancient Aegean, and the cold, forbidding regions of the North.

Here, we enter the lush, green land, shrouded in mists of magic and wonders. The land is young yet ancient; beautiful yet intriguing; and something quite magical.

We meet people who are fair and noble. Yet when aroused into battle, these people can easily become savage. “

Very few people realize that the Celtics have influenced most of our lives. The very holiday, Halloween was brought to North America from Celtic Irish descendants.

Appended to the explanation and history of Halloween is an explanation of who the Celtics were, and below that, a collection of myths. Some of you may not want to read the whole thing, that is why I put that part last, and the part most immediately relevant, first. About 95% of all this is my own research that I, for the sake of saving time, have quoted from, for the most part. I had this research on my computer for some time, since I have Irish ancestors, and I believe, possibly Celtic ancestry, too. But due to the lack of documentation that far back, all I can do is speculate. So that’s why I already had this, I just simply put it into one place for this Halloween’s sake.

Though Celtic myths was not written until eleventh century AD, after the Vikings were driven out of Ireland, their sources, mostly oral traditions, were quite old. Even ancient.

Many of the myths that come to us, come mainly from Ireland and Wales. Celtic myths also included those from Scotland, Cornwall and Brittany (in France). We have to thank the Welsh myths, and to a lesser degree to the Irish, for the legends of King Arthur. While the medieval romance of Tristan and Isolde originated in Brittany, it gained popularity in Continental Europe and the British Isles.
Though Celtic literature didn't appear until the Middle Age, Celtic people and their religions existed during the time of ancient Rome.
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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader

Otherworld

According to the Celtic myths, the Celtic deities or the fairy people lived in the domain that was generally called the "Otherworld". These domain was hidden from mortal eyes. In Irish myths, the Otherworld could be islands, hostel, or dun (hill-fort). Sometimes, the Otherworld was called Sidhe, the fairy hill-fort (dun) or palace. In the Welsh myths, the Otherworld was often called Annwfn or Annwyn, and the fort or castle was ususally known as Caer.

Origin of Halloween

History traces Halloween back to the ancient religion of the Celtics. The Celtic people were very conscious of the spiritual world and had their own ideas of how they could gain access to it - such as by helping their over 300 gods to defeat their enemies in battle, or by imitating the gods in showing cleverness and cunning. Their two main feasts were Beltane at the beginning of summer (May 1), and Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween) at the end of summer (Nov. 1). They believed Samhain was a time when the division between the two worlds became very thin, when hostile supernatural forces were active and ghosts and spirits were free to wander as they wished. "During this interval the normal order of the universe is suspended, the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily removed, the sidh lies open and all divine beings and the spirits of the dead move freely among men and interfere sometimes violently, in their affairs" (Celtic Mythology, p. 127).

The Celtic priests who carried out the rituals in the open air were called Druids, members of pagan orders in Britain, Ireland and Gaul, who generally performed their rituals by offering sacrifices, usually of animals, but sometimes of humans, in order to placate the gods; ensuring that the sun would return after the winter; and frightening away evil spirits. To the Celtics, the bonfire represented the sun and was used to aid the Druid in his fight with dark powers. The term bonfire comes from the words "bone fire," literally meaning the bones of sacrificed animals, sometimes human, were piled in a field with timber and set ablaze. All fires except those of the Druids were extinguished on Samhain and householders were levied a fee to relight their holy fire which burned at their altars.

Probably a better explanation of why the Celts extinguished their fires was not to discourage spirit possession, but so that all the Celtic tribes could relight their fires from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept burning in the Middle of Ireland, at Usinach.
During the Festival of Samhain, fires would be lit which would burn all through the winter and sacrifices would be offered to the gods on the fires. This practice of burning humans was stopped around 1600, and an effigy was sometimes burned instead.
The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.
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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader

Trick or Treat?

Some trace the origins of present day "trick-or-treat" to Samhain, which was the supreme night of demonic jubilation. Spirits of the dead would rise out of their graves and wander the countryside, trying to return to the homes where they formerly lived. Frightened villagers tried to appease these wandering spirits by offering them gifts of fruit and nuts. They began the tradition of placing plates of the finest food and bits of treats that the household had to offer on their doorsteps, as gifts, to appease the hunger of the ghostly wanderers. If not placated, villagers feared that the spirits would kill their flocks or destroy their property.

