The Celts were once a powerful group of people living in the 1000s BC in an area that spread from the British Isles to what is now Turkey. They were not a nation nor a race; rather, the Celts were a group of people tied together by customs, religion, and language. They had no centralized government, yet Celtic society had a defined structure and each tribe or group had a hierarchy of classes.
Beginning around 225 BC, the Celts began experiencing a series of defeats by the Roman Empire until they were essentially conquered. Only a few areas remained free and were able to pass down Celtic mythology and legend in its traditional oral form. Fortunately, medieval Irish and Welsh monks recorded many of these stories beforehand. It is from these texts, along with retellings as written by the Romans, that we are able to study this lore in modern times.
The early Celts created a mythology comprised of hundreds of tales involving gods, heroes, and villains. A major theme of much of this lore is magic and the supernatural, including the iconic cauldron that is often associated with Merlin. Another major theme involves the physical landscape, with many adventures centering around nature and trees.
Celtic mythology can be broken up into four cycles, or groups of connected stories. The Mythological Cycle details the battles of Celtic gods as they fought to gain control of Ireland. The Ulster Cycle tells of the deeds of Celtic warriors and heroes. The Historical Cycle centers around stories based on real kings of the region. Lastly, the Fenian Cycle centers around a group of warriors led by Finn Mac Cumhail and how they protected the Irish and Scottish lands.
Some of these famed legends are celebrated in Provident’s new Celtic Lore series of silver rounds, featuring five designs by Howard David Johnson. The Morrigan, the second design in the series, was recently released and will remain available while supplies last. But now is your chance to win big!
Out of all the legends and mythological tales you’ve heard, which is your favorite? You’re not limited to only Celtic tales here. Commenting below will serve as your entry for our September giveaway. But remember to keep it classy; inappropriate comments will be deleted and disqualified. Submit your comment (one comment only please) by September 17, 2017. One winner will be randomly selected on September 18, 2017 to receive a Morrigan 1 oz colorized silver round from our Celtic Lore series.
Good luck to all entrants!
I always enjoy a good Nights of the Round table story.
Free silver all around!
Pegasus the horse that could fly.
A fine-looking round.
beautiful coin love to have this !!
The Odyssey
looks like a fun micro mintage flip on the secondary market !
Good looking coin!
Lovely
I’ve been a fan of the Greek Gods and how the plaints played a big part in who and what they were it was a big steep in the start of astronomy and is still helping us over 2000 years latter
I love the story behind each coin. Thanks for sharing!
I would love to add one of those Coin to my collection.This is a stunning design
Overseas allowed?
What a great design. I want one.
Tell the story of Jonas Salks Polio vaccine on your next coin.
My favorite myth is that of Hercules and his 12 labors. Thanks for this chance!
By the power of the Gods may we have free silver
My favorite story would be David vs. Goliath. That slingshot !
Life is a treasure …so are silver and gold.
I love the stories about King Arthur and his knights of Camelot, my mother read the stories to me and now I read them to my sons! I also like the story about the unicorn, supposedly when a unicorn took a drink of water it’s magical horn would touch the water and it would purify it so it would be safe for human consumption!
That is a stunning round, thanks for the opportunity!!!
Celtic mythology is my favorite kind of mythology and if i had to pick a favorite god/goddess it would either be Morrigan or Fagus.
i would love one of these! I don’t usually like colourised coins but this one is special 🙂
Nice coin! Thanks for the chance to win!
I would love some free silver. 🙂
I love all the Celtic stuff….But I’d have to say the Odin Coin….
I would love that round in my collection!
This is cool!
Barbarians are cool! Never knew the Celts defeated the Romans. LL
I like turtles.
The Merlin coin looks amazing
Free coin? Is shipping free too? Provident does it again. Great company and perfect transactions…every time. Thank you.