With the evolution of animated movies over the pass decade being largely in the vein of pixar and the like , “Brendan and the Secret of Kells” seems to humbly swim against the tide of popular anime trends and technology? I hope this proves successful and that the public is able to be more open to what i am believing to be an animated diamond in the rough?
The news is that this fantasy ride into the creation of the book of Kells has been nominated for an oscar in the category of animated film feature, up against many of the recent animated movies of 2009 like UP! and Fabtastic Mr Fox.
Tom Moore the animator and director of Brendan and the secret of Kells must be biting his nails or ignoring the hoopla, though for now here’s his blog! The Blog of Kells. & Here
There has been some renewed cinematic interest in movies about Norsemen over the years,mixed representations of Vikings from science fiction tales like Outlander to the entertaining but questionable Pathfinder, whilst i try not to be some type of critic, and rarely adhere to the words of any critics for that matter, preferring to judge movies by actually seeing them. However, we have come along way since Tony Curtis and Kurt Douglas swashbuckled their way through the 1958 movie “The Vikings”, the latest entry on the viking movie ladder to my mind “Valhalla Rising” may indeed turn out to be the best of them all?
For a full review of the movie click HERE!
Instead of a next supplement to the ongoing posting of “Perspectives on Pictish Body Adornment” here are some other posts relating to “ALL THINGS PICTISH” …. It’s holiday time & whilst i am doing some reading and playing with my kids, i will make a few more posts on this topic in the near future.
Orator Eumenius’ poem written for Emperor Constantius Chlorus in 297AD outlines the disposition, relationship and opinion the Romans had concerning the people of what we modernistically call Britain; “This legion, set to guard the furthest Britons, curbs the savage Scot and studies the designs marked with iron on the face of the dying Pict”. This passage triumphantly declares Rome’s Empirical presence, firstly Rome as guardian and ruler of the Briton’s is established, as they are “set to guard the furthest Britons”, the Britons are thus Roman subjects, now civilised, they are a conquered people and no entirely independent, the predominant warrior force that they once were is now is dismantled or enlisted, their druids and religion have been put to the sword, their Kings compromised, exiled or slain, as they have largely become influenced and affected by Roman technology, language and military might. The Scots or Gaels, that Dalriada stock of Irish immigrants are deemed “savage” wild barbarians, a condescending assessment of Celtic peoples akin to animals; no sentiment of nobility is attributed to them here, supposedly uncultured and impulsive, motivated by the hope of battle and the lust of its spoils, death. Whilst the “dying Pict” is reduced to a curiosity, a type of dead cat lying in a gutter to be poked with a stick by some inquisitive albeit insensitive kid, now a lifeless body decorated in the etched trappings of tattoos and in perhaps Roman thought to that of a passing race and culture, an attempt at prophesying their demise under Roman sword possibly?
A Roman Centurion running from Picts on horse back. A scene from the up and coming movie “CENTURION”
Each race or cultural group is named in this passage and their disposition to Rome declared, the Picts are now singled out again, with reference to what they have upon their skin, their tattoos, rather then for who they are or what they do, but for what is a most outstanding and repetitive description of a people, which time again and again comes to the fore as the one main reason for them being who they are, as much as why they are known by the name they are called, the Pritanni, the people of the designs, distinct from all others of the time.
In 787AD the Synod of Calcuth in Northumberland, who in 717AD had joined with the Pictish Church, declared that tattooing was now outlawed, such marks upon the body were termed as “Diabolo instinctu”, the “devils mark”. The Pictish Church had remained independent from Rome, Ireland and the rest of Britain, it did not observe Roman Church events such as Easter, though would in the future, perhaps Rome felt that it’s universal church which was built upon the Apostle Peter was reason enough for other churches to convert. Either way Rome some 400 years earlier through an edict decreed by Emperor Constantine deemed facial tattoos as unlawful and against God, though tattoos were allowed to continue upon the legs and arms, so that slaves still received their masters brand and soldiers their military marks. The Northumbrian church had reached a decision of zero tolerance towards tattoos, though why such absolute ruling?
