Celtic Memories —by Míchealín Daugherty The Celts believed that the earth remembers everything, and is a witness to history in a profound way. It was the shaman's task to know and "read" the land, so as to be part of it and understand (or even prevent) any imbalances that might occur. The seanachie, the chronicler and the storyteller were the Celtic "Guardians of Memory." Memory of Earth. There are many Irish legends about the "Memory of Earth" — the land, the sea, and those who used, conquered and settled it whether for good or bad. Memory of Trees. To the Celts, trees were thought to be repositories of memory, lore and spirits. For example: each individual letter of the Ogham alphabet, used by bards and shaman-poets, is associated with a tree.  The Celtic Tree of Life and other pieces of Celtic artwork also contain elaborate tree representations. Memory of Animals. The notion that animals can teach humans is an integral part of shamanism in many cultures. To the Celts, animals were teachers of the natural world; and finding and working with an animal helper was one of the primary initiations of the shaman. Later when Christianity sought to overtake the Celtic traditions, many of the "saints" were associated with animals. For example, St. Kevin learned patience from a blackbird. And there is much animal symbolism in Celtic art, as well as in the legends of Cuchulainn. The Memory of Ancestors. Ancestral reverence was a strong part of Celtic Shamanism. Many legends, the Legend of Tuan mac Carrill for example, have children being born with an innate memory of past existences. It is also interesting to note that the indigenous people (Aborigine) of Australia have many similar beliefs in the power of memory; in their culture it is called 'The Dreaming'.   Note: The Encyclopeadia of Celtic Wisdom, by Caitlin and John Matthews (Element Books, Salisbury, Dorset) has an extensive section on Celtic Memories. This summary is based upon knowledge gleaned from that book…and from my own memory.   Page last updated 12 Sep 2006 Website Design and Myths & Magic logo by Míchealín Daugherty Copyright © 2006 Ireland's OWN All Rights Reserved.