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Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

Abstract

This article evaluates the role of women and gender in pre-Christian Celtic paganism and how these concepts can be applied to the modern era, building on the prior understanding that Celtic women had more freedoms than other women during their time. I utilize archaeological findings, primary sources, and scholarly sources to develop an understanding and interpretation of how women and gender were perceived by the communities who observed and practiced these ancient belief systems. I argue, through the study of Celtic women ranging from figures in their mythologies to physical artifacts and accounts, that these women had a more significant degree of autonomy and authority than initially postulated, which coincides with the existence and acceptance of a diverse array of gender expressions in these societies and their beliefs. I also argue that adherents to Celtic paganism understand the concept of gender as dynamic rather than static throughout one’s life. The presence of patriarchy and static understanding of gender that begins to make itself apparent in Celtic paganism are therefore products of Roman Catholicism penetrating those spaces. I then apply these findings to the present day to propose that women and genderqueer individuals in these societies had significant degrees of power and influence compared to the modern era, and also to utilize as a framework for incentivizing the acceptance of women and genderqueer individuals in contemporary societies. At the same time, I use my findings on pre-Christian Celtic women to dispel the perceived belief that the concept of gender and the notion of women adopting the “traditional” roles of men is relatively new in Western human history.

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