Monk Stone – Procession of Pictish Monks toward Stone Cross.
In “768 the Picts fought a losing war against Scottish King Caustin Mac Fergus, who finally claimed the Pictish crown in 789. Northumbria was the only possible refuge for the defeated Pictish aristocracy, and an influx of tattooed warriors (and their families) must have prompted the Church to pass an edict against the practice.”
It would then be a matter of generations, less then one hundred years where warring would decrease the Pictish population and the lands they controlled, becoming a minority in this growingly Celtic/Scottish country, their Kings no longer living or ruling, where Pictish tattoos would increasingly become a mark of ridicule, lending to growing prejudice and ostracism. Their tattoos now a cruel reminder of who they once were and relegated to be, strangers in their own land. Old men and women bearing their once proud marks with the wrinkles of age and battle would live out a quiet and unassuming existence, perhaps on the outskirts of villages or far removed in the country side, a foreign life from the esteem and status those marks once gave them, maybe they were determined to not have their children and grand children marked in their manner, so they would not have to endure the hardship that they themselves faced. The Picts skin art thus was synonymous with who they where and so once their tattoos ceased to be practiced and passed on to the next generation, so to did the culture die and along with it the Picts as a recognizable race. The Pictish language would be replaced by Gaelic, the Picts would assimilate further into the fabric of the Scots Gaelic society.
Anna Kurylenko’ playing the role of a Pictish Women captured by Romans in the movie CENTURION. 2009.
The Picts would now become legendary, wee fairy folk with mystical origins, fictious tales would abound, and their history would remain obscured till over a thousand years would pass, till now where the historical Picts are re-emerging, developing as a form of cultural conscience in the minds of a modern Scotland, seeking independence and self determination once again.
People today are identifying with the Picts; tattoos are being revived and worn with pride, the Picts are once again walking the land, whilst their culture may not revive, their identity has begun to.
In 50 BC Julius Caesar (100BC- 44BC), Emperor of Rome wrote of his campaigns against the Gaul’s in his “Commentarii de Bello Gallico” (Commentaries on the Gallic War) whereinhis writings cover an approximate nine years of Roman bloody advancement into Western Europe, where upon defeating Gaul, it had become apparent that tribes from Britain had crossed the channel to join with Gaulish tribes already in battle against Rome. Whilst Caesar’s commentary has been considered at times as some what propagandist and with a writing style said to justify his actions and to garner support from Rome, his decisions however are transparently political and possibly a means of obtaining revenue to pay debt, being bent on the accumulation of power and of establishing a legacy in memoriam, rather then some benevolent gesture of cross cultural interaction.
Commentarii de Bello Gallico
Gaul and Britain had shared various links in emigration, Gaulish tribes had settled in Britain and so the British warriors that Caesar writes of may in fact be ex-patriot Gaul’s returning to aid their country men and not native Britons? This was suitable reason for Caesar to then make sail for Britain, thus continuing to expand his Empire, however whilst some of Caesar’s observations are first hand, it would not be plausible to suggest that all of them are from being consistently on the frontier of Rome’s advancements, it would be considered more likely that he travelled in his armies wake once the dust of war had settled and that word had been sent to him of his legions victories, along with the ethnology of the people, the resourcefulness of the land and possibility of further skirmishes, keeping abreast through reconnaissance and message runners.
In Britain a number of tribes, some without resistance, had come under Roman occupation, though also through war with the Britons Julius Caesar observed that “All Britons paint themselves with woad, which turns the skin a bluish-green colour, hence their appearance is all the more horrific in battle.” All Britons would only refer to those that Rome had come in contact with, for Caesar did not penetrate the interior of Britain at this time and so had not came in contact with the many other peoples of this island and certainly not that of the Picts or more correctly the Caledonians. In this observation concerning woad, it has been suggested that because the Latin word used in this sentence is “vitrum” or “vitro”, which is commonly thought to translate as “glass” and “woad”, makes for our understanding of woad not so straight forward?
