There is also a real connection between oak and lightning, lightning is more likely to strike an oak in a mixed forest, a study looking at lightning strikes in a german forest over 11 years found 79 confirmed strikes of which 59 where in oak, 20 in spruce and 3 in pine. (not a single beech was struck although the forest was predominantly beech (70%)) this also reflects an old dutch proverb. "Voor eiken moet je wijken, boeken moet je zoeken" translates roughly as "Oak you should avoid, Beech you should seek" I believe that much of the spiritual life of ancient european peoples revolved around the oak from a very early age because of its importance as a staple food, the problem with oak (and other nut bearing trees, but oak specifically) however is that they follow a rather unpredictable mast cycle, mast being a year in which oaks produce more acorns (by an order of magnitude) then other years. I think this mast cycle and its unpredictable nature can have led to the adoption of cereal farming for its relative stable production by neolithic europeans. I wish there was more research done on this specific subject but could not find it, I find it a rather plausible idea though. As always, thank you for making these videos, I enjoy them thoroughly!
Thank you so much for the videos. They are always very well researched, informative and well put together. Thank you for all the time and effort you must put into creating them
Thank you for your videos and all the research you do. I also love your theories on the mythology it’s fascinating. I’m becoming addicted to your videos
What is also interesting is the distribution map of Oak. Kind of narrows down the area where Indo-European could have originated and maybe the initial maximum extent of the early spread of Indo-Europeans...The distribution of the Crab Apple (Malus Sylvestris) also comes to mind... The maximum extent of both Eastwards seems to be the Upper Volga River and Lower Don River. Very interesting defined border these trees created....
Summer is also peak war/raiding/adventuring season, as it is between the sowing and harvesting of crops and isn't as brutal for travel as winter, so maybe there's a connection there: When the Sun/Lugh are the strongest is the best time for participating in one of his key associated activities.
Lugh is neither a storm god nor a solar god, but more of a sky god at large who still maintains certain connections tae the earth (his foster mother, the Lughnasadh festival, his defense of trees and animals. He’s a sky god who’s still connected tae the earth, so in that way more a hybrid of the two almost, as we can see from his genealogy. He’s somewhat similar tae the Dagda in this way. It’s said that the long arm of Lugh blows in the wind. He’s also has a spear which is associated with fire and lightning, and he’s known tae be one of several Celtic Gods who wield lightning. He’s also associated with the sun and moon.
There really is no such thing as a "storm god" this is just how modern people compartmentalize ancient deities who were never confined to one single manifestation. Zeus hurles lightning, he also is of the bright sky and called a farmer.
Varg talks about this (lightning striking the Oak and the priests keeping the Mistletoe through winter) in his book Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia
What’s interesting is I’ve heard the Loki is perhaps an early Germanic adoption of Lugus, but sort of in the sense that he’s a reflection of how the Germans saw the celts, as mischievous perhaps, and his father is called in the edda’s ‘the cruel striker’ and his mother ‘pine needle’ which suggest that his father is lightning, and mother dry needles making him fire, and like Lugh’s grudge with the children of Tuireann, Loki and Taranis consistently bicker, and fight though they aren’t the mortal enemies that they are betrayed as in some marvel comics... I would like you opinion on this connection
To give a more substantial reply, I know some have suggested this, but it undersells the Norse theology greatly I think. I also don't see the character as being similar. You should really join the Patreon channel because it is the place for more in depth discussion. Basically though Lug is not a trickster god but is associated with trickery only in respect to his intelligence and sorcery. He is basically a master of prana. He also isn't probably a sky god directly at least but is related to the sun, amalgam of several solar related deities like the ashvins, pushan, savitar and is thought be control the sun, light and solar energy which can manifest in many ways, including as lightning, storms, wind. Prana is strongly associated with wind and breath. Grandson of the slayer and the healer he fuses both attributes for a complete mastery of this energy. His twin form hints towards this ashvin origin as does his death and immortality, something found with the castor and pollux. He also has a sister, Ebliu, meaning radiant, perhaps akin to Helen. The Dioscuri are referred to as Lugaid in one version of the LGE. I have gone back and forth with this but it does seem the most logical conclusion.
Well it is better to link to sources we actually know something more about generally. Also i am no expert on Norse relgion but from what I do know, Roman religion is closer to Celtic than Norse.
