Celtic Animals and Beasties

Historical / Cultural Significance

The animal or beasties of Celtic illuminations are the result of many methods that came together during the migrations of Germanic peoples throught Europe. Originally, the animals were found in various carvings and in metal work. Buckles, shields and broaches, all showed early examples of the work. The main source of information on old Germanic animals is from objects found in burial sites, such as in Sutton Hoo. The art originated with the pagan religions and then became Christian.

This style was changed over time as different peoples did different things with and to the art. The knotwork that is traditional to Celtic art was incorporated into the beasties, and produced inter-twined animals during the 6th Century.

This style of art is still seen, and in fact has made a resurgance in popularity as the method to making the knotwork was discovered by George Bain relatively recently. Until then, patterns were copied, but could not be created on their own. Knotwork and beasties are found on clothing, in jewellery, and dishware. They are relatively common in today's world.

As an aspect of the Celtic culture, the beasties and knotwork were used during the 6th Century to produce beautiful manuscripts for holy orders. When their origin is considered, along with the use that they were put to, this provides an excellent insight into the ancient Celtic culture.

Principles and Elements of Design

The basic element of Celtic Beasties, both intertwined and not, is line. After the line is created and polished into shapes on the page, color can easily be added. The primary colors of illumations tended to be red, green, blue, yellow, and black. All these colors were easy to produce, with the natural colors available at the time.

Technique/Methodology:

Adding asymmetrical knotwork can be done by drawing any creature's head and body, and then twining a tail about the body. After the head and main body are drawn, the tail or tails can be added in a looping design. Scales or feathers can be added as desired.

There are large amounts of Celtic music available to expose children to new cultures.

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