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Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 25 Sep 2018, 20:10
by sarahmarlowe
Lil Reads wrote: ↑01 Sep 2018, 22:59
One thing to remember about Celtic history is that the Romans wrote extensively on them with a clear bias and political aim. To the Romans, many Celtic customs seemed odd. For example, Celtic women did have a more important role both inside the family and in politics than Roman women. Archaeologists have noted that Celtic images and figurines of their deities show a distinct divide into pre-Roman and post-Roman influence. Prior to Roman interaction, male and female deities were usually depicted as being of similar height and with equivalent power; post Roman, the female deities are depicted as smaller and subservient.
That is fascinating! Thank you so much for posting this. I knew that Celtic women were respected more than Roman women, but I had never thought of how heavily Roman rule influenced even the building blocks of the Celtic civilization. Again, very cool post and a great example.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 25 Sep 2018, 20:20
by stelyn
Of course the book cannot capture their entire history. But, I think the author did a good work in unravelling a piece of their history.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 26 Sep 2018, 10:31
by Jmteachmom
From what research I have done on the Celtic tribes, I think the author has a basic understanding of the culture. She portrays the Romans as they really were. As a reader and lover of history, I do have to remind myself this is a fiction novel. Overall, I believe the author has done some research and portrays these societies well.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 27 Sep 2018, 12:53
by Shalomsamuels1
Definitely the protrayal of the Romans feelings toward them. They called them Barbarians and thought very little of them.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 01 Oct 2018, 06:44
by rd7ht
I think it is important to note that being Celtic was a religion not a region. Depending on where a Celt was from and how much outsiders had influenced the region determined how much freedom women maintained. Several people have referenced Boudicca, the whole reason she raised a revolt was because Rome did not support her daughters inheriting their father's throne, and had soldiers publicly rape the three of them to show them their place. Brittain tradition allowed free women to inherit, rule, and divorce as they pleased until Rome conquered the region.
Celts practiced human sacrifice. They continued this tradition when working as mercenary troops for Rome. Mass graves of ritually sacrificed people have shown this.
There are essences of truth in this book, its easier to sympathize with the characters when they are toned down so I understand why this was done.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 09 Oct 2018, 18:43
by thaservices1
I found the lack of depth in description to be questionable. Most historic novels will at least render the setting and this book was entirely lacking. I have strong doubts as to the author's research and representations.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 10 Oct 2018, 02:52
by T_stone
The book seems to have only touched a part of the Celts history though the parts touched are accurate.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 16 Oct 2018, 06:55
by Bavithra M
I don't have enough knowledge about Celts so I am not sure if Celts were potrayed accurately or not in this book.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 18 Oct 2018, 10:14
by dtb
This whole thread has made me realize that I should read more about the history of the Celts.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 18 Oct 2018, 20:30
by A G Darr
I'm not sure if they were accurately portrayed, but I thought it was awesome the women were not looked down upon. They were treated equally in the book and respected, at least in some of the tribes.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 18 Oct 2018, 22:54
by Vitter Krane
Celts are a fantastic people. Unlike many traditional communities, their women and girls are granted liberty from an early age. I loved that. Women and girls could participate in many spheres of life.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 03 Nov 2018, 17:43
by Theresa Moffitt
It seemed as though the author did a significant amount of research into the celts. They had a cleandiscriptikn that was based on fact and then I think the author creatively moved forward with the Corey using the history as a backdrop.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 06 Nov 2018, 16:09
by serendipity 27
I'm not that knowledgeable about the Celts but overall the culture's seemed represented accurately.
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 19 Nov 2018, 06:21
by Franc93
Lil Reads wrote: ↑01 Sep 2018, 22:59
One thing to remember about Celtic history is that the Romans wrote extensively on them with a clear bias and political aim. To the Romans, many Celtic customs seemed odd. For example, Celtic women did have a more important role both inside the family and in politics than Roman women. Archaeologists have noted that Celtic images and figurines of their deities show a distinct divide into pre-Roman and post-Roman influence. Prior to Roman interaction, male and female deities were usually depicted as being of similar height and with equivalent power; post Roman, the female deities are depicted as smaller and subservient.
For a more specific example, Boudicca was written about by two main Roman historians, both after her death. Both write about her as a very physically intimidating figure and describe how brutally she attacked Roman settlements, graphically describing what the soldiers did to the Roman women and children. She even gets a grand speech before her final battle, almost like a Shakespearean soliloquy. By portraying her this way, the Romans emphasize how terrifying they perceived the Celts and made themselves look better since they took on Boudicca and won.
So in short, most of our perceptions about Celts are filtered through Roman perspectives and we are still learning more about Celtic civilization.
I firmly concur
Re: Did the book accurately portray the Celts?
Posted: 06 Mar 2019, 13:00
by mamilla93
It was historically accurate. I didnt have prior knowledge of the celts, so i google it after i read the book and was impressed by the detail.