After the Bronze Age: Birds by Hilda Ellis Davidson (1969)

Source: ‘Part II: After the Bronze Age,’ Chariot of the Sun and Other Rites and Symbols of the Northern Bronze Age, 1969, pp. 174-176. The bird costumes of the Bronze Age are echoed in traditions of the later heathen period. The water birds, swans, ducks and geese, who are associated in the Bronze Age with …

After the Bronze Age: The Stag by Hilda Ellis Davidson (1969)

Source: ‘Part II: After the Bronze Age,’ Chariot of the Sun and Other Rites and Symbols of the Northern Bronze Age, 1969, pp. 172-174.   The stag was of great importance among the Celtic peoples in the Roman period, and appears in a prominent position on the Gundestrup bowl, with a god-like figure thought to …

After the Bronze Age: The Horse by Hilda Ellis Davidson (1969)

Source: ‘Part II: After the Bronze Age,’ Chariot of the Sun and Other Rites and Symbols of the Northern Bronze Age, 1969, pp. 167-172. The horse continues to be a symbol of great religious significance throughout the pagan period. Once more there is a dearth of evidence in the centuries following the Bronze Age, and …

After the Bronze Age: Farm Animals by Hilda Ellis Davidson (1969)

Source: ‘Part II: After the Bronze Age,’ Chariot of the Sun and Other Rites and Symbols of the Northern Bronze Age, 1969, pp. 163-166. The Bull The bull loses his ancient importance in later heathen times in the north, and is replaced by the horse. The same seems to be true of Celtic paganism where …