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There
is much debate among archaeologists about whether
the Celts were influenced by the Scythians in
their animal art. One argument against such
influence is that there have been no joint finds
of Scythian and Celtic material. An argument for
such influence is stylistic similarities.
The
Scythian deer is based on a
piece of Scythian work from around 200 BC It has
typical Celtic features such as spirals and the
backward turn of the head, which was thought to
indicate a sacrificial animal. The deer is
revered in many cultures, being a commonly hunted
animal.
From
the Aberdeen Bestiary (circa 14th c):
"...deer are the enemies of
snakes; when they feel weighed down with
weakness, they draw snakes from their holes with
the breath of their noses and, overcoming the
fatal nature of their venom, eat them and are
restored ... They have another characteristic,
that after eating a snake they run to a spring
and, drinking from it, shed their long coats and
all signs of old age... Stags, when it is time to
rut, rage with the madness of lust. Does,
although they may been inseminated earlier, do
not conceive before the star Arcturus appears ...
if deer have few or no teeth, it shows that they
are old. In order to tell their age, Alexander
the Great ringed a number of deer; when they were
recaptured a century later they showed no sign of
old age ... The offspring of the deer are called
hinnuli, fawns, from innuere, 'to nod', because
at a nod from their mother, they vanish from
sight.s mother's womb is a marvellous remedy
against poisons. It is known that deer never grow
feverish. For this reason ointments made from
their marrow bring down sick men's temperatures.
We read that many men who have regularly eaten a
small amount of venison since their early days
have lived for a long time unaffected by fevers;
but ultimately it fails them as a remedy if they
are killed by a single blow ..."
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Colour: various
Size: 2 1/2" x 1 3/4"
origin artifact
All
brooches can also be ordered as necklaces
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