Essay 5c

Time Travel

Question: Find examples and describe the similarities and connections between Scythian, Celtic and Viking iconography. Can you name one other example between three other distinct cultures, time periods and geographic locations? Describe what other discoveries you made in your research.

Part One
Summary: What I gained from the research for this question is a new knowledge that the styles and iconography of Celtic and Viking also existed in the further region of Eurasia, at an earlier time. I had always known of the similarities between the Celts and Vikings, since both cultures are very well known in general. However, I never knew that there were other connections with cultures such as the Scythians. I believed the styles of the Celts and Vikings were common only to the Northwestern regions of Europe. 

Reason: I believe the reason this question was asked was to show how cultures influence each other even when there is a large divide between them.

Purpose: Here the purpose is one with the reason. Each question I have done so far has led to knowledge of connections between different cultures. Understanding these connections helps in understanding the development of art. 

Direction: The direction I took for this question was different than that of the previous questions I answered. Instead of focusing on what books and other sources had to say about the art I was studying, I focused on learning the histories and beliefs of each culture. This in turn helped me to view the art from my own viewpoint without only seeing exactly what sources say is there, thus allowing me to focus on my own opinion. 

Impression: My aha moment in the study of this question came when I found an image of a Scythian bridle ornament that has a goddess and serpents on it. This stuck out the most to me because serpents are used continuously in Celtic and Viking iconography.  


 Part Two

Answer: The iconography of the Scythians, Celts, and Vikings have various similarities. The fact that there are similarities between the Celts and the Vikings comes as no surprise since both cultures were located in the Northwestern regions of Europe. While the two cultures had different beliefs, and therefore different iconography, they were both influenced by the same cultures. The culture of the Celts originated "around 800 B.C. on mainland Europe in an area associated with the Danube Basin" (Who Were the Celts?. Kevin Duffy. Fall River Press: 1999. p. XIII). The Celtic culture spread throughout most of Europe and took its strongest hold in the British Isles, particularly in Ireland where it exists to this day. By the 5th century C.E., "a fusion of Celtic, Roman, Germanic, and Norse cultures" (Art History. Marilyn Stokstad/Michael W. Cothren, Fourth Edition/volume 1, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., p. 427) existed throughout Europe.

Antlered Figure Gundestrup Cauldron. Silver. 130-1 B.C.

The common styles used within Celtic art are zoomorphic, interlacing, and spiral usage. In ancient Celtic art, the zoomorphic style is most common. This is apparent on a plate of the Gundestrup Cauldron which depicts the horned god Cernunnos surrounded by various animals. The god is depicted with horns and holding a serpent in one hand, both symbols of fertility. Also visible are floral patterns that are surrounded by a rope-like pattern. Perhaps this is the early stages of interlacing which became common later on.

Closeup of page from Lindisfarne Gospels. Ink and tempura on vellum. 715-720 C.E.

The use of interlace and spirals was common in medieval Celtic art and is still used today. Interlace consists "of interweaving ribbons laid out in a balanced and often dazzlingly intricate design" (http://www.ancient-celts.com/AncientVsMedievalArt6.html). Perfect examples of this are in the medieval manuscripts and high crosses of Ireland. In images from the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells, "hybrid animal forms tangle in acrobatic interlacing, disciplined by strict symmetry and sharp framing" (Art History.  p. 430). This style present in medieval Celtic iconography is so detailed, intricate, and extravagant, that one could probably spend hours viewing it and still not see every detail. Visible in this image are various ropes that create intricate knots and all seem to be connected, with no beginning or end. Mixed in with the ropes and knots are also serpents that create their own knots that mingle with the interlaced rope. Also visible here are various forms of spirals, some of which are created by the individual circular patterns dominated by a solid purple background, and others that intertwine similar to the ropes and serpents, and fill in any negative space. The filling in of negative space in such a manner is known as horror vacui, fear of negative spaces, and is present not only in Celtic art, but also in Viking and some Scythian art. 

