Celtic Art

Banshee (bean sí)

The banshee (bean sí in Irish) is a ghoulish figure from ancient Celtic fairy lore. She is said to appear as an omen of death, wailing and crying outside of the home for a loved one in the house who is soon to die. She is a pretty terrifying figure. Legend has it that the banshee only wails for five different Irish families. I am a descendant of one of those five families, so I felt compelled to portray this wailing wench in all her spooky glory!

"Celtic Elk Rampant" for apparel.

"Celtic Elk Rampant" for apparel.

Sketch for Album Cover art for Irish Folk Band, Oak Ash & Thorn

Celtic Stag

"The Morrigan"

"the Morrigan." Irish/Celtic goddess of war always associated with a raven (hence the bird skull head dress and feathers). In irish mythology she is one of the supernatural race (the Tuatha De Danaan) who first settled Ireland and went underground to become the Faery people of legend. Often compared to the Viking Valkyries and Germanic Norns, she is also associated with witchcraft. She pops up in many stories in Irish mythology, plays a major role in the story of Ireland's greatest hero, Cu Chulainn, and is believed to be the inspiration for Morgan Le Fay of Arthurian legends that came centuries after the Irish mythology stories. 

A raven Celtic border for possible use with the Morrigan design.

The "Hop and Barley Green Man"

I created a Green Man where the plants that make up his face are the ingredients of beer! "The Hops & Barley Green Man"! I used lots of very heavy black shading to give him a more tribal vibe.

"The Green Man, or Jack o' the Green"

My latest drawing is of the GREEN MAN! This frondescent fellow is very much a mystery, but it is widely accepted that he is a pre-Christian, Celtic nature spirit representing the cycle of life, and the rebirth of plants and nature in the Spring. The green man went into hiding with the spread of Christianity, but vestiges of his viny visage continued to appear in the carvings of churches, chapels, and cathedrals. In fact, there are more than 110 green men carved into the crevices of the esoteric Rosslyn Chapel (the cryptic chapel associated with the Knights Templar after they were disbanded and went into hiding). The oldest found carving of the leafy lad's foliate face dates back to 400 AD! The green man archetype is connected to some legends that you may not have heard of such as Jack-in-the-Green, the woodland faery Puck, Cernunnos, and Herne the Hunter. But the green man also lives on in other legends you probably HAVE heard of such as Robin Hood, Peter Pan, the Holly King (you know the Holly King better as the Ghost of Christmas Present), and the Green Knight of Arthurian legend. All of these characters beckon back to an older time.

Some "Green man" Lettering to go with the Green man Sketch

"Keltic Krampus"

Ah, Christmas. Mother in her kerchief, and Father in his cap. The children swimming through a sea of wrapped gifts. Stockings stuffed with chocolate hang neatly above a blessed Yule log crackling away in the fireplace. So cozy. So joyous. The fear of possibly receiving coal in your stocking is long gone. The biggest fear children have around Christmas time these days is "Elf on a Shelf", and, boy, is he an intimidating figure....

Elf on a Shelf  =  Nothing to worry about

"You better be good, little boys and girls, or Elf on a Shelf might.... move around the room...??!" Yep. Nowadays parents try to coerce compliance from their children by threatening them with a tiny household sprite whose biggest threat is that he may show up in different spots around the house in a variety of FABULOUS poses. How absurd.

It wasn't always this way. A long time ago, before Coca Cola created Santa Clause and before the reason for the season was to go into debt buying cheap crap made in China in order to show people you secretly can't stand the other 364 days of the year how much you "love" them, there was a reason for bad children to dread Christmas.

You see, the German speaking cultures didn't fuck around when it came to discipline. It wasn't, "Oh please be good, little children. If you're good I'll take out a second mortgage on the house in order to buy you more shit you don't need, and if you're bad, Elf on a Shelf might do a split on the mantle, and you'll still get all your presents anyway!" Hell no. In the German speaking world, fathers would get together, get bombed on hearty lagers (not this "lite" shit people drink now), and they would then TERRORIZE their own children dressed as something so horrible, so unbearably wretched that the German children wouldn't even THINK about misbehaving!

They dressed..... as KRAMPUS!

Krampus  =  a LOT to worry about 

(photo by Anita Martinz found on Wikipedia)

Forget about dad dressing up as jolly ol' St. Nick and bringing joy into the household. No way. The German children lived in FEAR that a slight infraction, a single misstep, one back sass, or tantrum could get them WHIPPED by Krampus' birch branches, or worse! Krampus had a sack, but it didn't contain gifts. It contained the bodies of exceptionally bad children whom he ABDUCTED from their slumber, and then promptly DROWNED them in the local river or creek. Merry fucking Christmas!

You can imagine that Krampus was a bit more motivating than Elf on the God damned Shelf... The Krampus traditions fell out of favor in the USA after we fought not one, but TWO WORLD WARS against the Germans. After that, anything German wasn't all that popular... BUT, the Krampus seems to be on the verge of a comeback in North America! So nasty, whiny, bratty, spoiled, snot nosed, running through a restaurant, tantrum throwing, screaming, children may just get what is coming to them! Krampus might just show up again, and dish out some long overdue ass whoopings! BEWARE!

The drawing above is the second attempt by me to fuse some Celtic style into the Krampus mythos (you can see the first "Keltic Krampus" drawing here). What I love about the Celtic style is that it conveys a sense of mystery. Like the artwork depicts something ancient and lost to time and history. That's why I think the Krampus is a perfect character to be portrayed in a Celtic style. The history of Krampus, as with most folklore, is shrouded in a past that isn't totally clear, and yet, it's presence continues to be known into contemporary times. This version, to me, looks kind of like a Tarot card. It's more simplistic and two-dimensional, but it's meaning implies centuries of history and hidden meaning. You can buy apparel with a colored version of this drawing by clicking HERE!

