Ancient religions in Scotland—that is, those religions which existed before writing and before Christianity—were religions which stressed practice in the form of personal and community religions rather than any profession of belief or faith. These religions have incorporated animism (the belief that plants, animals, rocks, rivers, and so on had souls and were therefore alive), shamanism (the practice of using trance states to communicate with the spirit world), and magic (a way of controlling the powers of the universe). The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh has displays showing some of the artifacts associated with these ancient religions.
Magical Charms
Magic involves the manipulation of physical objects to achieve supernatural ends. In his textbook General Anthropology, H. H. Turney-High defines magic as:
“An attempt to produce desirable results by bringing the supernatural power under human control.”
According to one display in the National Museum of Scotland:
“It was important to have magic on your side in a world where luck, both good and bad, was a force affecting your life. People wore charms and amulets to bring good luck and ward off evil.”
The magical powers of amulets and charms had many sources. In some cases, it was felt that ancient items had special powers; sometimes it was the shape of the object that give it power; sometimes it was the material itself.
Sacred Stones
Pecked stone rocks, such as those shown below, were an important part of the religious practices of the early farming communities.
We don’t really know what these symbols meant to the people who made them. As I noted in an earlier essay on the meaning of rock art:
“One of the problems with regard to rock art is attempting to determine what these symbols mean. Too often casual observers fall into the “gaze and guess” trap in which they attempt to interpret the meanings based on their own cultural experience. Symbols are an important part of culture and when they are taken out of the context of the culture in which they were created, it is difficult, if not impossible, to understand what they meant to the people who created them.”
Sacred Objects
Some objects became sacred when they are deliberately sacrificed—i.e. broken—during ceremonies. Other objects are made sacred by having special symbols painted or inscribed on them.