“Vercingetorix throws Down His Arms at the Feet of Julius Caesar”, 1899, byLionel Noel Royer
Woad is used as a dye; a blue hue of indigo derived from the woad plant, and despite its inherent organic make up Kym ní Dhoireann of cyberpict.net puts forward the compelling argument that “one of the most pervasive unsubstantiated ideas” is that of the Picts and their use of woad for tattooing. Kym continues to reveal that “Vitro” translates to a type of blue-green glass that was popular among the Romans” and that it “does not translate to woad”, it is possible then that Caesar had referenced Roman concepts in order to understand the Britons habit of painting themselves, that Caesar did not know the exact source of the dye used and concluded his findings according to Roman understanding on how the colour was used or derived by Romans.
Isatis tinctoria – Woad. Painted by Painter: Jacob Sturm. 1796.
Two hundred years after the Romans left Britain, Herodotus wrote about the Picts drawing “’figures of animals or symbols on their skin by pressing hot iron onto their limbs, causing great pain, and over this they rub the sap of a plant”. This would seem to contradict the ”incisions with iron” mentioned by Herod of Antioch, for Herodotus speaks of ”pressing” hot iron, two different methods that seemingly questions the credibility of each other or that these are two different practices observed from different tribes of Picts and thus both become plausible? Once again these historical dilemmas cause some to dismiss these findings as hearsay or unreliable, though to not consider the possibility of variations in tattooing practices between disparate peoples despite their shared culture is narrow minded and limiting in anthropological research. However Herodotus gives us a part of the puzzle, whilst leaving a further question mark to ponder, he lastly notes that “they rub the sap of a plant” into the wounds created by the hot iron tools. Before we jump to conclusions in naming Herod’s plant as woad, read this cautionary tale of Kym ní Dhoireann’s; “There are many reasons to question woad as good body paint or tattoo ink. Frankly it can not be tattooed and I caution anyone thinking of doing so that it is a foolish and dangerous exercise. I know I’ve been so stupid as to try it. It is caustic, will cause the wound to not heal properly and it will not heal in. You might get a vivid scar, but it will not be at all blue. I had a less traumatic time than others apparently, as can be seen by an account given by Pat Fish at the bottom of Woad and it’s mis-association with Pictish Body Art.” Kym also states that woad “makes terrible body paint”. Her experiential knowledge is worth its weigh in the debate of Pictish tattooing and woad as their supposed tattoo ink of choice.
Kym also makes a good argument that the notion of Woad being the agent of ink used in tattooing is nothing more then the result of propaganda spun from woad growers in the time of the “Indigo Wars” (when woad growers and processors were fighting the importation of Indigo). In Dhoireann’s research she further says “the earliest referencing I have found to woad as the translation for “vitro” or “Glastum” is to the 1695 edition of William Camden’s Britannia.” Thus a later invention that has influenced the understanding’s of ancient text and further more our understanding of Picts and tattooing.
In 1984 a body of an iron aged man preserved in a peat bog was discovered in Lindow Moss in England, hence he was dubbed Lindow Man II. His skin due to the long period he laid hidden in the earth had produced a distinct colourisation of his skin, ranging from a blue, green to brown coverage of colour, the colouring of Lindow Man’s skin was attributed to copper compounds in the clay or bog, such discoveries now present us with other sources of possible organic material where such colours can be sourced? However, its use as a colouring agent in Celtic body paint remains inconclusive, whilst the plant and its sap mentioned by Herodotus clearly gives a more credible source of colouring agent, though the species of the plant eludes us, despite the brief description given to the sap in question, it could have been mixed with other materials in order to create the necessary density of colour needed for tattooing, could the same be said for woad in an effort to remove it caustic properties and increase its hue, though perhaps not, experimentation with medieval herbal knowledge may hold some answers?