@@FortressofLugh that's very interesting! I hadnt realised that. I had always assumed we would be closer to the Norse. Given I dont know enough about roman paganism to have considered its closeness to that of the Celts
Originally, Greeks and Romans weren’t so different from Celts, and the three had similar ideas. I think Germanic religion was probably closer to Slavic, though I must confess I’m not sure of this. Haven’t looked at Slavic beliefs in a while.
@@asiag6863it’s interesting that you and I can initially find Celtic and Norse mythology/religion so similar but from the Roman commentaries, they saw the Germans as completely different to Celts. So much so they assumed that the Germans refused to “breed outside their race” and not mix cultures at all. Something to bear in mind too is that the Gauls and other Celtic people had long standing trade and presumably cultural exchange with the Latins and Greeks, well before the Romano-Gallo wars. Trading slaves, wines, amber, salt, fabrics, dyes, etc. Also, the Germanic Suebi tribe used to send something like 100 men from each of their 100+ (towns or tribes?) to form a huge 10,000+ army that each year would just go out in a perimeter around their territory and wipe out any life they found there. To stop other tribes from encroaching on their land.
I know this has nothing to do with this story but I'm wondering cause I live in Indiana and between the month of November it warms up for one week or maybe just for a few days when you say Sun loses its heat power around September and it starts to get colder but where I'm getting at is on the month November Sun warms up and our people call this Indian Summer I've never understood that
Well I haven't heard anyone complain about the volume on current videos. Personally I don't find it an issue on this one either, but the video is a year old so I think I will leave it as is but I will keep it in mind.
As a student of Druidry, Yoga and Qigong, I LOVE how you tie in prana and Qi with the ancient belief structure of my genetic ancestors 💜
How do you study Druidry? Are there books you’d recommend or are we talking like an online course or something?
There is also a real connection between oak and lightning, lightning is more likely to strike an oak in a mixed forest, a study looking at lightning strikes in a german forest over 11 years found 79 confirmed strikes of which 59 where in oak, 20 in spruce and 3 in pine. (not a single beech was struck although the forest was predominantly beech (70%)) this also reflects an old dutch proverb. "Voor eiken moet je wijken, boeken moet je zoeken" translates roughly as "Oak you should avoid, Beech you should seek"
I believe that much of the spiritual life of ancient european peoples revolved around the oak from a very early age because of its importance as a staple food, the problem with oak (and other nut bearing trees, but oak specifically) however is that they follow a rather unpredictable mast cycle, mast being a year in which oaks produce more acorns (by an order of magnitude) then other years. I think this mast cycle and its unpredictable nature can have led to the adoption of cereal farming for its relative stable production by neolithic europeans.
I wish there was more research done on this specific subject but could not find it, I find it a rather plausible idea though.
As always, thank you for making these videos, I enjoy them thoroughly!
incredible! can you send me the study.
That’s really interesting. I now also wish there was more studies on it.
Thank you so much for the videos. They are always very well researched, informative and well put together. Thank you for all the time and effort you must put into creating them
Omg! I was just going to PM you to ask your thoughts on the Holly king/ oak king solstice!!
Thank you for your videos and all the research you do. I also love your theories on the mythology it’s fascinating. I’m becoming addicted to your videos
This is a strangely true phenomenon and has truth
What is also interesting is the distribution map of Oak. Kind of narrows down the area where Indo-European could have originated and maybe the initial maximum extent of the early spread of Indo-Europeans...The distribution of the Crab Apple (Malus Sylvestris) also comes to mind...
The maximum extent of both Eastwards seems to be the Upper Volga River and Lower Don River. Very interesting defined border these trees created....
Great thinking.
The Hound of Ulster is one of my favourite tales.
Summer is also peak war/raiding/adventuring season, as it is between the sowing and harvesting of crops and isn't as brutal for travel as winter, so maybe there's a connection there: When the Sun/Lugh are the strongest is the best time for participating in one of his key associated activities.
Our boi is bacc
The Mistletoe is the only green thing left in the winter forest and fruits in winter. This might be seen as divine if it also grew on a Oak Tree.
so basically, "the eye is the window to the sol" 😏
Who else is looking at this on Yule 2021?☆
2022
Lugh is neither a storm god nor a solar god, but more of a sky god at large who still maintains certain connections tae the earth (his foster mother, the Lughnasadh festival, his defense of trees and animals. He’s a sky god who’s still connected tae the earth, so in that way more a hybrid of the two almost, as we can see from his genealogy. He’s somewhat similar tae the Dagda in this way. It’s said that the long arm of Lugh blows in the wind. He’s also has a spear which is associated with fire and lightning, and he’s known tae be one of several Celtic Gods who wield lightning. He’s also associated with the sun and moon.
