Keltic Krampus II

"Keltic" Style 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....

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

Is he a symbol of nature, and the rebirth of nature once winter has retreated and the sun has returned, or is he a symbol of Anglo Saxon resistance to Norman invaders....

THE GREEN MAN

The mysterious Green Man continues to captivate people

This latest design 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). 

Cernunnos, 'The Horned God'

"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.