What is the color of protection in Celtic?
The color of protection holds deep significance in Celtic culture and mythology. Celtic peoples, including the ancient Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, and Bretons, had a strong connection to nature and spirituality. Colors were imbued with symbolic meaning related to their gods, elementals, and the natural world. Specific colors came to represent certain attributes and powers in the Celtic imagination. When it comes to protection, several key colors emerge repeatedly across Celtic folklore, mythology, and symbolism.
Green
Green is strongly associated with protection and safety in Celtic culture. The lush green countryside and forests of the Celtic lands were home and sanctuary. Evergreen trees and plants that stayed green through the winter were considered magical, powerful symbols of constancy and resilience. The Celtic goddess Brigid, a figure connected to healing, poetry, and smithcraft, is represented by the color green. Her sacred crosses would often be adorned with green ribbons. The cover of green plants and trees was literally protective as well, as the Celts would escape into the forest to avoid invading forces. Warriors would wear green garments to blend into the woods. Branches and wreaths of ivy, one of the few green plants that thrived in winter, were used to decorate homes as protective talismans.
| Green in Celtic Symbolism |
|---|
| Forests and green plants as sanctuary |
| Evergreens staying green in winter as resilience |
| Associated with goddess Brigid and healing magic |
| Worn by warriors for camouflage in forests |
| Ivy wreaths used to protect homes |
Blue
The cool, flowing hue of blue also carried strong protective attributes for the Celts. It was associated with the powers of healing, tranquility, and purification. Celtic gods linked to water and the ocean, like the sea god Manannán mac Lir, were depicted with blue skins or robes. The sacred well waters of holy sites bubbles forth with clear blue hues. Blue also represented the sky above, believed by ancient Celts to be the realm of gods and spirits. Painting buildings blue or wearing blue vests was thought to place one under the symbolic cover of the heavens. And the ubiquitous blue woad dye used for body paint and tattoos by warriors may have been intended not just for fierceness, but also for the magical protective aspects of blue.
| Blue in Celtic Symbolism |
|---|
| Associated with water gods like Manannán mac Lir |
| Sacred wells with blue water had healing magic |
| Sky realm of the gods was blue and spiritually protective |
| Woad dye used for blue war paint and tattoos |
Red
While often associated with aggression and danger, red also had a place in Celtic symbology of protection. It represented the life force of blood vitality. Celtic warriors would often paint or dye themselves red before going into battle. Red’s vitality provided strength and resilience. Rowan trees with red berries were considered protective, capable of warding off evil magic. Red ribbons were sometimes tied to the protective Brigid’s Crosses. And in Celtic myth, the magical red cap of the trickster god Puck was thought to shield its wearer from harm. But red was a double-edged sword, representing both life and violence in the ancient Celtic worldview. It was to be handled with care and respect.
| Red in Celtic Symbolism |
|---|
| Connected to blood, life force, and vitality |
| Used as war paint by Celtic warriors |
| Red rowan berries warded off evil magic |
| Some Brigid’s Crosses had red ribbons |
| Puck’s red cap magically protected the wearer |
White
The pure hue of white has protective magical qualities for the ancient Celts. It represented cleansing, clarity, and the power to dispel darkness. White was connected to the Otherworld realm of spirits and deities. Celtic myths and folklore are full of ghosts, faeries, and gods appearing out of mist and fog. White animals like cattle, deer, and swans were considered messengers from the Otherworld. White quartz crystal spheres were used by Druids to see into the spirit realm. And the white blooms of hawthorn trees were thought to be fairy haunts. White’s spiritual potency lent it a strong protective aspect, cleansing spaces and persons of negativity and evil. People would wash a newborn baby in white dew or dress the deceased in white garb to protect their journeys to the Otherworld.
| White in Celtic Symbolism |
|---|
| Associated with cleansing, purity, clarity |
| Connected to the Otherworld, ghosts, and spirits |
| White animals were Otherworld messengers |
| Druids used white quartz to see spirits and magic |
| Washing in white dew protected babies and spirits |
Black
Black is seldom thought of as a color of protection, as it tends to represent darkness, death, and evil in many cultures. But in ancient Celtic spirituality, black did hold some protective symbolism. It was the color of the Otherworld, a realm populated by gods, spirits, and ancestors. Black was the fertile soil that gave life to plants and crops. Raven and crows, with their lustrous black feathers, were revered as magical creatures. And the Druids and poets wore black robes to signify their wisdom and connection to the inner realms. But like red, black was a double-edged and complex hue for Celts, also associated with warfare, curses, and the fury of battle. But its protective qualities always remained.
| Black in Celtic Symbolism |
|---|
| Associated with the Otherworld and spirits |
| Fertile black soil gave life to plants |
| Black feathers of crows and ravens were magical |
| Druids and poets wore black robes |
Conclusion
In Celtic culture, folklore, and mythology, specific colors took on potent symbolic meanings. While all nuanced and complex, certain hues came to represent the power of protection according to the ancient Celts. The verdant green of nature and forests provided literal defensive cover and symbolic resilience. Cool, flowing blue was soothing and healing. Red evoked the vitality of life force and blood. Pure white dispelled darkness and evil. And solemn black connected to the inner depths of the Otherworld. Through vivid dyes, inks, clothing, rituals, and prayer, the ancient Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, and Breton peoples harnessed these colors for symbolic protective magic. Their meanings remind us of nature’s depth and the interweaving of our physical and spiritual worlds.