The problem was... if the souls of dead loved ones could return that night, so could anything else,human or not, nice or not-so-nice. The only thing the superstitious people knew to do to protect themselves on such an occasion was to masquerade as one of the demonic hoard, and hopefully blend in unnoticed among them. Wearing masks and other disguises and blackening the face with soot were originally ways of hiding oneself from the spirits of the dead who might be roaming around. This is the origin of Halloween masquerading as devils, imps, ogres, and other demonic creatures.

Others trace "trick-or-treat" to a European custom called "souling". Beggars would go from village to village begging for "soul cakes" made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers could guarantee a soul's passage to heaven.

In many parts of Britain and Ireland this night used to be known as 'Mischief Night', which meant that people were free to go around the village playing pranks and getting up to any kind of mischief without fear of being punished. Many of the different customs were taken to the United States by Irish and Scottish immigrants in the nineteenth century, and they developed into 'trick or treat'.

The Jack-O-Lantern

The Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.

According to the folk tale, after Jack died, he was denied entrance to Heaven because of his evil ways, but he was also denied access to Hell because he had tricked the devil. Instead, the devil gave him a single ember to light his way through the frigid darkness. The ember was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip to keep it glowing longer.

The Irish used turnips as their "Jack's lanterns" originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.
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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader

Who were the Celts?

The Celts were a group of peoples that occupied lands stretching from the British Isles to Gallatia. The Celts had many dealings with other cultures that bordered the lands occupied by these peoples, and even though there is no written record of the Celts stemming from their own documents, we can piece together a fair picture of them from archeological evidence as well as historical accounts from other cultures.
The first historical recorded encounter of a people displaying the cultural traits associated with the Celts comes from northern Italy around 400 BC, when a previously unkown group of barbarians came down from the Alps and displaced the Etruscans from the fertile Po valley, a displacment that helped to push the Etruscans from history's limelight. The next encounter with the Celts came with the still young Roman Empire, directly to the south of the Po. The Romans in fact had sent three envoys to the beseiged Etruscans to study this new force. We know from Livy's The Early History of Rome that this first encounter with Rome was quite civilized:

[The Celts told the Roman envoys that] this was indeed the first time they had heard of them, but they assumed the Romans must be a courageous people because it was to them that the [Etruscans] had turned to in their hour of need. And since the Romans had tried to help with an embassy and not with arms, they themselves would not reject the offer of peace, provided the [Etruscans] ceded part of their seperfluous agricultural land; that was what they, the Celts, wanted.... If it were not given, they would launch an attack before the Romans' eyes, so that the Romans could report back how superior the Gauls were in battle to all others....The Romans then asked whether it was right to demand land from its owners on pain of war, indeed what were the Celts going in Etruria in the first place? The latter defiantly retorted that their right lay in their arms: To the brave belong all things.

The Roman envoys then preceded to break their good faith and helped the Etruscans in their fight; in fact, one of the envoys, Quintas Fabius killed one of the Celtic tribal leaders. The Celts then sent their own envoys to Rome in protest and demand the Romans hand over all members of the Fabian family, to which all three of the original Roman envoys belonged, be given over to the Celts, a move completely in line with current Roman protocol. This of course presented problems for the Roman senate, since the Fabian family was quite powerful in Rome. Indeed, Livy says that:

The party structure would allow no resolution to be made against such noblemanm as justice would have required. The Senate...therefore passed examination of the Celts' request to the popular assembly, in which power and influence naturally counted for more. So it happened that those who ought to have been punished were instead appointed for the coming year military tribunes with consular powers (the highest that could be granted).

The Celts saw this as a mortal insult and a host marched south to Rome. The Celts tore through the countryside and several battalions of Roman soilders to lay seige to the Capitol of the Roman Empire. Seven months of seige led to negotiations wherby the Celts promised to leave their seige for a tribute of one thousand pounds of gold, which the historian Pliny tells was very difficult for the entire city to muster. When the gold was being weighed, the Romans claimed the Celts were cheating with faulty weights. Here is my favorite part: It was then that the Celts' leader, Brennus, threw his sword into the balance and and uttered the words vae victis "woe to the Defeated". Rome never withstood another more humiliating defeat and the Celts made an initial step of magnificent proportions into history.
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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader

Other Roman historians tell us more of the Celts. Diodorus notes that:

Their aspect is terrifying...They are very tall in stature, with ripling muscles under clear white skin. Their hair is blond, but not naturally so: they bleach it, to this day, artificially, washing it in lime and combing it back from their foreheaads. They look like wood-demons, their hair thick and shaggy like a horse's mane. Some of them are cleanshaven, but others - especially those of high rank, shave their cheeks but leave a moustache that covers the whole mouth and, when they eat and drink, acts like a sieve, trapping particles of food...The way they dress is astonishing: they wear brightly coloured and embroidered shirts, with trousers called bracae and cloaks fastened at the shoulder with a brooch, heavy in winter, light in summer. These cloaks are striped or checkered in design, with the seperate checks close together and in various colours.

