Nwywre, or Nyu – the Serpent of Life in the Celtic Religion
The druids in Gaul believed the serpent symbolised the fifth element of an invisible life-giving force called Nyu, or Nwywre in Welsh. Nwywre was a primordial energy which existed on the earth and in the universe from the very beginning of time.
The druids honoured Nwywre by calling themselves “Nadredd “, or “serpents”. Carvings of two serpents twined around each other were engraved on the staffs of the druids.
The symbol may be a recognition that the druids as the guardians of the ancient knowledge, power and wisdom of Nwywre. The serpent represented wisdom and supernatural power in the Celtic world.
The importance of Nwywre in Britain was such that Welsh bards normally referred to the druids as Nadredd.
The druids and Celtic tribes in Gaul venerated a serpent god called Nathair possibly as another incarnation of Nwywre.
Naithair may also be translated as “serpent” in Gaelic in Ireland. Gad-el-Glas was the ‘green God-snake’ in Irish mythology.
A relief from Mavilly in France dated to the first or second centuries AD depicted the druidesses of Gaul dancing with snakes in one hand and ritual objects in the other.
Snakes were sacred creatures in the Celtic religion as symbols of fertility, healing and rebirth.
The fertility aspect may be explained by the ability of a female snake to lay a great number of eggs and so produce many offspring.
Cernunnos, Demona and Sirona were only some of the many Celtic deities who were depicted with snakes as symbols of fertility.
Snakes regularly shed their skins which mimicked the rebirth of the immortal soul as it moved from one human body to another or transmigration.
The regenerative power of snakes during the shedding of their skins was regarded as a symbol of healing.
The druids venerated Nwywre as the unseen spirit which caused the creative spark that brought all life into being on the earth, or the physical world.
Nwywre, was also the fifth element whose connective energy joined the other four elements of earth, fire, water and air.
Everything on the earth moved in a natural cycle and manner because of the union of the five elements. The earth was united with the sky because of the fusion of Nwywre with the other four elements.
The potency of Nwywre could be felt everywhere in the mortal world.
The druids also regarded Nwywre as a spiritual energy which linked the mortal realm to the divine beings, or the gods, of the Otherworld.
Nwywre was a source of great spiritual power as the souls and spirits in the mortal world were also created by Nwywre as a never-ending, unseen force of the universe.
According to druidic legends, the universe was hatched from two crimson eggs laid by a serpent, or Nwywre, in a willow tree. One of the eggs contained the sun while the other contained the earth. Life came into being from the life-force of Nwywre.
The druids hid eggs in willow trees as part of the rituals associated with Beltane.
The druids in Britain and Gaul carried an adder stone on their person, possibly to connect with the invisible spirit of Nwywre.
Adder stones, or “serpent’s eggs”, were held in the highest esteem by the druids and worn an emblem of their high status and authority in Celtic society.
The druids were used adder’s stoned to enhance the power of their spells and incantations during rituals.
The Celts believed adder stones possessed immense supernatural powers of healing and prophecy.
Pliny described the reaction of Emperor Claudius on seeing an adder stone in Rome. He wrote “a Roman knight, a Vocontian, who was slain by the stupid emperor Claudius, merely because he wore it in his breast when a lawsuit was pending” .
Claudius and the Romans loathed druidism because of the practice of human sacrifice. Roman Emperors persecuted the druids because they incited rebellions among the Celtic tribes in Britain and Gaul.
Druidism was outlawed in the Roman Empire and the presence of a seditious religion was not tolerated in Rome.
The Romanised Celt from Gaul was executed by Claudius because the presence of the adder’s stone was viewed as an act of treason.
The Romans were a superstitious people who feared the unearthly powers of the adder stone and the mystical abilities of the druids.
Nwywre, or Nyu, was paid homage to by the druids as an unearthly primordial spirit whose life-giving force gave birth to mankind. All aspects of nature in the mortal world depended on the unifying force of Nwywre with the four elements of earth, wind, fire and water.
The spirituality of Nwywre was also important as a connection to the divine beings, or pagan gods and goddesses, of the Otherworld.
