Some of my favourite completed cross stitch projects are Celtic designs. I have three Celtic cross stitched pictures placed near the entrance of my home – and I hope they give a warm welcome to everyone who comes in. Many people have made positive comments about them, and they do seem to get everyone talking. They are also a delight to stitch. If you have not yet attempted a Celtic cross stitch project, I hope that I can persuade you.
First of all, it’s useful to know a little background information about Celtic design. What are its distinguishing features? What is its history? What is the significance of the various images within the designs? And how easy is Celtic cross stitch to do?
Historically, the earliest origins of the Celts are considered to be about 1000 – 800 BC in Eastern Europe. These original Celts were talented craftspeople who decorated jewellery, pottery and metalwork which are now recognised as being characteristic of Celtic design. These Celts were masters of the chariot and gained a great reputation for being formidable opponents in warfare. The word ‘Celt’ originates from the Greek word, Keltoi used to describe warrior tribes.
These people had a constant desire for warfare and conquest, and their wanderlust brought about a gradual movement of Celtic tribes throughout Europe, and eventually as far as Britain. Strangely enough, they were also a poetic race. They were storytellers of myths and legends, of heroic escapades and strange influences from the Otherworld. These stories inspired their art. When the Romans marched north, conquering most of Europe, the Celts in Scotland, Ireland and Wales escaped defeat and kept their original Celtic culture.
When Christianity was established in Britain and Ireland, Celtic art was developed as decoration for the written word by monks who copied the gospels between the 7th and 10th centuries AD. The Book of Kells, now displayed at Trinity College, Dublin, is the best remaining example of this work, although similar examples exist, namely The Book of Durrow and the Lindisfarne Gospels.
As for the designs, it appears that Celtic designs express many messages. Here are a few:
Animals. The horse was central to Celtic culture, and was worshipped as Epona, the horse goddess. Many effigies of horses in pottery and metal have been found on Celtic sites across Europe. Other animals were also considered sacred. The wild boar was symbolic of ferocity, and the Celts believed that its spirit would make their warriors fierce in battle. Carvings of boars have been found on many helmets excavated from battle grounds, dating from the third to first centuries BC. The bull, salmon, stag, eagle and raven were also believed by the Celts to have their own magical attributes and powers.
In the second century, Man symbolised St Mathew, the Lion symbolised St Mark, the Calf, St Luke and the Eagle, St John. In the fourth century, St Gregory identified the four symbols as the stages of Christ’s life: being born a man, in his death being sacrificed as a calf, a lion in his resurrection, and eventually an eagle to aid his ascension to Heaven.
The Celts worshipped the horned god Cemunnos, often described as Lord of the Animals, the ruler of the natural world. Celtic Knots. Knotwork is considered to represent the repeated crossing of the spiritual and physical paths in our lives. This ‘never ending path’ is thought to symbolise permanence and the continuum of life, love and faith.
Celtic Cross. This is a well known Celtic symbol. Large crosses made of stone are often called ‘High Crosses’, and are emblematic of the Christian faith. The circle is occasionally described as an eternity symbol or halo. Some Celtic Christians also interpret this as a clairvoyant anticipation of the coming gospel by the pre-Christian Druids.
Spirals. Spirals can be found in nature, as plants or snails, or in natural occurrences such as galaxies or whirlpools. Some scholars consider the significance of the direction of the spirals. Clockwise (sunwise) is traditionally indicative of Gaelic blessings and good luck gestures. This is in harmony with the Earth. Conversely, ‘geis’ or spells are made with anti-sunwise motions. Most spirals are made equally of sunwise and anti-sunwise motions. These contain equal numbers of whorls in each direction, and are therefore balanced. There are no universal meaning attributed to the spirals themselves. They may be designed for their beauty alone or for whatever message the designer wishes to convey.
The torc, a twisted band of gold, used as a necklace or bracelet is much treasured. Being circular, the torc symbolises infinity, or the never-ending cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Celtic cross stitched pictures are often beautiful, and are often relatively easy for stitchers who find it difficult to follow charts. This is because the designs are often symmetrical, repetitive or predictable, meaning that that you are less likely to make mistakes when stitching. I have found that Celtic designs in cross stitch grow quickly and give a lot of enjoyment.
Happy Stitching!
Iona