One thing that modern people are learning to acknowledge is the amount of manual skill we are losing due to the push for convenient goods, notions of applying time to acquire particular skills and knowledge becomes arduous and avoided where possible, for time is money and products must be cheap and many. Ancient practices and their connection to natural materials and the environment represents a volume of knowledge that lies mostly lost in this new millennium of industry and society, corners are cut and objects are disposable, concepts of tradition and culture becomes diluted and we thus become all the more poorer for it, however the promotion and retainment of such delivers not only identity but continuity of culture and security of society into the future, becoming that all important rudder in the development of national and personal character, otherwise it leaves us buffeted by the winds of a directionless vacuous popular culture, with the sobering example of the destruction of the Picts and their tattoos for us to consider and thus establish the missing part of the puzzle that is Scottish culture and it’s ancestry.
Further more, what made the disappearance of Pictish culture perhaps possible was not the murder of its kings and the defeat of its warriors, but the eradication of tattooing from cultural practice. The Picts tattoos were not just an outstanding declaration of Pictishness, but a constant reminder in the face of all Roman’s and Caesar of an undefeated people, out of reach of Rome, living beyond its furthest outposts, poking it’s tongue out from behind Hadrian’s wall, where the fall of Pictish culture and rule was not as much to come from military defeat at the hands of both Gael and Viking, but from more religious and culturally imposing forces that would legislate against their culture through Church law.
Keira Knightly as a Pictish Guinevre? playing Merlin’s daughter in the movie “Arthur”. A new take on the Aurthurian legends, read more here.
Tattooing has enjoyed a sporadic existence throughout the history of the world, whilst more fortunate albeit fewer societies have experienced the continual and unbroken practice of tattooing within their respective cultures, a practice which in many cases contained the history, purpose and identity of those groups of people. Societies and cultures in some cases have had such traditions obliterated from its place within their culture, along with its connected customs, language and artistic development, even some times it’s people, leaving little in remembrance of their once proud customs.
Hooded Pict archer hunting boar, eagle catching salmon & goat; Detail from The Drosten Stone.
The Picts are one such people who fall into this category of history, whose tattooing practices are now the stuff of legend and great speculation? (1) The name given to these early people of Scotland is a Latin word “Pict” meaning “painted” or “painted ones”, derived from the Latin “Pictii” and “Pictus”. The Greeks called them “Pritanni”, like the Irish Gaels/Scots who called them the “Cruithne” both meaning “the people of the designs”, whilst the Welsh used the word “Prydain” where “Pryd” means “appearance, form, image and resemblance”……, all of these descriptive names gives an outsiders perspective and thus reasoning for naming the Picts as such, though it also shows a commonality of meaning, which when compared shows that these names are but translations of the one name and not simply a name given by others, that these names are translations of what the Picts called themselves by their own tongue, of which we will probably never know?
(2) In the Chronica de Origine Antiquorum Pictorum (The Pictish Chronicle. The original no longer exists) , Isidore of Seville wrote that “the race of Picts have a name derived from their bodies. These are played upon by a needle working with small pricks and the squeezed-out sap of a native plant, so that they bear the resultant marks according to the personal rank of the individual, their painted limbs being marked to show their high birth.” Isidores descriptions also reflect the origin and meaning given to the Picts very name, which was understood not just by Romans, but Gael, Britons and Welsh. However, the word tattoo does not appear within Isidores original text, as the word tattoo is a modern word developed from the Polynesian word “Tatau”,
Tahitian Tatau
(3) documented and recorded whilst in Tahiti by Sir Joseph Banks, the British botanist who accompanied Capt James Cook on expedition to the South Pacific in the mid to late 1700’s, who when observing the Tahitian practice of tattooing found great curiosity (4) and in doing so gave modern society an anglicised hybridized word of a Tahitian practice to a rapidly changing world, some several hundred years after tattooing had been eradicated from European and British lands. The Chronicle of the Pictish Kings contains the Latin words “Stigmate/Stigmata” instead of tattoo, meaning mark or brand, once again denoting the form in which these marks did take upon the skin, as being indelible. If Isidore is correct then Pictish identity was firmly based within their tattooing practices and paramount to the structure of Pictish society, for they were named and known because of this practice and by nothing else. The Chronicle of the Pictish Kings, of which there are several copies of can be confusing, having their share of inaccuracies and mistakes, though such should not cause the whole of the text to be ignored or discredited, for it does contain valuable insight, whose information in light of other texts can be verified and further supported by adding to those parts that are missing, dividing truth from fanciful historical flaws and literary license. I dare say, to dismiss Isidores words here is foolish and arrogant, for his descriptions are detailed, giving valid and confirming evidence to the process of Pictish tattooing practices and their Kings, that ultimately should not be so easily overlooked.