For more information on the druids of Britain and Gaul, please visit
http://celtsandmyths.mzzhost.com/fall_of_the_druids_in_britain_part_one.html
The druids in Gaul believed the serpent symbolised the fifth element of an invisible life-giving force called Nyu, or Nwywre in Welsh. Nwywre was a primordial energy which existed on the earth and in the universe from the very beginning of time.
The druids honoured Nwywre by calling themselves “Nadredd “, or “serpents”. Carvings of two serpents twined around each other were engraved on the staffs of the druids.
The symbol may be a recognition that the druids as the guardians of the ancient knowledge, power and wisdom of Nwywre. The serpent represented wisdom and supernatural power in the Celtic world.
The importance of Nwywre in Britain was such that Welsh bards normally referred to the druids as Nadredd.
The druids and Celtic tribes in Gaul venerated a serpent god called Nathair possibly as another incarnation of Nwywre.
Naithair may also be translated as “serpent” in Gaelic in Ireland. Gad-el-Glas was the ‘green God-snake’ in Irish mythology.
A relief from Mavilly in France dated to the first or second centuries AD depicted the druidesses of Gaul dancing with snakes in one hand and ritual objects in the other.
Snakes were sacred creatures in the Celtic religion as symbols of fertility, healing and rebirth.
The fertility aspect may be explained by the ability of a female snake to lay a great number of eggs and so produce many offspring.
Cernunnos, Demona and Sirona were only some of the many Celtic deities who were depicted with snakes as symbols of fertility.
Snakes regularly shed their skins which mimicked the rebirth of the immortal soul as it moved from one human body to another or transmigration.
The regenerative power of snakes during the shedding of their skins was regarded as a symbol of healing.
The druids venerated Nwywre as the unseen spirit which caused the creative spark that brought all life into being on the earth, or the physical world.
Nwywre, was also the fifth element whose connective energy joined the other four elements of earth, fire, water and air.
Everything on the earth moved in a natural cycle and manner because of the union of the five elements. The earth was united with the sky because of the fusion of Nwywre with the other four elements.
The potency of Nwywre could be felt everywhere in the mortal world.
The druids also regarded Nwywre as a spiritual energy which linked the mortal realm to the divine beings, or the gods, of the Otherworld.
Nwywre was a source of great spiritual power as the souls and spirits in the mortal world were also created by Nwywre as a never-ending, unseen force of the universe.
According to druidic legends, the universe was hatched from two crimson eggs laid by a serpent, or Nwywre, in a willow tree. One of the eggs contained the sun while the other contained the earth. Life came into being from the life-force of Nwywre.
The druids hid eggs in willow trees as part of the rituals associated with Beltane.
The druids in Britain and Gaul carried an adder stone on their person, possibly to connect with the invisible spirit of Nwywre.
Adder stones, or “serpent’s eggs”, were held in the highest esteem by the druids and worn an emblem of their high status and authority in Celtic society.
The druids were used adder’s stoned to enhance the power of their spells and incantations during rituals.
The Celts believed adder stones possessed immense supernatural powers of healing and prophecy.
Pliny described the reaction of Emperor Claudius on seeing an adder stone in Rome. He wrote “a Roman knight, a Vocontian, who was slain by the stupid emperor Claudius, merely because he wore it in his breast when a lawsuit was pending” .
Claudius and the Romans loathed druidism because of the practice of human sacrifice. Roman Emperors persecuted the druids because they incited rebellions among the Celtic tribes in Britain and Gaul.
Druidism was outlawed in the Roman Empire and the presence of a seditious religion was not tolerated in Rome.
The Romanised Celt from Gaul was executed by Claudius because the presence of the adder’s stone was viewed as an act of treason.
The Romans were a superstitious people who feared the unearthly powers of the adder stone and the mystical abilities of the druids.
Nwywre, or Nyu, was paid homage to by the druids as an unearthly primordial spirit whose life-giving force gave birth to mankind. All aspects of nature in the mortal world depended on the unifying force of Nwywre with the four elements of earth, wind, fire and water.
The spirituality of Nwywre was also important as a connection to the divine beings, or pagan gods and goddesses, of the Otherworld.
For more information on the druids of Britain and Gaul, please visit
http://celtsandmyths.mzzhost.com/fall_of_the_druids_in_britain_part_one.html