There really is no such thing as a "storm god" this is just how modern people compartmentalize ancient deities who were never confined to one single manifestation. Zeus hurles lightning, he also is of the bright sky and called a farmer.
Lugh is the champion of the sun and fighter of the Nightman.
My name means 'Oak/Dagda', found this video very interesting!
Varg talks about this (lightning striking the Oak and the priests keeping the Mistletoe through winter) in his book Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia
Yes, but varg is also an atheist
Thanks and Hi
Does anyone have information on the background soundtrack?
Painting, 25:27 into video: does that represent Celtic, Germanic, Greek or Roman tradition?
Neither, it is a depiction of Perun, a Slavic god
What’s interesting is I’ve heard the Loki is perhaps an early Germanic adoption of Lugus, but sort of in the sense that he’s a reflection of how the Germans saw the celts, as mischievous perhaps, and his father is called in the edda’s ‘the cruel striker’ and his mother ‘pine needle’ which suggest that his father is lightning, and mother dry needles making him fire, and like Lugh’s grudge with the children of Tuireann, Loki and Taranis consistently bicker, and fight though they aren’t the mortal enemies that they are betrayed as in some marvel comics...
I would like you opinion on this connection
Nope.
To give a more substantial reply, I know some have suggested this, but it undersells the Norse theology greatly I think. I also don't see the character as being similar. You should really join the Patreon channel because it is the place for more in depth discussion. Basically though Lug is not a trickster god but is associated with trickery only in respect to his intelligence and sorcery. He is basically a master of prana. He also isn't probably a sky god directly at least but is related to the sun, amalgam of several solar related deities like the ashvins, pushan, savitar and is thought be control the sun, light and solar energy which can manifest in many ways, including as lightning, storms, wind. Prana is strongly associated with wind and breath. Grandson of the slayer and the healer he fuses both attributes for a complete mastery of this energy. His twin form hints towards this ashvin origin as does his death and immortality, something found with the castor and pollux. He also has a sister, Ebliu, meaning radiant, perhaps akin to Helen. The Dioscuri are referred to as Lugaid in one version of the LGE. I have gone back and forth with this but it does seem the most logical conclusion.
Well done. Perhaps a correlation with the Norse more often as they are close in concept and proximity?
Well it is better to link to sources we actually know something more about generally. Also i am no expert on Norse relgion but from what I do know, Roman religion is closer to Celtic than Norse.
@@FortressofLugh that's very interesting! I hadnt realised that. I had always assumed we would be closer to the Norse. Given I dont know enough about roman paganism to have considered its closeness to that of the Celts
Originally, Greeks and Romans weren’t so different from Celts, and the three had similar ideas. I think Germanic religion was probably closer to Slavic, though I must confess I’m not sure of this. Haven’t looked at Slavic beliefs in a while.
The death of Baldr perhaps has some correlation to oak king mythos.
@@asiag6863it’s interesting that you and I can initially find Celtic and Norse mythology/religion so similar but from the Roman commentaries, they saw the Germans as completely different to Celts. So much so they assumed that the Germans refused to “breed outside their race” and not mix cultures at all.
Something to bear in mind too is that the Gauls and other Celtic people had long standing trade and presumably cultural exchange with the Latins and Greeks, well before the Romano-Gallo wars.
Trading slaves, wines, amber, salt, fabrics, dyes, etc.
Also, the Germanic Suebi tribe used to send something like 100 men from each of their 100+ (towns or tribes?) to form a huge 10,000+ army that each year would just go out in a perimeter around their territory and wipe out any life they found there. To stop other tribes from encroaching on their land.
I know this has nothing to do with this story but I'm wondering cause I live in Indiana and between the month of November it warms up for one week or maybe just for a few days when you say Sun loses its heat power around September and it starts to get colder but where I'm getting at is on the month November Sun warms up and our people call this Indian Summer I've never understood that
🌳🍁💖
So did the Celts have their own holiday version of Yule?
Maybe, it just wasn't as significant as the quarterly celebrations
Isn’t the winter solstice one of the quarterly celebrations?
@@Inquisitor_VexI think he meant cross quarter days like Samhain, Lughnasa etc...
KILL THE BACKGROUND MUSIC! TOO LOUD.
Well I haven't heard anyone complain about the volume on current videos. Personally I don't find it an issue on this one either, but the video is a year old so I think I will leave it as is but I will keep it in mind.