Idols
Idols are one of the most popular and basic bridges to the gods that exist for any member of Senchus. It is completely necessary for an aspiring member to look for an idol when trying to better connect with their faith. This can be hard to do however, to search for an appropriate idol and to have enough to purchase it, the society understands and supports those who wish do not have the current means to gain an idol of their own.
There is of course the second issue that, especially for Senchus members, the idols they will be exposed to are less than perfect. Often they take up a high fantasy or marvel aesthetic and rarely if every conform to what the gods actually looked like preferring their own imagery which can at times introduce completely foreign or insulting imagery to the god.
This is demeaning to the faith and the society does not support the creation of such imagery nor its use for idols. Both the gods and the worshipper deserve better than this and we hope that one day truly beautiful images of the gods are made more numerously than these pale imitations.
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On the historical aesthetic of an idol. In truth from both archaeological evidence and from classical and medieval writings, it appears that idols were not like those of Rome or India. They, from what survives, were primitively designed and worked from wood.
Now by both Crom Cruach's legend and the fact that the gods were missing torcs it appears that they wooden idols were decorated in gold and other fineries. Perhaps explaining why the idols were so unrefined, or that the surviving idols were simply too decomposed or that the goods one were destroyed in Christianisation. Perhaps even that the celts only offered those idols that weren't as beautiful as votive offerings, electing to keep the idols in shrines instead.
The Society has elected, based off of the confusion of idols and for the sake of interfacing with the modern world better, to permit idols to be more realistic and aesthetically pleasing. More in the way of India and Rome. It understands that this may not be historical but believes that this is a necessary change, nevertheless it will approve of the more ancient models as well.
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Theologically, the idol can best be explained as being something that inhabits the spirit of the god, not the god itself although certain gods can be especially connected to idols. There may have been special rites for certain idols or even in the creation of idols, however there is no evidence of this anywhere and at this time the society does not wish to create a new unhistorical rite for it.
Breaking an idol is an offense against Senchus and if on Society property you will be legally prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It is further the duty of every member of the Society to defend idols to their fullest extent.
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Below is the Society guide on the Iconography of idols in general, this should be used to judge if an Idol is certified or not as well as other Iconographic rules that should assist artists.:
1. An idol should only be made from Clean materials, this can be judged from the Cleanliness and Purity page.
2. If of a particular deity, you should check for the specific iconography and look of that deity and ensure that it is present, this can be found in the individual pages of the different gods in the Pantheon Page.
3. An Idol should include a torc, this was used to signify the rank of someone as a monarch, leader or noble. Every god, as they are highly among man, should be dressed in a torc.
4. A Chariot, in general many of the gods possess chariots of some kind and it is proper to depict the gods in these chariots. In particular across Continental Celts, it was common to depict chariots pulled by swans and other waterfowl because they can pass to the Underworld.
5. Animals of some kind should be present amongst large idols as the Gaelic gods are particularly connected to animals, often taking their form themselves.
6. Geese, Heron, Cranes and other marsh fowl are common symbols of battle and warfare and when depicting a war god, they should be present in the iconography.
7. Knotwork in any Idol, rather than featuring modern Celtic Artwork should rather follow the traditions of Insular Art or La Tene style artworks for the sake of historicity.
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Ensuring that all of these are fulfilled should ensure that an idol is certified by Society reasonings. If you are unsure, please contact the Society, this page may update in the future however this will not affect images by earlier certification rules.
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