Is it true that ancient celtic Pagans were a matriarchal society?

We've mostly lived in patriarchal societies where women are either ';protected';, dominated, or oppressed, but I have heard that before Jud-eo/Christian worship came about, that a lot of the ancient pagan religions actually revered women and respected them because they were the vessel of life. I heard this from someone, or read it. Is it true?Is it true that ancient celtic Pagans were a matriarchal society?
No they were not. There were some pagan cultures that were matriarchal, but not the Celts.Is it true that ancient celtic Pagans were a matriarchal society?
No, not matriarchal, but in some cases matrilineal (where descent was reckoned through the female.) This was particularly common in the picts and in ancient wales. A chief's nephew would inherit rather than his son.


Celtic women were a lot luckier than many however and were able to rule,hold land,divorce.


Besides the matriarchy thing, it is also a common fallacy that the celts worshipped some great peaceful earth mother,to the exclusion of almost all other gods.This came more from fantasy writing of the 80's, such as 'Mists of Avalon', than reality. the celts worshipped many gods and goddesses,with some of the most eminent goddesses being terrible war goddesses. The celts themselves were not fluffy bunnies--they were head hunters who enjoyed the fight,who hung the skulls of their enemies from the rafters of their houses, and who sacrificed humans in bogs and put foundation burials under ramparts and in grain-pits.



No, they weren't matriarchal but women were valued as creators of life, sure. In many of the European cultures women had a decent amount of rights compared to other parts of the world. They had a say and they had protection. Not that it was all roses and gumdrops, but they weren't too bad off. Women held a decent amount of power.
I suspect that whoever told you this is operating under the myth of the matriarchal prehistory. It's a popular myth in certain circles.





The short answer is basically no. While it is true that the ancient Celts treated their women fairly - women often had a choice in marriage, owned land, there were female leaders, etc. - they were not a matriarchal society.
The Celts were a very diverse group of tribal peoples. Each of these tribe would have their own set of customs. Some may have been matriarchal. Most were not.





It is more accurate to say the the Celtic society, on the whole, was much more gender-equitable than the neighboring cultures they interacted with. In particular, Greek (and by inheritance, Roman and Christian) culture thought Celtic gender relations were VERRRRY strange.
Egalitarian (not matriarchal) societies and Goddess worship


were in fact typical throughout late-Neolithic Europe and the


Middle East.





Jean