The celts The people who came out of the darkness Written by Gerhard Herm

Well, If I thought House of Leaves was a tough book to digest, I picked a book on just as difficult of level, but in an entirely different way. I just finished reading “The Celts” “The people who Came out of The Darkness” Written by: Gerhard Herm. This book was a history book that’s what it very much read like. 50000BC to 1210AD. Is quite a bit to digest in a little less than a month. The beginning alone left my head spinning and my tongue tied. Have any of you studied Etruscans, Latin, Gaelic, Welsh, German, Celt, etc… well this book was obviously full of names, cities, places, all using very similar words, and at times so very different. Plus, names family names changed as time went on and then would change again. I tried to pronounce a lot of the words out loud to better memorize what I was reading, I sounded as if I had cotton and rocks in my mouth while I gurgled Scotch, really it was not pretty. Still, I was confused also by Roman names as there were so many Julius Cesar’s, or those with similar names and campaigns across the Celtic world. Which, after reading this book I realized, the Celts not exactly the type of people who have one homeland, rather they were a nomadic folk who set up home wherever they felt. This book is set up in series to define the Celts. First the actual people who emerged from Darkness and believed in this rule “The right lay in their arms: to the brave belong all things.” Really, that says a lot about who the Celtic people were. Then it moves on to the Roman Nightmare which though the chapter end the nightmare itself in history never really ended for these people. Battles are fought over and over, kings are made and then fall. Then the author writes of the Heirs of Alexander and the Celts plus how the Great Alexander perceived these people. The books also brings us throughout the world and where the Celts traveled. Germany, Ireland, Greece, Italy, Rome, Egypt, etc… These people though they lived so many places where a word of mouth type of folk and kept their tales and history this way adapting them though time. Their religious beliefs also are told though for whatever reason Rome decided to annihilate the Druids practices as much as they could and not allow them to practice their religion. The Celts themselves were berserkers/head hunters. But, that was only a piece of whom they were. They were also a race who learned escapism very early on in such a way that it was also their blessing and their downfall. Yes they were numerous and everywhere, but each Celt would bow to no other and so Rome constantly caused brothers, cousins, kings, to go up against one another. Yes, they would fight, but they would not fight together, and they would die. I would have liked to have better understood more of the religious side as well as the actual family side with a Celt. There seems to be a very big piece missing on the average Celtic life. Such as the women, elderly, and children. They are mentioned in the book, and old descriptions are drawn upon, but for the most part this piece of the Celt is in shadows or not there at all. I found myself cheering the Celts on throughout their battles and integration, but I also felt like I was missing pieces throughout the whole book. And, this book was very very detailed. I would have liked to have better to understand the Celtic Gods, but seeing as there were 164 plus I can understand how that would be difficult. The book also touched upon Atlantis, something that it says maybe can’t be scoffed at like in olden times, and speaks about the worlds geography and the changes that occurred. I rather enjoyed this book, and while reading saw some specials on Celtic people, or TV shows mention the head hunters, who were also great artists and even had mass production in business. If you are looking for a book to tell a story, well this isn’t exactly the book for you, but if you are looking for a book to give you an idea of where to look to find a story and have more of a non-fiction eye that draws upon history and archeologist findings then this book is for you. It even goes with The Celtic people still surviving and ending with the tales of King Arthur, and how this Kings tale draws upon ancient Celtic beliefs and legends. I think I would read this book again I have sticky notes all over it and inside it will make yourself feel like an investigator.