Bow of Oseberg Ship. Wood. c. 815-820 CE

"In the eighth century, seafaring bands of Norse seamen known as Vikings descended on the rest of Europe" (Art History. p. 435). As stated earlier, there was already a Norse influence existing throughout Europe by the 5th century, and so the movements of the Vikings spread this influence further while simultaneously being influenced by the Celts. Both the zoomorphic/animal style and interlace styles used by the Celts are visible on the bow of the Oseberg Ship. Here "the rising prow spirals into a tiny serpent's head, and bands of interlaced animals carved in low relief run along the edges" (Art History. p. 435). The interlacing of these animals are extremely similar to the interlacing used by the Celts. The primary difference is that the Vikings use more animal figures for the interlace than ropes. However, some of these animals appear to be serpents which is a commonality with the Celtic interlacing. Further use of serpents is used in the top of the bow as well as in the stern with the bow spiraling into a serpents head, and the stern similarly spiraling into a serpents tail, thus making the ship one large serpent. Such ships were buried with Vikings because they "symbolised the journeys made by their passengers beyond death in this world to life in another" (The Norse Myths. Kevin Crossley-Holland. Pantheon Books:1980. p. 197).

Scythian Shield Emblem. Gold. c. 7th C. BCE

The Scythians are thought to have originated around the 8th-7th centuries BCE, which is close to the origin of the Celts. However, the Scythians were situated more southeast than the Celts in the Iranian lands. Little is known of Scythians, but what is known comes from the writings of the Greek Herodotus and also from artifacts found at Scythian burial sites. Most of these artifacts are shield emblems in the shape of animals represented in a zoomorphic fashion somewhat similar to the animals of Celtic and Viking art, however they are not involved in any interlacing. What is similar is the use of curvature in the antlers of the stag shown here. All of the s-like curves that make up the antlers seem to be attached giving the antlers a rope-like appearance. The use of these animals as shield emblems is thought to have a religious purpose in that they "were considered to have magical power and to provide protection against evil or disaster" (http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/03/hm3_2_16.html). This idea is based off the beliefs of other ancient nomadic tribes and is logical to apply to the Scythians because of their use as shield emblems. Perhaps they were used on the shields to ward off evil and disaster in battle.

Bridle Ornament. Gold. c. 4th C. BCE

Because there is little known about the Scythians, this means that our knowledge of their religious beliefs is also limited. However, mythical figures do appear in some of their art, such as what appears to be a goddess on the bridle ornament to the right. The goddess is depicted as being half serpent, which I find interesting. I find this interesting because out of all three cultures, the serpent appears the most. There is a serpent being held by Cernunnos on a plate of the Gundestrup cauldron, serpents appear in Celtic and Viking interlace, serpents (or serpent-like dragons) are used on the prows of Viking ships, and a half serpent goddess appears in Scythian art.

I believe this use of serpents and other zoomorphic figures in all three cultures shows any connections between the cultures. The Celts are thought to have contact with the Greeks, and since an ancient Greek man wrote the histories of the Scythians, we know that the Scythians were in contact with the Greeks. Perhaps the Scythians and the Celts influenced each other indirectly through their connections with the Greeks. The biggest mystery would be who influenced who the most. Did the Scythian use of the animal style influence the Celtic use of the zoomorphic style, or is it the other way around? Either way, a possible connection between these two cultures lays the groundwork for a connection between the Scythians and the Vikings through the Celts. Since the Celts originated in the same location as other cultures that influenced the Vikings, then the influence of the Scythians would have existed already, and thus had an influence on the Vikings. Since there does not appear to be any wide use of serpents in ancient Celtic iconography, I believe that the use of serpents in medieval Celtic iconography by the 5th century may be due to influences from the Scythians.

Or, perhaps there is no connection at all between the Celts and Vikings, and the Scythians. It could just be coincidence that two cultures from one part of Europe and one culture in the Iranian lands are creating art that has similar characteristics. This wouldn't be too surprising to me since pyramids exist in various locations around the world in countries that have no connection with each other such as the Egyptians and the Mayans and Aztecs. Oddly enough, some Mayan religious figures bare an odd resemblance to the gods of the Egyptians even though an ocean separates the two. Maybe the human mind progresses in the same manner and creates the same style of beliefs regardless of location, or maybe there was connections between the two sides of the world that we just don't know about yet.