Celtic Symbols
Reference List Of Celtic Symbolism
These are only those items which have (documented) historical importance in Celtic paganism, those that can be found in Celtic mythology and literature. This is a selection of those items that occur the most frequently and seem to have significance from a religious aspect.
Animals:
| bee | diligence, prosperity |
| boar | strength, warrior |
| bull | rage, strength, masculinity, war |
| chicken | stupidity |
| cow | fertility, female beauty, abundance |
| crane | warning |
| crow | battle, death, warning |
| dog | homestead, weakness |
| hare | sexual potency, fertility |
| hawk | swiftness, freedom |
| horse | strength, being faithfull |
| hound | valour, loyalty |
| magpie | druidic magic |
| otter | often seen as an agent of the Otherworld |
| owl | wisdom, patience |
| ox | labour, strength, diligence |
| raven | battle, death |
| salmon | poetic wisdom, life-force |
| sow | greed |
| spider | (often called "little wild ox") |
| stag | royalty, kingship |
| swan | Tuatha De Danann |
| weasel | often seen as an agent of the Otherworld |
| wolf | clan, loyalty, strength |
| wren | concealment, secrets |
Colors:
| brown | animals, home |
| gold | wealth, royalty |
| green | beauty, fertility, prosperity |
| orange | creativity, fertility, prosperity, sexuality |
| red | anger, birth and death, courage, love, strength |
| silver | authority, magical power |
| purple | power, prosperity, royalty, wealth |
| white | barrenness, emptyness, purification |
| yellow | divination, giving thanks |
Nature:
| cave | often a symbol of the Otherworld, or an entrance to the Otherworld |
| cliff | magical borders |
| egg | healing, creation |
| fire | inspiration, creativity, membership in tribe, often seen as a catalyst |
| fog | the mystical and/or spiritual, the Otherworld |
| lightning | swiftness, punishment |
| sun | fertility, light (the sun is female in Irish mythology) |
| thunder | power, strength |
| twilight | an in-between time, the Otherworld |
| waterfall | an in-between place, the Otherworld |
| well spring | health, inspiration, mystical power |
Plants and Trees:
| apple | love, happiness, often used for scrying a potential mate or lover at Samhain |
| alder | often considered unlucky to use, one of the sacred trees |
| ash | battle, austerity, protection, magic, rejuvination, one of the sacred trees |
| bay leaves | protection, purification, strength |
| beech | potency, thanksgiving, used in divination |
| birch | cleansing, one of the sacred trees |
| elm | attraction (of Sidhe), protection, love, one of the sacred trees |
| elder | hosting (of Sidhe), protection from magic, shape-shifting, |
| flowers in general | beauty, youth |
| gorse or furze | difficulty, protection |
| hawthorn | attraction during Beltane, hosting (of Sidhe), quest, trial, one of the sacred trees |
| hazel | poetry, magic, one of the sacred trees; its nut imparted wisdom |
| holly | trickery, used to bring good dreams, one of the sacred trees |
| mistletoe | fertility, health, hunting, love, protection |
| mugwort | insight, protection, used for divination |
| nuts in general | wisdom |
| oak | abundance, hospitality, law, tradition, one of the sacred trees |
| pine | fertility, protection, purification |
| poplar | magic |
| rowan (mainly the berries) | protection, magic, rejuvination, one of the sacred trees |
| spindle tree | encouragement, endurance |
| St. Johns Wort | happiness, health, love divination, protection |
| valarian | love, sleep, health, purification |
| willow | health, fertility, magic, one of the sacred trees |
| yarrow | courage, health, love |
| yew | royalty, life/death, one of the sacred trees |
Other:
| blindness | often symbolizes a person with great inner sight, musical/poetic ability, prophecy |
| cauldron | birth/death/rebirth, abundunce, healing, poetic insight, knowledge, symbol of the Goddess Cerridwen |
| chariot | swiftness, warriorlike |
| clockwise, sunwise, or deosil | beginning, opening |
| counter-clockwise or widdershins | finalizing, binding, returning to source |
| harp | authority, mainly seen as an Irish symbol |
| mirror | magical insight, used as a tool for scrying |
| nine | magic fullness, power |
| shield | protection |
| sun-burst | Fianna |
| sword | truth, warrior |
| symmetry | stagnation, impotence |
| three | binding |
| torc | authority, freedom |
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Copyright © Melissa Blakely |