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The Celts ... considered by some to be fearsome but fascinating barbarians. They were denoted as being endowed with reckless bravery ... a group extremely fond of warfare. They were also highly esteemed for their verbal arts.
Literate warriors one might say ... not far off in concept from the great Cyrano who would recite a poem whilst piercing your gut with his slender blade. Ahh ... to die at the hands of a bard ... what greater honor is there? Not to die perchance ... for the craven poltroons amongst us?
Choices abound with the Celts around. The Greeks and Romans considered them uncivilized ... their only unifying force stemming from their thirst for war. Yeah ... well ... I digress here a tad. Find a common enemy upon which to wage war ... and you will always unify your people. This has gone on since the onset of man. Let us no longer fight amongst ourselves, my friends. Let us instead slaughter our foe. We shall be one and they shall be none. This is the motto that should fly on the standards of all nations. Or perhaps this one: Unite and Eradicate. Eradicate and Unite.
Anyway ... I'm going off on a tangent here. The Celts were also incredible artists. Great makers of jewelry. Great Celtic artwork flourished from the British Isles to the Iberian Peninsula to Asia Minor. Their influence was far reaching. Their Goldsmithing was unparalleled. When they invaded Rome the Romans called them Galli or Gauls. When they invaded Greece they were likened to the Titans of myth.
All this while producing gorgeous trinkets of gold. An arm band for you ... a neckband for you ... and a brooch for you too.
As it turns out ... I have a Celtic brooch to show you. A little doodad from Spain ... a classical view with a Celtic theme. An Iberian warrior fights in the nude ... except for his shield and his sword belt. He battles a lion on the attack. He braces himself against the arch of the golden brooch and prepares to do the beast in ... or be done in by the beast. The pleasure is in the fight. The joy is in the combat. Oh elation ... thy name is death. But whatever. I am here to bring you jewelry ... not philosophy. The last is just a free extra.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits...may I direct you to my home page at
And there ya have it. That's it for this week folks. Catch you all next week. Benjamin Mark
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