where do celtic crosses come from? What is their meaning?

Question

To me Celtic crosses are very cool looking. Are they designed from the original cross under a different religion?

Answer 1

Hey sister! How's it going!

(Sorry, I've been just waiting to see someone using my same wild hair!)

Answer 2

Ireland I think.......
Hey.. What part of Tx r u in... Will you email me?
[e-mail] or im me on yahoo messenger..
Yup Ireland..... I just looked it up..

What these crosses mean to us today and what they meant when Christianity was new to Celtic Britain and Ireland are in some ways the same and in some ways different. The cross either vertical or diagonal with equal length arms is a universal mark. It is so primal that it exists in all cultures as does the circle. There are no human cultures that have no art or symbols and there are no systems of symbols that do not include circles and crosses. These marks are opposites. The circle contains and is unending while the cross both reaches out and marks a specific, finite point at the center. Contemplation of this yields many possibilities and in this way temps the designer or the viewer to find personal meanings besides the traditional ones. A plain circle is often a symbol for the moon and a circle with a cross within or the arms of a cross without are universal symbols for the sun. The swastika is a related sun symbol. The Druids did indeed worship the sun and moon. These were important symbols to them. The cross by itself relates to other ideas. The four directions or the four corners of the Earth, the vertical and the horizontal coming together imply the joining of forces such as Heaven and Earth. Just as since the swastika became associated with the Nazis and became a symbol for anti-Semitism and hate the strength of that association supersedes its older meaning. The cross likewise when it became the predominate symbol of Christianity is no longer thought of by most people as a symbol for anything else. The older meanings do not entirely vanish. They are waiting to be rediscovered.

Answer 3

In Celtic regions of Ireland and Britain many free-standing upright crosses – or high crosses – were erected, beginning at least as early as the 7th Century. Some of these 'Celtic' crosses bear inscriptions in runes. There are surviving free-standing crosses in Cornwall and Wales, in the island of Iona and in the Hebrides, as well as the many in Ireland. Other stone crosses are found in Cumbria and the Scottish Borders, however some of these are of the similar Anglo-Saxon cross making tradition. The most famous standing crosses are the Cross of Kells, County Meath, and the crosses at Monasterboice, County Louth, Ireland, and the Cross of the Scriptures, Clonmacnoise, Ireland.

There are numerous representation of crosses combined with a circle, even before Christianity. Often called "sun cross", they can be found in pagan North-West Europe (the symbol became the mark of the Norse god Odin) or in Pyrenees and in Hiberica Peninsula. But there is no evidence of a link or a common origin with the Christian cross.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_Cross

I'm not even a Christian, but I have a Celtic Cross necklace, just because I think it's beautiful. I'm Scottish/Irish, so I like the Celtic part of it. :)

Answer 4

the celtic cross started as an even cross. with four even tines and a circle in the center.

the circle could represent the sun or the moon as the celts worshiped both equally.

durring the Christianization of the celtic lands the high cross. a celtic/christian crossbreed was designed to make the conversion from the celtic beliefs to the christian beliefs easier for the Celtic Pagans.
much the same as most of the celtic holidays had christian holidays placed almost on top of them.
the knotwork symbolises a belief in reincarnation and was adopted by christians to be belief in eternal life.
(it is hard to say what came first to the celtic lands the Christian or the knotwork. there is no known example of celtic knot before the christian invasion. but with their habit of burning and destroying every thing that they do not understand this is not suprising.)

Answer 5

A Celtic cross combines the cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. It is the characteristic symbol of Celtic Christianity, though it may have older, pre-Christian origins. Such crosses formed a major part of Celtic art. This design is also referred to as the Irish Cross, or as the Cross of Iona.

Answer 6

When St. Patrick came to Ireland to bring chirstianity he formed a new cross with the celtic sun god in the middle to help ease them in to chirstianity...also known as 'chasing the snakes out of ireland.'
:)

Some have celtic knots with certain meanings those you will have to look up

Answer 7

The circle in the middle represents the Sun. Blessed be.

Answer 8

http://www.celtarts.com/celtic.htm