[The Celts] wear bronze helmets with figures picked out on them, even horns, which made them look even taller than they already are...while others cover themselves with breast-armour made out of chains. But most content themselves with the weapons nature gave them: they go naked into battle...Weird, discordant horns were sounded, [they shouted in chorus with their] deep and harsh voices, they beat their swords rythmically against their shields.

Diodorus also describes how the Celts cut off their enemies' heads and nailed them over the doors of their huts, as Diodorus states:
In exactly the same way as hunters do with their skulls of the animals they have slain...they preserved the heads of their most high-ranking victims in cedar oil, keeping them carefully in wooden boxes.

- Diodorus Siculus
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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader

What is a Celt and who are the Glasgow Celtics?

The people who made up the various tribes of concern were called Galli by the Romans and Galatai or Keltoi by the Greeks, terms meaning barbarian. It is from the greek Keltoi that Celt is derived. Since no soft c exists in greek, Celt and Celtic and all permutations should be pronounced with a hard k sound. It is interesting to note that when the British Empire was distinguishing itself as better and seperate from the rest of humanity, it was decided that British Latin should have different pronunciation from other spoken Latin. Therefore, one of these distinguishing pronunciational differences was to make many of the previously hard k sounds move to a soft s sound, hence the Glasgow and Boston Celtics. It is the view of many today that this soft c pronunciation should be reserved for sports teams since there is obviously nothing to link them with the original noble savegery and furor associated with the Celts.

The Six Celtic Languages

There was a unifying language spoken by the Celts, called not suprisingly, old Celtic. Philogists have shown the descendence of Celtic from the original Ur-language and from the Indo-European language tradition. In fact, the form of old Celtic was the closest cousin to Italic, the precursor of Latin. The original wave of Celtic immigrants to the British Isles are called the q-Celts and spoke Goidelic. It is not known exactly when this immigration occurred but it may be placed somtime in the window of 2000 to 1200 BC. The label q-Celtic stems from the differences between this early Celtic tounge and Italic. Some of the differences between Italic and Celtic included that lack of a p in Celtic and an a in place of an the Italic o.

At a later date, a second wave of immigrants took to the British Isles, a wave of Celts referred to as the p-Celts speaking Brythonic. Goidelic led to the formation of the three Gaelic languages spoken in Ireland, Man and later Scotland. Brythonic gave rise to two British Isles languages, Welsh and Cornish, as well as surviving on the Continent in the form of Breton, spoken in Brittany.

The label q-Celtic stems from the differences between this early Celtic tounge and the latter formed p-Celtic. The differences between the two Celtic branches are simple in theoretical form. Take for example the word ekvos in Indo-European, meaning horse. In q-Celtic this was rendered as equos while in p-Celtic it became epos, the q sound being replaced with a p sound. Another example is the Latin qui who. In q-Celtic this rendered as cia while in p-Celtic it rendered as pwy. It should also be noted that there are still words common to the two Celtic subgroups.
As an aside, take note that when the Irish expansion into Pictish Britain occurred (see below), several colonies were established in present day Wales. The local inhabitants called the Irish arrivals gwyddel savages from which comes geídil and goidel and thus the Goidelic tounge.
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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader

The Irish and the Scots Are From the Same Tribe

Ireland used to be divided up into five parts, the five fifths. There was a northern fifth, Ulster, a western fifth, Connaught, a southern fifth, Munster, an eastern fifth, Leinster and a middle fifth, Mide. Click here to see a map of the five fifths.

The Ulster Cycle is a set of stories which are grounded in the five fifths. Indeed, they are primarily concerned with Cú Chulainn, the Ulster hero and his king, Conor Mac Nessa in their wars against the king and queen of Connaught, Ailill and Maeve. These figures play a prominent role in the what may be the greatest story of the Ulster Cycle, the Táin Bó Cúailnge, The Cattle Raid of Cooley.

Sometime after 300 AD, Ulster became steadily less important in status among the five farthings and the ruling family of Mide, the Uí Néill Sons of Niall started to take over large parts of Connaught and most of Ulster. A similar move was made in Muster by the ruling family of Munster, the Eoganachta family. Thus was Ireland divided almost entirely into two halves.

