Each generation in a tribe faced numerous challenges that they had to meet successfully, if the nation was to survive. These included clan obligations, religious relationships, camp work, story acquisition, etc. To acquire the necessary vital learning, cultures implement sophisticated systems for the tribe to use. These duties were rooted in his special perspective on the nature of humans and the environment. The ancients considered themselves part of the natural world. They believed that everything came from the same source, so a bear, wolf or fish was our brother or sister and part of the evolutionary tree with a purpose. A bear, being a relative, is much more likely to be treated kindly than an object, most urbanized people have become disconnected from their sibling. The life of the members of a tribe was shared with all of creation in a common world. As they examined the natural world, they discovered in nature its marvelous detail of how it worked. Each tribe reproduced habits of the species it observed so that they would live with the current. In other words, each ‘well’ of the tribe reproduced the teachings of an animal in tribal life and some also began to see the written history of these animal gods in the stars. All ancient mythology is nothing more than the symbolism of a kind of Genealogy of the Tree of Life.

The Magnificent Celtic World Tree attached to the Milky Way as its huge roots stretched down to Earth, it is also what was considered the origin of all peoples, each symbolized by an animal sitting on the tree. Each tribe was descended from these brother animals or gods or from a particular tree, river, etc. And just as the animals were sacrificed in the circle of life, so were they. But everything came from the World Tree, even the winds and other trees. So many tribes chose the tree, the animal, the constellation or the mountain that they would see the most, as their Mother or Father God. Whether the tribe was Japanese, Indian, First Nations, etc., we are all from the same tree. Some tribes had a tortoise instead of a tree, but they all mean the same thing. This is what comprises the universe of the ancients and the understanding of their powers. We can see with this tree, in the Welsh Celts of the Arthurian cults who used their court warriors to help Culhwch (Kul ook) find the ancient animals to search for Mabon: blackbird, deer, owl, eagle and salmon. Ysbaddaden (pronounced-(Is ba thad’n)-meaning Giant Chief.) Gives Culhwch various tasks to win over his daughter Olwen (means “white footprint” because she left white flowers where she walked). It is my opinion, given the knowledge that the Celts well into Roman times had Tree Gods from whom they were descended, that Ysbaddaden could have been the world tree – the “Giant Chief” tree, although I cannot prove this theory. The blackbird replaces the falcon in Norse myths.

in the nordic tree

The Norse settled on the frost giants (being the giants (possibly huge planets) of fire and ice in the voice or ocean space that break up and become earth and planets but also come from the tree with the rainbow bridge ( milky way), and on its branches were also the major similar ancient animals of creation which included an eagle and his lore, a falcon named Vedrfolnir, a squirrel named Ratatosk who runs up and down through the ash tree and carries malicious messages between the eagle and Nidhogg.also four stags run on the branches of the ash feeding on the foliage and represent the four directions.Their names are: Dain, Dvalin, Dunyr, Durathror.Again all these constellations can be found in the sky. The falcon sits on the eagles head in the sky.

Dain (dormant) – One of the 4 deer constellations on the branches of the World Tree, an elven name that probably gave birth to the elves.

Dvalin (sleeper) – one of the 4 deer constellations, a dwarf name, and the second smallest deer is probably the ancestor of the dwarfs.

Duneyr (lop-eared), the second largest deer, could be the ancestor of any mythical creature that had droopy ears.

Durathror (lazy beast) – the largest of the deer. Another constellation long forgotten.

Ratatosk (gnawing tooth) – the constellation of squirrels. They are the main stars of Cassiopeia, with its feet, body, and two stars for its tail visible.

Geirrod: the constellation of the eagle, nameless among the Norse, but whose name we find as “Garuda” in Hindu mythology. Some called it the swan. (We call it Elyrch (meaning swan in Pwkatta – pronounced Eleerpuh)

Vedrfolnir (wind-dried) – constellation of the falcon above the head of the eagle.

Nidhogg (poison biter) – constellation of a serpent at the foot of the root of Yggdrasill. The constellation that some say is the same as Scorpius, which resides right at the base of the root of the tree. But I read many others who say that the snake is like coiled energy and can move up and down the tree. It is the bridge to the knowledge of another world that changes its skin and begins anew in each phase of learning.

In a poem called “Grimnismal”, there are four deer on the lower roots and four deer on the upper branches, turning the wheel 8 times. An eagle at the top of the branches and a snake at the bottom. (The eagle now looks like Cygnus the swan in summer.)

One tells of the thunder god Thor helping the hero Aurvandil by carrying him in a basket from the frozen north. Along the way, his toe slipped and got bitten off by the frost, so Thor broke it off and threw it into the sky to form a star.

An Anglo-Saxon (Celtic/Scandinavian tribe) version of Aurvandil is Earandel, which means ‘morning star’.

A giant named Thiassi, who carried off the goddess Idunn to gain youth from her eternal apples, was killed by the gods after they rescued her. For lazy by this fact, Odin took the eyes of the old giant and threw them into the sky as punishment. These stars could only be the twin stars Castor and Pollux.

