Knotwork
HeyokaBear
I am having a discussion with someone who claims that knotwork is
"viking", rather than celtic in origin. I thought I'd see if any of you
might have some links or info handy on this subject. There is no doubt
that the vikings and the irish/celts influenced each other - to what
extent, and especially regarding arts and knotwork?
tyia
bear
ps... father is doing very well after the bypass surgery, due to leave
the hospital in a day or two :) Thanks for the good thoughts/prayers.
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Kevin Jones
> Hi all
>
> I am having a discussion with someone who claims that knotwork is
> "viking", rather than celtic in origin. I thought I'd see if any of you
> might have some links or info handy on this subject. There is no doubt
> that the vikings and the irish/celts influenced each other - to what
> extent, and especially regarding arts and knotwork?
Well, knotwork - aka interlace patterns - are found in several different
European cultures. The Saxons had a version, though whether this was due
to Irish influence is entirely another matter - there were enough contacts
for that to happen. Saxon knotwork isn't quite as ornate as the Irish
stuff.
It's a moot point as to who invented it. Personally I think I can see a
relationship with some types of 'trumpet' art and compass art of the La
Tene period - but then La Tene art itself was the result of many
influences, some of them coming from much further east.
As for Scandinavian influences, other than burning books - well, the
Gaelic word for writing is taken from the Scandinavian word rune.
Certainly the Vikings forced a rethink on the design of swords in Ireland
and they heavily influenced boat design. It would be worth doing a search
of Irish jewellery of the period to see to what extent Scandinavian
influence is present there. Fairly obviously they had an influence on
stories - the term Lochlainn came to mean Viking when previously that had
meant the Land-Under-the-Wave; they also seem to have become sort of
equated with the Fomhor and I've often wondered if the Saxons in the
earliest versions of the Arthurian legends didn't become equated with the
British equivalent of those entities.
Kevin
Guardians
in their decorative artwork.
Not only the european cultures of celtic and viking but also cultures such
as the Maori in New
Zealand and some examples that I have seen from South America too (a little
more angular
perhaps but very similiar).
When I saw a particular design awhile ago, I remember being very confident
in my interpretation
..." oh yes, that is an exampleof celtic knotwork" only to be very soundly
'put in my place' when
I discovered that it was in fact Maori.
I understand that there is the theory that the development of such artwork
is dependant upon the
particular cultures amount of 'free time' (ie the time they are not spending
hunting, gathering etc)
that they have in order to develop such complex forms of artwork. Although,
this is somewhat
arguable in my opinion.
The Australian Aboriginals have a beautiful and intricate method of painting
in their bark paintings
that are composed with the use of many many many tiny dots. It reminds me a
little of the sand
paintings that the buddists perform, although certainly somewhat more
permanent. The climate of the
Australian landscape is very harsh and demanding to survive in, so I imagine
that they did not
have a lot of 'free time' to spend mucking around but their artwork is just
as beautiful and detailed.
I also recently saw an interesting doco on the Book of Kells and an expert
in illuminated manuscripts
pointed out that on just one page there were influences from Byzantium,
France, Spain and of course
the famous celtic knotwork. So if the monks 'borrowed' from elsewhere one
could assume that the Vikings
or what we now identify as the Celts did so too....
Anyhow, it is very intruiging to me that peoples on the other side of the
world to each other have an
art style so similar. Maybe because those cultures had/have such a close
relationship to the earth and
her moods and they received the awen and expressed it.....
Blessings,
Tallannach
/|\
--
ever seeking....ever learning
Guardians of Time
HeyokaBear <drmn...@poboxx.com> wrote in message
news:drmngbear-7995D...@virginia.uncensored-news.com...
> Hi all
>
> I am having a discussion with someone who claims that knotwork is
> "viking", rather than celtic in origin. I thought I'd see if any of you
> might have some links or info handy on this subject. There is no doubt
> that the vikings and the irish/celts influenced each other - to what
> extent, and especially regarding arts and knotwork?
>
Kevin Jones
> The climate of the
> Australian landscape is very harsh and demanding to survive in, so I imagine
> that they did not
> have a lot of 'free time' to spend mucking around but their artwork is just
> as beautiful and detailed.
Well, in general, hunter-gatherers invariably have a lot of free time, more so
than many farming communities - at least to judge from the anthropological
literature. Mind you, they tend to go through glut and fasting periods - eat a
lot at one sitting and then not much for a while after. I'm not sure about the
Aborigines in particular - although from what I gather food is reasonably
readily available in the areas where they originally hunted - which may not be
where they've been pushed to now. The Australian environment is quite varied and
includes rainforest and wetlands. Similarly, the Bushmen in South Africa weren't
originally living in the Kalhari - they were pushed there by western farmers who
grabbed the more fertile land on the fringes and hunted any Bushman in the area.
The area they've got now is the area no one else wanted.
> I also recently saw an interesting doco on the Book of Kells and an expert
> in illuminated manuscripts
> pointed out that on just one page there were influences from Byzantium,
> France, Spain and of course
> the famous celtic knotwork. So if the monks 'borrowed' from elsewhere one
> could assume that the Vikings
> or what we now identify as the Celts did so too....
Oh, they did - that's fairly well established. There's influences from the
steppes and further east on the Gundestrup Cauldron. Again, when Darius was
getting his arse kicked by the Greeks, he was also getting attacked by tribes
such as the Boii and lost a fair bit of his baggage train which would have no
doubt included stuff decorated in the Persian manner. A bit later it looks as if
there are Persian influences in La Tene art round that area, though whether
there is a direct connection is another matter. Shouldn't be too much of a
surprise - any artist from any period is likely to look at a new form of
decoration or technique and go 'Cool! I can use that! With a few improvements of
course!' :-)
Kevin
Wade Baugher
Age of Celtic art were a fusion of Celtic, Germanic and Mediterranean
elements. In early Celtic art one sees mostly swirls, spirals, linked
spirals,
sun wheels, zoomorphs, janus heads, hidden heads, key patterns and the
like. (which were borrowed from or influenced by the Greeks, Scythians
and others) Scholars debate the precise routes of introduction of the
various motifs and elements, however, IMO, the Vikings may claim some
credit for the evolution of the elaborate scrollwork we so admire.
I'd recommend the book _Celtic Art, From its beginnings to the Book of
Kells_ by Ruth and Vincent Megaw.
--
Wade
Joshua Williams
may have been at it a little before the vikings were...well vikings, back
when they were still lower in europe maybe?
Just a guess
Joshua
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