Three Pict Warriors – Brough of Birsay carving. Kirkton of Collessi e- Single warrior naked.
In 297AD the Roman Orator Eumenius in what is the first written record of the Picts, wrote a poem praising Emperor Constantius Chlorus, Saying “This legion, set to guard the furthest Britons, curbs the savage Scot and studies the designs marked with iron on the face of the dying Pict.” I am lead to believe that Eumenius wrote such whilst in Gaul and therefore it upon second hand knowledge that he wrote from, though this does not make it unreliable in the least. Some people may argue over the form these marks took, as to whether they were painted or indeed tattooed, being temporary or permanent, the answer is in fact found with in the description of the body art implement mentioned, where it is quoted “designs marked with iron”, Isidore in his chronicle cites “sharp iron tools” and even if Isidore employed some plagiarism from Eumenius, the poem does give an unequivocal account of tattoo placement and the form and materials of tools that are used, though i think plaigarism is unlikely and to my thinking not the product of imagination or artistic license on behalf of Eumenius. Tattooing in Western Europe in these times was not a sole practice of the Picts, but also of the Gauls, Gaels and Britons to mention a few, all tribes and racial groups that Rome was familiar with, though it was only the Picts that were called such after the process of being tattooed, where “pictum” was attributed to them, were as those that practiced tattooing else where were called by different names, a distinction here is clearly made then and must be noted! In the 3rd Century AD, Herod of Antioch recorded that “the Briton’s incise on their bodies coloured pictures of animals, of which they are very proud” further giving explanation to the Picts and other peoples of early Britain ’s process of tattooing and not merely the application of temporal body paint, though is solely a description on Briton tribes and not a general overview of all those that peopled greater Britain, further more Herod here mentions “coloured pictures of animals” and so the question of woad and various natural inks arise to confound us further it would seem?
Mel Gibson as William Wallace in the movie BRAVEHEART. (Set some 300 years after the defeat of the Pictish Kingdom)
*TO BE CONTINUED.
Copyright. 2009. Michael Lothian.
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(1) The Art of the Picts - pg 9 – George & Isabel Henderson. Thames & Hudson.2004
(2) Etymologies of Isidore of Seville - The Chronicle of the Picts – Isidore of Seville.
(3) ….. I’ll look through my books soon!
(4) Tattooing the World (Pacific Designs in print & skin – Juniper Ellis. Columbria University Press. 2008
(5) Pro restaurandis – Speech given in Rome * Whilst everybody quotes “Eumenius” and his poem to Emperor Constantius Chlorus – “Where the hell can i find the oldest quote of his speech?”
(6) Can anyone tell me where and in which document ”Herod of Antioch recorded that “the Briton’s incise on their bodies coloured pictures of
The ancient people of Scotland, those confederation of pre-Celtic tribes, they who have come to be known as the Picts, who have stoked the imagination of generations since their cultural collapse so long ago, and whilst their blood continues to flow through the veins of their descendants, their language and customs do not. Hence the passage of time that has distanced us from them and due to the limited and sparse sources of information we have on the Picts, many conclusions have been drawn or better put guessed and because of such, hypothesis after hypothesis has been spawned, romantic and nationalistic sentiment evolved with tales to match, some times being more mythological than factual, though in many cases there is reliable evidence also, more than enough on some topics to put pieces of the puzzle together in order to further understand Scotland’s ancestors. However, controversy and contention persists between academics and historians, both sides of an argument are at times able to be as compelling as each other, though as in Highlander the movie as it is in my thinking; “there can be only one” in the end, one way of thinking, one consensus in all things, though we are no where near agreeing on many things, such is humanities dilemma in the small and great things of life, because in terms of the Picts we simply do not have all the facts?