The people of Ulster were pushed to a small coastal strip bordering the Irish Sea. The kingdom changed it's name to Dál Riata. Yet eventually Dál Riata fell under the rule and influence of the Uí Néill. This family, not content with the boundry presented by the sea, launched colonies across the Irish Sea into then Pictish Britain. Thus was Scotland founded, for it was these Uí Néill that the Romans called Scotti, not the original Picts.

Indeed, it was this Irish Expansion which led to Christianity in Scotland in 563 AD. St. Columba, the patron saint of Scotland, was a member of a powerful family in Dál Riata and in order to keep his ties in Ireland he settled on an island that was close to both Scotland and Ireland, Iona. Of course, even more bizarre is the fact that St. Patrick, the man responsible for bringing Christianity to Ireland in the first place, was from Wales.
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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader

The Tuatha Dé Danann

The Tuatha Dé Danann ("People of the Goddess Danu") were one of the mythical races who settled in Ireland before the arrival of the Milesians, the ancestors of modern Gaels. The Dananns were descendants of the goddess Danu. Her son Dagda was their most powerful leader of the Dananns. The Tuatha Dé Dananns were a race of deities as well as race of heroes. They were skilled in art and science, poetry and magic.
They were said to come from four mythical cities: Falias, Gorias, Finias and Murias. When they came to live in Ireland, the Dananns received four magic treasures or talismans, one from each city. Before the Tuatha Dé Danann migrated to Ireland, they had learned all their skills from for four wizards/bards (druids) from these four cities. Morfesa from Falias, Esras from Gorias, Semias from Murias and Uiscias from Findias. (See the Druids of Danu)

After the Milesians defeated the Dananns, the Dananns either retreated to Tir na n-Og ("Land of Youth") or they continued to lived on the land with the Milesians, but their homes (subterranean palaces) were hidden by magic from the eyes of mortals. Their homes were commonly called Sidhe (síd or sídh) or the Otherworld. Another name for the Tuatha Dé Danann was the áes sídhe or the "People of the Sídhe".

In the Otherworld, the Danann remained young and seemingly immortal. Immortal in the sense, they can live a very long life and remain young, but they can be kill and destroy, just like any mortal.

There were frequent visits of the Dananns with the mortals. Sometimes they aided mortals, while other times they seek their destruction. Sometimes they sought marriage with mortals. Most of the times, the Dananns would come to the surface and meet their lovers, other times the mortals were allowed to live with them.

In the Ulster Cycle, the Tuatha Dé Danann was still seen as Celtic deities. However, in the Fenian Cycle, the Dananns had degenerated into nothing more then fey people; in another words, the Dananns became the "Fairy People". The Tuatha Dé Danann became frequently associated with fairies. Because of the Christian influences in the myths, some of them died in old age when they leave the Otherworld; that they were baptised before their death.

(It should be noted that the fairies in Celtic myths (especially Irish, Welsh and Arthurian myths) had nothing to do with tiny pixie with wings that are found in folklore and children fairy tales, like Tinklebell in Peter Pan or the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. The fairies found here were human with supernatural power. Modern interpretations of fairies tend to prettify them, particularly during the Victorian period (19th century) in Britain.
In early Irish and Welsh literature, they could be tall or short, beautiful or ugly. They can be benevolent beings, but at other times they can be frighteningly cruel or malign. Morrigan and Morgan le Fay would not be considered fairies in the modern sense.)

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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader

Danu (Ana)

Mother goddess. Danu or Ana was the mother of the race of Tuatha Dé Danann. Danu was goddess of fertility and the earth. Some believed that Danu and Ana were separate entities, even both are mother goddesses. Danu was widely worshipped mother goddess throughout Europe. She was known under various names, such as Danu, Dana and Anu in Continental Europe and Ireland. In Wales, she was called Don. Danu married her consort Bilé (Bile), and was the mother of Dagda, who was the chief leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Her other offspring probably were Dian Cécht and Nuada.

With Dagda, Danu was also the mother of Ogma. Her other possible sons were Cian (Kian), Sawan and Goibhniu by Dian Cécht.

Danu was also known by another name – Brigit. Here, as Ana or Brigit, she was known as the daughter of the Dagda. She was mother of three sons; all of them were named Ecne. In some of the sources, Danu or Ana was the proper name of the war-goddess Morrigan.

