How Do You Pronounce Celtic?

Just how does one say it - Keltic or Celtic? Doknowledge'. They could recite Celtic laws, rituals,
you pronounce the latter as if it started with aand history. Written accounts of the Celts and
soft 'c' or an s? Or is Celtic with the first ctheir behavior comes from Roman sources and
pronounced hard like a k? To add more confusionother third parties. Archaeological digs at several
if you do a search on Google with the wordsites have produced other bits of information.
spelled as 'Keltic' you get quite a listing.Their Language
In New England, the Boston Celtics (soft c) haveGaelic and other close Gaelic languages are still
been a dominating force in professional basketballspoken in the British Isles.
for many years, so it is always pronouncedThe Cross
'seltics' for Celtics and the singular celtic, would beThe Keltic Cross is perhaps the best known
pronounced like 'seltic'. However, if you travel tosymbol. It can be found all over Europe. This is a
the British Isles, most assuredly the word wouldcross with a circle around it so that the arms of
be pronounced with the 'k' sound or Keltic forthe cross extend outward beyond the circle.
Celtic.Some writers state that the cross was a symbol
Brief Historyfor the Celts before it became popular as a
In any case, the Celtics were an ancient peoplechristian symbol. Crosses were made of wood
going back several thousand years in Europe.and stone, but today few of any wooden Celtic
They wandered from some where nearsymbols remain. Keltic knots symbolize endless
present-day Turkey and over time crossed thelove and are revered as Celtic love symbols
continent with many occupying the British Isles.today.
Ireland could probably be termed the capital ofMyths
the Celts.The tales of King Arthur and Camelot are very
When Christianity spread across Europe aroundCeltic. This is a tragic maybe even a magic tale of
the year 400,the Irish Kelts embraced it, but keptchivalry and honor and the hope of what could be.
a touch of their pagan past. If you look at theBut alas, it ends in sorrow - Guinevere along with
Celtic Cross - which is a cross with a circleLancelot betray their beloved king. Many movies
crossing its four arms - you see an example ofhave been made about Arthur and the the
this merging of the two faiths. This merging cameknights of the round table. The plot makes for a
back to haunt them in the 1800's, when theygreat story and most likely will continue to intrigue
were persecuted for their modified form ofpeople for all time. The story of the holy grail
'Catholicism' and coupled with a potato famine thewhich has been made popular lately is another
'diaspora' occurs. This is a spreading of the Celticpart of Arthur's story. It is thought that Joseph of
people to Australia and other English speakingArimathea brought the grail to Ireland in the first
countries especially the United States. It has beencentury. It was lost. Hence, about three hundred
estimated that in the 1850 US census about 50%years later Arthur orders his knights to find it and
of the population was Irish. From that and thethe quest began.
fact that the Celts spread all over Europe oneKeltic Symbols
could deduce that most people today in the USThese two tales are captivating perhaps as
are related to the Celts of ancient.intriguing as the Celts themselves. They have left
No Written Languageus with their legacy of symbols which have their
The Ancient Celts never did produce a writtenown intrinsic meanings. Symbols of love and life,
language. They counted on their people to carryof relationships and sometimes fear as used on
on their thoughts and ideas. They had athe battlefield to intimidate the enemy. Some
sophisticated social structure and - in a way - itsymbols have become quite popular as Celtic
preserved their ideas and history. Druids, Bards,Tattoo art. All these symbols leave us with
and Ovates were highly trained 'keepers of theintriguing mysteries to solve and enjoy.