HIstorically, the germanic saxons did not drive out or wipe out the celtic inhabitants of england. They drove out the celtic aristocracy, or ruling class (who had by that time adopted roman dress, manners and customs and even language), and became a ruling minority. The so called ‘saxon hordes’ were really not much more than small raiding parties.
Wow! This is fascinating. I mean really, truly, amazingly fascinating to me. Thank-you Okverka and Mal for the time you must have spent on you thorough postings. Do either of you know of any other literature on the subject?
I heard about this show (“Blood of the Vikings”) because my family is from the Lincolnshire/Yorkshire area of England (since as far back as the sixteenth century) were there were many Norse settlements. In fact, the name of my hometown (“Scunthorpe”) is derived from a Norse name as is the name of my Father’s hometown (“Scarborough”). I would love to have seen the show but I have to settle for the website http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/vikingmap.shtml
TelegramSam you wrote, “Well if it makes any difference, one of my ancestors (on my mother’s father’s side) was one of the German mercenaries hired by the British to fight American troops during the American Revolution.” I think that is very cool!
Hang on a minute, what’s this about we Celts being genetic mutants? Come to think of it, that might explain a lot…Ahhh, but where did this mutant gene come from?? Could it be…the Crystal People?
Gary Crosby asks what reference works might be available that treat on the history and culture of the Celtic people.
They are legion, and some are pretty heavy going! The one I referenced (“The Celtic Empire” by Peter Beresford Ellis) is one of the more recent, having been first published in 1990 and then reprinted as a paperback in 1992, so it reflects the latest research. It is a good read, and has some interesting pictures of Celtic sites and artefacts.
My advice would be to check what’s available at a large bookstore or use the web to see what Amazon might have or a good browser program might turn up. You might also find pay dirt in a public library … and don’t overlook any university libraries to which you may have access.
Two major works on this subject are Henri Hubert’s “Rise of the Celts” and “Greatness and Decline of the Celts”, first published in 1934 by Tench & Tubner, London, and republished in 1987 by Constable, London.
Another you might find interesting is “The North Britons” by R.W.Feacham, published in 1966 by Hutchinson, London.
Otakar Kverka might be interested in "Celtic Civilization and Its Heritage: published in 1962 by the Publishing House of the Czechoslovakian Acadamy of Sciences, Prague.
Good luck
Mal