In Munster, Danu was associated with two round-topped hills, which was called Da Chich Anann or the Paps of Ana, because they resembled two breasts. Da Chich Anann literally means the "two breasts of Ana".

Macha

She was known as Macha, the goddess of fertility – a mother goddess. Macha appeared several times in Irish myths. In her first appearance, she was the wife of Nemed, leader of the Nemedians. Macha also appeared as the wife of Nuada of the Silver Hand, king of Ireland and leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Here, Macha was the daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas, and sister of Badb, Morrígan, and possibly of Nemain. As a tripartite goddess of war, Macha was one of the three aspects of the Morrígans. Macha died with her husband in the Second Battle of Mag Tuired (Moytura); they were killed by Balor's destructive eye.

However, Macha was most popular and active in her roles in the northern province of Ulster (Ulaid). Macha appeared twice in the Ulaid Cycle. She was once known as Macha, the red war-goddess. Macha was the daughter of Áed Ruad. Macha married her uncle Cimbáeth and became queen of Ulaid (Ulster). It was she, who founded the city that was named after her: Emain Macha. The name Emain Macha means the "Brooch of Macha", because she marked the boundary of hill-fortress with her brooch.

In the second story of Ulster, Macha appeared again, this time as the second wife of the wealthy farmer Crunnchu. This Macha placed the curse upon the men of Ulaid, for their mistreatment of her, during her pregnancy. The curse was that during Ulster's hours of greatest need, the men of Ulster would suffer the pang like those of a woman giving birth. In this story she was the goddess of horses.

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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader

Morrígan

Goddess of war and fertility. Her name, Morrígan (Morrigan), means the "Queen of Demons" or the "Phantom Queen". Morrígan was the daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas. Morrígan was the sister of Badb, Macha, and possibly of Nemain. Morrígan was one of the wives of Dagda. During the festival of Samhain, held on November 1, she would sleep with Dagda, to renew the future prosperity of Ireland. In this role, she was seen as the Sovereignty of Ireland.

Morrígan was also the godddess of divination and prophecy. In Cath Mag Tuired, she was washing clothes at the ford in Unshin in Corann, near Dagda's house at Glen Edin, when Dagda encountered her on eve of Samhain festival. One feet was at Allod Echae (water in the south) and the other feet at Lisconny (north of the water). She nine loosened tresses on hair. After Dagda slept with her, she advised him of where the Fomorians were gathered and what she would do in battle. It was from Morrígan that other Celtic folklore had derived the Washer at the Ford. The Washer was sort of like a banshee, who was able to predict who would die.

In several sources, Morrígan had children, some by Dagda, and sometimes the father or fathers of her children were never named. Morrígan had also been identified with the goddess Danu or Anu, or that Danu was Morrígan proper name, since both were named as the daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas. And both were the mothers of Brian, Iuchar and Iurbarba, through incest with own father.

Morrígan was one of the strangest deities in Irish myths. She was tripartite goddess of war: goddess with three separate personalities or aspects. The three morrigans were Morrígan, Macha and Badb. Some say that there are three separate goddesses (morrígans) with the same name, or that her three aspects were combined into a single goddess. In the Second Battle of Mag Tuired (Moytura), Morrígan helped the Tuatha Dé Danann, causing fear and confusion in the Fomorian ranks. With the single combat between Ogma and Indech (one of the Fomorian kings), Morrígan drained the strength from Indech.

At the end of the book, she proclaimed that the Tuatha Dé Danann won a great victory over the Fomorians. n the tale of the Destruction of Da Derga, Morrígan caused Conaire Mor to break his last geis. Morrígan was also in love with Cú Chulainn, and appeared as a young beautiful maiden to the hero. However, Cú Chulainn rejected Morrígan's love. In the Cattle Raid of Cooley, Morrígan was one of the opponents who attacked Cú Chulainn at the ford, but each time, Cú Chulainn subdued or defeated her.

Though, she had become Cú Chulainn's enemy, in the end, she tried to save the hero. She sent a warning to Cú Chulainn, of the hero been lured away to a death trap set by his enemies, by breaking the pole of his chariot. When Cú Chulainn tied himself to a rock, dying from his wound, Morrígan in the form of raven, sat perch on his shoulder, which kept the enemies at bay. Only when his life slipped away that Morrígan flew away.

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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader

True?

Yep. Some of the legends may vary, depending on which cultural aspect of it you're looking from, but it's very well researched. Good job.

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Never underestimate the stupidity of the human race, because if you do, someone will go out of their way to display it.

