Deities
of Crossroads in Celtic Mythology
Crossroads
were considered supernatural regions imbued with the power of the
Otherworld by the druids and Celtic tribes in Britain, Ireland and
Europe.
The
intersection of roads was thought to be a mysterious place as a
meeting place between the mortal world and the Otherworld. Crossroads
were known among the Celts as the unearthly abodes of the pagan gods,
goddesses and nature spirits.
Crossroads
were viewed as spiritual places because the deities and spirits were
able to travel across the thin boundary, or veil, that separated the
two dimensions.
Offerings
were made at cross-roads to appease the god, goddess or nature spirit
who protected travellers and pilgrims as they passed over crossroads.
They
sought the help of the guardian of the crossroads to keep them from
harm and ensured they journeyed along the right road to their
destination.
“Other
spiritual locations included” forests, seashores, crossroads,
territorial boundaries, caves, river fords, wells, bridges, and
burial grounds”.
“Such
places held inherent power and were likely sites to encounter
deities, the dead, and other non-human entities. To this day, many
believe that to build on such sites is to invite disaster on the
enterprise”
[Eir
- Chaos and Tripartite Order:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~shae/chapter5.htm
).
The
guardian of the cross-roads was a liminal deity. “A liminal deity
is a god or goddess in mythology who presides over thresholds, gates,
or doorways; “a crosser of boundaries”.
“Special
types include dying-and-rising deities, various agricultural deities,
and those who descend into the underworld: crossing the threshold
between life and death representing the most fundamental of all
boundaries.”
[Wikipedia
– Liminal Deity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liminal_deity).
The
spirituality of crossroads was recognised by the druids who often
gathered where roads met during the festival of Samhain. The unseen
forces of the Otherworld were at their greatest during Samhain.
The
thin veil between the two worlds was lifted and souls of the dead and
the divine beings of the Otherworld roamed among the living. The
druids listened to the voices of the souls who passed away to gain
ancient knowledge and wisdom.
Shrines
and altars were built at crossroads by the Celts and the Romans
during the era of the Roman Empire. The Romans believed cross-roads
presided over by a god, goddess or protective spirit.
Hecate
was the goddess of magic, door-ways and boundaries. She was the
divine guardian of cross-roads in Roman mythology.
The
goddess, Hecate, was thought to protect against evil spirits and the
unhappy souls of the dead. Votive offerings were traditionally made
to the goddess, Hecate, at crossroads during the new moon.
Roads
and cross-roads were important during the Imperial Age of Rome
because of trade. Merchants were anxious that they and their goods
would suffer some form of misfortune as they journeyed along roads.
The
legions and other military personnel also used roads extensively
while guarding the provinces of the Empire. Soldiers were concerned
about ambushes as they marched along roads.
Travellers
and pilgrims feared bands of thieves and robbers. Shepherds and
herdsmen dreaded attacks by wolves, bears and other wild animals.
Coffins
and the dead were taken along roads and passed cross-roads during
burials. Roads and cross-roads became associated with restless souls
and nature spirits in many Celtic lands.
Some
souls were thought to have escaped during their journey to their
burial grounds. They remained bound to roads and crossroads for an
eternity.
The
“Sweet Track” in Somerset was an ancient burial road used during
Neolithic times. Ghosts and phantoms have been seen for centuries
along the “Lych Way” in Dartmoor.
Appeasing
the deities and spirits who guarded cross-roads was beneficial to
those who passed over them.
Cernunnos
was the powerful horned-god of forests, fertility and abundance in
the Celtic world. He was considered a liminal deity as lord of the
Underworld and his dominion over nature in the mortal realm.
The
nature god, Cernunnos, transformed into a deity of commerce and
prosperity among the Celts, particularly in Gaul, during the era of
the Roman Empire. Cernunnos was venerated as a guardian of crossroads
because of he was a liminal deity of life and death.
Lugh,
the Celtic god of light, guided travellers so they journeyed along
the right path to their destination. He was also venerated as a
protective deity of cross-roads among the Celtic tribes.
The
Quadriviæ were venerated as goddesses of crossroads, at Cherbourg in
Normandy in north-western France.
The
druids and Celts in Ireland placed large stones at cross-roads. The
“Speckled Stone” in County Sligo marks the boundary of three
roads. The magical qualities of the Speckled Stone included the
ability to cure sick children.
Marker-stones
at cross-roads were imbued with supernatural powers because they were
thought to be portals to the Otherworld.
The
superstitions and strange tales of cross-roads continued after the
arrival of Christianity.
The
folklore of Britain and Ireland are filled with tales of unearthly
black hounds, shape-shifters and ghosts haunting crossroads.
There
were a great number of legends about huge black hounds which guarded
crossroads. The black hounds were taken as manifestations of demons
and other evil entities.
People
also witnessed or heard the howls of frightening black dogs near
bridges, gallows, cemeteries, ruins and along roads.
“Black
Shuck” was a demon hound that haunted rural areas in East Anglia
for hundreds of years.
A
ghostly black hound haunted the cross-roads of Oschaert in the
folklore of Belgium. Legends claimed the only way to make the hound
vanish was by standing in the middle of crossroads.
The
spirits of crossroads were thought to be omens of bad luck, impending
doom, sickness and even death. Those who saw or heard the
supernatural entities were cursed with misfortune.
The
screaming spirit of an ugly woman called the cyhyraeth haunted
cross-roads in Welsh folklore. The cyhyraeth warned those who heard
hers screams that death was near.
Judges
at witch trials heard evidence of the accused performing forbidden
magic at crossroads.
The
Bethy Grave Crossroads in the English county of Gloucestershire was
famed since the 1700s as the burial site of a witch known as
Elizabeth Bastre.
The
deities and nature spirits of crossroads were important among the
druids and Celtic tribes as they protected travellers from harm. Many
of the legends in the folklore of Britain, Ireland and Europe dated
back to the time when the Celtic gods and goddesses were venerated at
cross-roads.
For
more information on the Celtic gods and goddesses of Britain, Ireland
and Europe, please visit
Interesting
Articles
Independent
– Removal of Cursing Stones by Harry Keaney:
References
A
Beautiful Resistance: At the Cross-roads by EMMA KATHRYN :
Fabulous
Creatures, Mythical Monsters, and Animal Power Symbols: A Handbook by
Cassandra Eason:
Wikipedia
– Corpse Roads: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpse_road
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