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Belenus

Belenus, ('The Shining One'), Celtic god associated with the sun and healing, one of the most ancient and most widely worshipped god of the pagan Celtic deities. Belenus had sacred fires dedicated to him, the ancient May fire festival celebrating the peak of spring and the fertility of the earth called Beltane.

 

At the eve of Beltane, sacred fires, bonfires (or balefires) were lit on hilltops and farm animals were driven between the fires to remove any impurities and guard them from illness until the following year, while people leapt over the fires for purification and to ward off spirits.

 

Image of a highland cow taken from Pentland Hills, Scotland.

 

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Uploaded on January 25, 2024
Taken on January 21, 2024