Have you guys noticed the Celts fascination with heads? Almost all corpses are decapitated. Seldaim, Cuchulainn's father continues to speak through his decapitated head the warning to the Ulstermen to go into battle. Cuchulainn has Fertedill, the charioteer, carry the head of Orlam into Medb and Ailill's camp to have his own head decapitated because he doesn't follow orders. In another story, according to the Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Lengend by Miranda Green, Tale of Mac Do Tho's Pig, Conall Cernach sleeps with the head of a slain Connachton under his knee (p 117). In another tale, Conall Cernach's own head is used to bolster the strength of the Ulstermen when it is filled with milk (p 117, Green). Also, Cuchulainn collects the four skulls and piles them at the creek as a warning as he also, does this with twelve heads at the plain of Murtheme. There is also, the brain-ball which is a hardened mixture of brain and lime which is used as trophies and as weapons (p 117, Green). Obviously, The Celts were headhunters.
What do you make of this practice? Why do you think they would keep the skull of the enemy? Why would Conall's head provide strength to the Ulstermen?
1 comment:
I think they keep the skull and skeletons of the dead body of their enemies because this tortures the soul from having a respectful burial. Also, it reminds the person of the achievment they accomplished of killing their enemy. I think that they mostly go for chopping the head because the head has the face of your enemy and the brain. Maybe they felt that killing the brain was better than stabbing the person in the heart. Also, having your enemies face right there lying dead must have incouraged them and given them strength because they felt that they could defeat anyone.
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