Other associations of myths with constellations

Grendel: In mythical terms, he is a main character who disappears under a lake or sea, implying that he is a constellation that sometimes slips under the celestial equator. From the northern regions of Saxony, such as England, a good proportion of the constellation of Scorpio is below the horizon, and one of the zodiacal constellations. Checking the position, I discovered that Scorpius’s position makes it look like he is drowning in the mythical waters. Scorpius is also a clawed creature that loses a claw and his shoulder in the sky, like the same in the Beowulf story.

Grendel’s Mother – There is a small constellation adjacent to Scorpius called Lupus, the wolf. He also ‘drowns’ in the mythical waters just before Scorpius. If we read carefully, there is a reference to her being a “wolf swimmer”. Lupus has associations with Pan and fauns, and in Roman culture, the festival of her survived into Christian times.

Vidofnir – rooster/rooster that is perched on the highest branch of the World Tree would most likely be Polaris, the North Star or magnetic north. It is golden and shines like a storm. An immortal guard who watches over the world. A symbol of the announced ‘solar fire’. On earth, his totem sings at dawn for the victory of light and the return of life. Among the Germanic tribes he is a spiritual guide. This same ‘son’ is also Arthur, the north star who has a chariot or a plow. If we change the V for the W we obtain “Widofnir” which means (Weaver of the winds), the name of the skies of Vanir, considered as the Norse deity of fertility.

Horses from many cultures

Sun/Star Horses – In the Prose Edda, most are described as the mounts of various gods. Horses seem to involve the sun and moon in chasing or leading the sun to the next zodiac sign or adventure. Sleipnir (son of Svadilfari) is the most famous of the horses only because he was Odin’s mount. Goti is Gunnarr’s horse. Grani was Sigurdr’s horse. Gulltopr (also called “Gold-Top”) was Heimdallr’s horse. Hoof-Tosser, Kertr, Slangvir were others. Vakr was the horse of the morning. All-Bright, Alsvidhr, Arvakr, Early-Wake, Gladr, Gullfaxi, Sheen-Mane, Shining-Mane, and Skinfaxi. There are also night horses and some of those names mentioned are Fjarsvartnir – Frosty-Mane.

These can go in any sign as they are always pulling the Sun God or Night Star God in their course. They could be legends of a single tribe. So you can really put any animal for each ‘good’ (smaller groups are part of a larger tribe but also function as a separate unit).

Auriga, the Auriga or Wagoner in the early days the Wainman, is the French Cocher, the Italian Cocchiere and the German Fuhrmann. Its key star was considered a goat and sometimes a unicorn, then the myths turned to the major constellation of Capricorn, the Turks had a mule.

The Sacred Horse is a powerful symbol of intelligence, speed, grace, strength, virility, and fertility. It was once seen in the constellation now called Pegasus. Called Epona to some Celtic tribes and so on. His flowing mane represents the bright rays of the sun as the Horse is a beast that carries the chariot of the Sun, or that of the Moon, across the sky. According to Kristian Kristiansen, in an article called Rock Art and Religion, horses appear in many early Bronze Age rock carvings that show ancient scenes of fertility rites. He/She believes that the Horses were the symbolic twins who would be both ships and horses, night (ship) and day (horses). The horses were consulted by priests who would decipher their movements and sounds. Horses were held sacred in many temples until Christianity, as we see with derisive humor in the movie “A Knights Tale”, defiled a church. The church tried to cover up a lot of things from the pagan past.

Arthurian horses – Spumador (“he who makes foam”, sea foam and cloud); Arthur’s horse.
Bel Joeor – horse – Tristan / Passe-Brewel or Passebreul horse – Tristan.
Berring-horse-Lancelot. Long-necked chestnut horse (Britain’s lively steed) – Kai (Kay).
Cloven-hoofed horse (horse looted from Great Britain) – Owain (Yvain).
Drudwyn Horse – Mabon / Gwynn Dun Mane – Mabon. Dun-Grey (Britain’s workhorse) – Rhydderch Hael.
Gringalet, Gringolets, Gringuljete horse with red ears – Lahelin, Orilus, Urjan, Lischois and Gawain.
Llamrei – Arturo.
Caw of Scotland – Pale Yellow Stud Horse (Awarded Horse of Great Britain) – Lleu.
Passeland-Arthur. Lluagor (the host opener) – Caradawg’s horse.
Arthurian. The word “Nightmares” is a name that was derived from the Celts who thought they were brought by a visiting horse goddess like Epona: the night, the moon, mystery and magic.

Nordic Horses: Gyllir, Blakkr, Hamskerpir, Silfrintoppr, Hrafn, Sinir, Amfaxi, Skeidbrimir, Hoenir, Gardrofa, Glaumr, Tjaldari, Glenr, Lungr, Valr, Marr, Vigg.

In most Celtic myths, the horses are either black or white, providing more evidence of night and day or the dark and light half of the wheel of the year.

So, in conclusion, we see in many cultures that, whether it’s deer, birds, or other animals, they represent the four directions. A First Nations tribe even displayed this at an opening ceremony at the 2010 Winter Olympics in BC Canada – Each animal represented one of the Four Directions constellations, the White Buffalo (north), the Eagle (east) , the Wolf (south) and the Bear (west).

By Brahva Cwmevos

Copyright April 2, 2012

Bibliography –

This article sprung from my head, but over the years I have been influenced by the writings of Kristian Kristiansen, Eddas, and other Celtic scholars such as Mathew and Caitlin, Peter Ellis, JeanMarkale, etc.