Cernunnos, "The Horned God"

In Celtic culture, the mysterious image of a horned being permeates from the Iron Age in the Gaulish La Tène culture all the way up to 19th century England in the legends of Herne the Hunter. In spite of several depictions of a "horned god" in Celtic artwork throughout the centuries, the answers to exactly who this horned being was is not clear.

The name "Cernunnos" is found on an artifact known as "the Pillar of the Boatman". It's a carving from the first century CE, and it is the only time the name Cernunnos appears in reference to this horned being. However, the oldest image of Cernunnos is found on the Gundestrup Cauldron, an Iron Age relic of the ancient Celtic people of mainland Europe. Modern interpretation speculates that Cernunnos was a god of nature and fertility. In spite of the uncertainty behind this arcane creature, one thing is clear, his importance to the Celts must have been great in order for his legend to endure for so many centuries.

I love Cernunnos because of the mystique and secrecy that surrounds him. In addition to antlers on his head, he is often depicted holding a torc in one hand, and a serpent in the other. Again, the significance of this is unknown as the Celts did not write it down, but I find the riddle of Cernunnos to be fascinating. My drawing pays homage to this enigmatic figure of the forest by depicting the horned figure, torc in one hand, serpent in the other, as he has been depicted since the earliest times. My interpretation of Cernunnos was done in a Celtic style, which seemed fitting to me since this is a character from Celtic mythology. He is in an action pose because I imagine Cernunnos having the speed and agility of a deer or elk to match the antlers on his head. I would think that anyone who spends all their time in the forest would have to show some measure of athleticism.

Ancient Celtic Woad Warrior

"While on his deathbed, an old chieftain was asked if he could find it in his heart to forgive his enemies before his impending death. The chieftain replied that he had no enemies, for he had already killed them all."

This is my take on what the Ancient Celts looked like based on descriptions by Roman historians that had encountered them. Plaid trousers, woad tattoos, hair highlighted and spiked into points with lime, clean shaven except for a moustache, and a habit of collecting their slain enemies severed heads!

Sketch Version

People of Celtic decent are often known for having large families. In particular, families that produced strong, rowdy boys that work hard, and play hard. They grow up fighting and competing with each other, but this also forms a bond between them that is unbreakable. Hence, the Clan structure that existed throughout Celtic society.

Brothers may fight each other, but God help the poor soul that made trouble for any one of them. The offender would feel the wrath of the whole family! It's just the Celtic way.

This image represents the bond formed through a lifetime of trials and tribulations. The three brothers here are intertwined with each other just as their lives have been intertwined from birth and will remain intertwined for life. They are rotated in a triangular pattern. Each watching the others back. Never letting their guard down.

This one hits close to home for me, and I'm sure for many others out there.

If you like this design, consider checking out our online store which offers many of our original Celtic designs on quality clothing and gifts!

A Celtic Lion in the Medieval Celtic monk style. The image is the letters "DJC" (my initials). The lion is the "D" and the "J" and "C" are in dark black. Can you see it? This style of lettering is extensive in medieval books such as the Book of Kells. The animorphic styles (such as the use of the lion) was introduced to the British Isles by the Vikings and represents a style that was very popular among the Germanic tribes of Europe. The Celts combined these popular Germanic styles with their own ancient styles (mostly spiral motifs) to create a sort of hybrid that is mostly identified as a Celtic style today.

If you like this design, consider checking out our online store which offers many of our original Celtic designs on quality clothing and gifts!

For the ladies... 

The Celtic Cross is probably the most favored way of showing Celtic pride. It was the first thing I tattooed on myself, and my relatives all have one hanging somewhere. The unique style of The Celtic Cross has made it a very identifiable symbol of Celtic Culture. 

However, it can be difficult to find a Celtic Cross that is a stand out from all the others. This custom Celtic Cross is definitely unique because it has an almost Gothic style to it with its aggressive points and dark colors. Definitely a bad ass and unique Celtic Cross.

Our online store, Celtic Hammer Club, offers this design in men's and women's clothing!

"The Hunter vs. the Wolf"

This original drawing depicts a Hunter locked in battle with a Wolf. I wanted to draw a Celtic Image that was in the basic shape of a "figure 8". Something kind of symmetrical. So I drew a figure 8 and played around with it and determined that, in order for this image to work, I was going to need two different figures to create complexity. I didn't want to just created a Celtic serpent in a figure 8. That would have been too easy and boring. So I came up with this idea of the "Hunter vs. the Wolf". I thought it was kind of a folksy idea that was true to the style of the image. I threw some blood and gore in there to add a bit of modern edge that I'm so fond of, and to this day this is still one of my absolute favorite images. We have clothing with this design on it in the Celtic Hammer Club Store.

The Iron Cross has been a symbol of power and strength. I've always had a thing for its pointy edges and symmetry. The Iron Cross just looks bad ass! So, as I usually do, I blended this powerful image with custom Celtic knot work and this image was the result. Getting that border right was a bastard and drove me absolutely "knotty" (you have permission to slap me if you ever meet me for punning like that). 

Knots within knots

Trinity Knots

Another colorful insular knot work picture.

 Blank shield and banner allows for personalizing!

The Berserker from our Gym Apparel line. I wanted him to be over the top. A cross between humorous and bad ass.

A quick Krampus sketch I did in pen and marker. I really liked how he came out. I could picture him in a cartoon.

Two versions of an Irish/Celtic harp. The harp has been the symbol of Ireland for centuries. It predates the shamrock and is still extensively used to represent Ireland to this day.