Questions regarding the life and activities of the Picts will perhaps never be fully or confidently known despite many people’s attempts to understand such and it certainly doesn’t stop people from discrediting various findings or writings of well-meaning people, the words and writings of some can indeed seem unforgiving and merciless towards those that err or write opposing arguments, though isn’t that the nature of understanding and deduction, refining information and evidence through the accumulative sum of knowledge, that through new insight all ideas are either laid to rest or built upon, there is no shame in such nor condescension due, for sometimes without the zeal to make assumption or mistake, a lesson or portion of knowledge is sometimes never learnt, though more disconcerting is that pride and insecurity makes a person unteachable, therefore unwilling to accept different perspectives.
Some times you get the feeling that some people just want to be the first to do or say something, to unveil some hidden evidence or link and claim ones historical place in unravelling the mysteries of the Picts. The race to understand Pictish symbols and the stone carvings they are found upon seem to bring out these human flaws and make for what was once called un-sportsman like behaviour? A most unprofessional way to hedge your interests and or secure your research is to be selective or silent with regard to certain ideas and information or becoming unwaveringly oppositional to those sources that threaten your ideas. If something contradicts or under minds your findings and work then either leave it out or discredit it seems to be the tact of some, ones motivation and lack of conscience or want for success can at times cause truth to become the first casualty in historical research, whether purposely or under self-deceit, though ultimately no anthropologist, historian or archaeologist can hold back the truth or remain unchallenged when the earth is continually giving up its secrets.
Fanciful depictions of Picts produced in the 1700’s.
Many people write passionately on most Pictish topics, though the issue of Picts and tattoos remains largely untouched, marginally entertained or denied public discussion, the odd internet forum and blog may contain some brief discourse on it, though rarely or next to never is the topic properly addressed or discussed in a book, why is this so? It makes for interesting reasoning and presents potentially challenging ramifications that could alter the findings of the status quo of Pictish research?
In some cases Pictish tattooing creates a hesitancy in researchers, leading them to treat certain texts with out the credibility needed to effectively be included in important research, though they are most willing to accept information from that same document that aids their research on different topics, thus, even weights of application are needed in such circumstances, a failure to use such methods may prevent an obstacle to the even and seemingly logical perspective they put forward, though this does not make their judgements and findings sound. As a card-carrying tattoo appreciator, it would seem that I am predisposed to believing that the Picts did indeed tattoo themselves and not just merely temporarily paint their bodies, though they could have done both depending on the occasion, the viability of this I will discuss later? Where as there is a solid number of medieval and historical buffs that question or entirely discredit the possibility of having the practice of tattooing within Pictish culture.
Various Pictish animals and designs found on Pictish stones
Here I will not attempt to challenge such people and their thinking, as their knowledge and authority surely out weighs mine, but I am not one to shy from heated discussion, I am not a historian but simply a lover of my country’s history, I am not overcome by its romanticism and nationalistic fervour, though I am proud none the less of its accomplishments and it historical figures, I embrace the truth as far as I know it and seek not to perpetuate false understanding or the creation of cultural myth and identity. Though, I will simply put forward my thoughts on Pictish tattooing as a means to allow all information, as much as humanly possible, to be considered in defining its inclusion into the fabric of understanding the Picts and the possibility that they did indeed tattoo themselves?
The BBC’s The History of Scotland – 1st Episode. Neil Oliver.
I was fortunate enough to marry a woman who saw that i wasn’t travelling too well lately and went and surprised me not long ago by buying me a ticket to New Zealand to hook up with some tattoo buddies and enjoy the Auckland tattoo convention that was recently on the 14th & 15th November. So i flew over for 4 days…….. and am still recovering from the fun.. hehehehhe!
It was great catching up with friends some i had not seen in eight years or so and also the friends that i have newly made.
Below are some images from the convention…………… a real cool vibe, friendly and out standing tattooing!