Thank you :) It's a passion of mine.
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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader

One word: WOW

Masterfully researched and perfectly compiled into a topic.
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My shadow cannot be illuminated. My plans cannot be eliminated. My will can never be undone...
https://www.angelfire.com/realm3/pchalloffame/

So, although some cults may have adopted Halloween as their favorite "holiday," the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches have Halloween parties or pumpkin carving events for the kids. After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.

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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader

do i HAVE to read all that?
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did mario rape you or something? ~majin nemesis

Well, you didn't have to post in here, so, no.
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My shadow cannot be illuminated. My plans cannot be eliminated. My will can never be undone...
https://www.angelfire.com/realm3/pchalloffame/

I havnt read it all yet, but GREAT JOB! I myself have Celtic connections (family comes from Scotland/Wales) This is some good stuff.
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The preceding post was classified, CIA agents are on their way

Tag.
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Ba weep grana weep ninni bong.
(offers a stick of gum.)

Super Ultra Tag.
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I'm protected by my impenetrable cereal box fort!

Im Irish so FYI:

Oiche Shamhna=Halloween in Gaeilge
Samhain=November " "

bump
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Codename: Otacon || Name: Hal Emmerich.
Otacon's Codec frequency: 141.12.

Mr Bump

I have a question that's been nagging at me for a while here, and since this topic is starting to drop a little, now's as good a time as any to ask.

Why did you tag your own topic, Slade?

*chuckles*

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Never underestimate the stupidity of the human race, because if you do, someone will go out of their way to display it.

Leave it to Americans to Blindly follow things(evil or not) because it's fun for the kiddies and adds a special Scar for Life on the side.

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I HATE LADYBUGS, DANG IMPORTS!
«Gø\/€††ô»

That was amazing. I actually read all that.

I am extremely interested in all those celtic myths and legends. Is there any webpage dedicated to this kind of info?
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"Heaven's Light Shine! Gates of Hell Open Your Passage! Strike! Lightning of the Heavens, Indignation!" ~Keele Zeibel~ Tales Of Eternia

"Is there any webpage dedicated to this kind of info?"

www.google.ca

bump
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My shadow cannot be illuminated. My plans cannot be eliminated. My will can never be undone...
https://www.angelfire.com/realm3/pchalloffame/

bump
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I don't know why or how, but that is also irrelevant in itself. The only relevant thing is accepting the facts. - The Dark Dominator

I heard a slightly different legend regarding the Jack-o-Lantern.
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Brandish the Sand-Hammer!

The legend I heard about Halloween, in very brief form, was that Pagans used the jack-o-lanterns to light their way to their sacred meeting places on the eve of Samhain, which is the new year according to Pagan myth. They did this both for the light itself, and because, in a time when it was becoming increasingly dangerous to be a Pagan in a quickly Christian-dominated world, they could play on the superstitions of the country folk and keep them at bay, because the country folk would see the horrifying faces floating on the winds and think that they were evil spirits, and thus wouldn't get within half a mile of them.

As for the actual origin of Halloween/Samhain itself, in Pagan mythology, it's the date of the God's death and the beginning of the season of death in the cycle of the year. The God dies, only to be reborn of the Goddess at Yule, to grow strong and bring with his strength the return of life and vibrance to nature, and then to grow old as the year wanes on, eventually dying again at Samhain, an endless cycle repeating itself.

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Never underestimate the stupidity of the human race, because if you do, someone will go out of their way to display it.

I think the Jack-o-Lantern used to be a Turnip instead of a Pumpkin.

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«Gø\/€††ô»

Yeah, he explained that way up above.
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Secret Areas: %100
Monsters: %100

You sure? I did a ctl+f and didn't see anyone else say the word turnip.

To think we(not me) celebrate a day of murders(sacrifices) and witchcraft...

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«Gø\/€††ô»

That's because you spelled turnip wrong in your Ctrl-F.
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"Present day humans are so fun to terrorize, don't you think?" - Evil Bakura

I only read the first 3 posts, is that enough? Just want to learn the origins of the holiday.
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The password to my account is 9946

Kerochan13, here are some links.

http://www.timelessmyths.com/
http://www.timelessmyths.com/celtic/index.html
http://www.timelessmyths.com/celtic/druids.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/gaelic/gaelic.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/gaelic/celts.html
http://www.wildideas.net/cathbad/pagan/dr-guide1.html
http://www.wildideas.net/cathbad/
http://www.wildideas.net/cathbad/druid.html
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"Vae victis" (woe to the Defeated) - Brennus, Celtic leader