Celtic Reconstructionism

Origins

Celtic Reconstructionism, often shortened to CR, emerged in the 1980s and 1990s. Its supporters wanted to base modern practice on the surviving evidence for Celtic religion, such as medieval Irish and Welsh literature, archaeology, place names and folklore, and not on later romantic inventions.

It is not one organisation, and practitioners work in different Celtic traditions, most often Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and also Welsh. Because the written sources were mostly recorded by Christian scribes centuries after the old religion ended, CR practitioners treat them with care and are open about what is uncertain.

Beliefs and values

Practitioners honour gods and goddesses, ancestors and the spirits of place, and they value hospitality, honour, poetry and the keeping of promises. Many see religious practice as a matter of right relationship with the land and the otherworld, and not as faith in a creed.

Most insist on scholarly sources and learn the relevant languages, at least in part. Many avoid the Wheel of the Year in its Wiccan form and use Gaelic festival names and customs instead.

Timeline

c. 1100

The Book of the Dun Cow, an early Irish manuscript of myths, is compiled.

c. 1160

The Book of Leinster is compiled, preserving many early Irish stories.

1980s

Reconstructionist approaches to Celtic religion begin to take shape.

1990s

Reading lists and groups begin to circulate widely, helped by the internet.

Key terms

geis

A ritual taboo or obligation; the plural is geasa.

filí

The poets and learned class of early medieval Ireland.

Tuatha Dé Danann

The divine people of Irish myth.

aos sí

The 'people of the mounds', spirits associated with the land.

hospitality

A central duty in early Irish society, and a core value for many practitioners.

How it keeps the festivals

Celtic Reconstructionists usually keep the four Gaelic festivals: Samhain, Imbolc, Bealtaine and Lughnasadh. They generally pay less attention to the solstices and equinoxes, which are not clearly marked in the Irish sources. Many use the Irish or Scottish Gaelic spellings and the traditional dates, and some reckon each festival from the previous sunset.

See the Wheel of the Year and the glossary.

Where to read

• Jeffrey Gantz (trans.), Early Irish Myths and Sagas, Penguin
• Sioned Davies (trans.), The Mabinogion, Oxford World's Classics
• Ronald Hutton, The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles
• Miranda Aldhouse-Green, Exploring the World of the Druids
• Alexei Kondratiev, The Apple Branch

Cautions

The sources are limited, late and often written by Christian scribes, so claims about ancient practice should be treated carefully. Be wary of material that mixes Celtic names with other traditions without saying so, and of anyone who claims a secret or unbroken lineage.