Celts & Norse
Druids, seiðr, galdr and Celtic and Norse magic in the sources.
The Berserkir: Odin's Bear and Wolf Warriors in the Sources
Who the berserkir and úlfheðnar were: Snorri's description in the Ynglinga saga, the poem on Haraldr, the debate over the name and the Torslunda plates.
The Celtic Cult of the Head: Sources, Sanctuaries and Myths
The Celtic cult of the head: the reports of Posidonius and Diodorus, the shrines of Roquepertuse and Entremont, Postumius's skull and the head of Bran.
The Celtic Otherworld: the Sídhe, the Blessed Isles and Annwn
The Otherworld in Irish and Welsh tradition: the mounds of the sídhe, the voyages of Bran and Connla, Pwyll as king of Annwn and Arthur's expedition.
Celtic Water Offerings: Lakes, Rivers and Bogs
Why the Celts threw weapons and treasure into the waters: La Tène, Llyn Cerrig Bach, the gold of Tolosa in Strabo, bent swords and the Battersea shield.
The Coligny Calendar: the Sacred Time of the Gauls in Bronze
The Gaulish calendar of Coligny: the 1897 discovery, the MAT and ANM months, the five-year lunisolar cycle and the month of Samonios clearly explained.
The Druids in Classical Sources: Caesar, Strabo, Pliny
Who the druids were according to Caesar, Strabo, Diodorus and Pliny: their roles, oral teaching, sacrifices and the limits of sources written by outsiders.
Druids and the Immortal Soul: the Doctrine in Ancient Sources
What the druids believed about the soul according to Caesar, Diodorus, Lucan and Mela, the supposed link with Pythagoras and debts repaid in the afterlife.
The Druids' Serpent Egg: Pliny's Account of the Anguinum
The anguinum described by Pliny the Elder: how it formed, how it was gathered, what druids used it for and the Roman knight Claudius put to death over it.
Fylgja, Hamingja and Hamr: the Multiple Souls of the Norse
How the Norse conceived the soul: the fylgja that follows a person, the hamingja of the kin, the hamr that changes shape and the hugr that travels.
Galdr: the Magical Chant of the Norse Tradition
What galdr was in Old Norse sources: the verb gala, the galdralag metre, the chants of Hávamál, Skírnismál and Grógaldr and their link with carved runes.
The Geis: the Sacred Taboos of Heroes in Early Ireland
What a geis is in Irish literature: Cú Chulainn's taboos and the dog meat, the gessa broken by King Conaire Mór and the link between destiny and kingship.
The Greenland Seeress in the Saga of Erik the Red
The rite of Thorbjörg, the little seeress of the Saga of Erik the Red: her garments, staff, meal of hearts, the varðlokkur songs and the famine prophecy.
The Gundestrup Cauldron: Sacred Images in Silver
The Gundestrup cauldron, found in a Danish peat bog in 1891: the silver plates, the immersion scene, the bull on the base plate and its origins.
Imbas Forosnai and Tarbfeis: Divination in Early Ireland
Irish divination in the sources: the imbas forosnai of Cormac's glossary, the bull feast, the prophetess Fedelm and the thumb of Fionn mac Cumhaill.
The Filid of Ireland: Seer-Poets and the Power of Satire
Who the Irish filid were: the grades and training of learned poets, how they differed from bards, disfiguring satire and the tale of Néde and Caier.
The Larzac Tablet: Women's Magic in Roman Gaul
The Larzac lead tablet, the longest text in Gaulish: its discovery in a grave, the women's names, the «magic of women» and the Chamalières tablet.
Modern Druidry: from Stukeley to Iolo Morganwg
How modern druidry was born: the antiquaries Aubrey and Stukeley, the Ancient Order of Druids, Iolo Morganwg, the 1792 Gorsedd and the forgeries found later.
The Assault on Mona: Tacitus and the Druids' Last Stand
Tacitus' account of the Roman attack on the island of Mona in AD 60: druids, women with torches, sacred groves cut down and the Llyn Cerrig Bach discovery.
The Morrígan: Crow Goddess of War and Prophecy
The Morrígan in Irish sources: the triad with Badb and Macha, her union with the Dagda at Samhain, her challenge to Cú Chulainn and the washer at the ford.
The Níðstang: Egill's Pole of Scorn and the Spirits of the Land
The níðstang in the Icelandic sagas: the horse-headed pole raised by Egill against King Eiríkr, níð as magical insult and the landvættir who guard Iceland.
The Norns: Urðr, Verðandi, Skuld and Norse Fate
The Norns in Norse mythology: the three maidens of the Völuspá, the well of Urðr, the norns at Helgi's birth, the candle of Norna-Gestr and wyrd.
Seiðr: Norse Magic in the Sagas and the Edda
What seiðr was according to Old Norse sources: Freyja and Odin in Ynglinga saga, the ritual platform, the songs and the ambiguous reputation of this magic.
The Uppsala Temple According to Adam of Bremen: the Swedish Blót
The pagan temple of Uppsala in Adam of Bremen: the statues of Thor, Wodan and Fricco, the nine-year feast, the sacred grove and the blót in Snorri.
The Valkyries: Choosers of the Slain and the Loom of War
Valkyries in Norse sources: the name, the host of the Völuspá, Göndul and Skögul in the Hákonarmál, the loom of the Darraðarljóð and the swan maidens.
Völuspá: the Seeress's Prophecy from Beginning to End
Völuspá, the eddic poem in which a seeress tells Odin of the creation, Yggdrasil, the war of the Æsir and Vanir, the death of Baldr and Ragnarök.