Severed Head

The farther you go back into the ancient past the more you find the cult of the severed head gains importance throughout all the old cultures around the world. In Europe, the severed head was pagan originally in origin, but later christianised from the Celtic religion, and it is a good place to start to find the roots of this strange belief.

The human head was symbolic of a greater and mysterious power beyond this world. Often, after a battle, the foe’s head was severed and adorned, a decorated trophy of war. Head-hunting has survived into recent times in Borneo.

The head in Celtic art is depicted in all forms, and may have come from bronze age Europe, where it had connections with the Sun deity and is depicted as a common motif on Etruscan burial urns.

From pre-roman times it was a prominent symbol within the culture, still visible today on our modern coinage. Heads have been made in stone and wood throughout history. Large stone heads lie silent in the South American jungles, still unexplained. The most noted figure for removing a head has to be Perseus, of Greek mythology, who cut of the gorgons head (A link with stone!).

The custom of taking the enemies head and impaling it on a stick or pike, is found in various cultures up until modern times. For example, that famous Scotsman, William Wallace, had his head impaled on a pike and displayed at the gates of London to great effect. There are numerous depiction’s of warriors riding a horse with the enemies head held out as a sign of victory.

I believe the custom of severing the enemy’s head was of great importance and definitely has connections with cannibalism, which seems to have been, purposely, neglected by historical researchers because it is seen as an unwanted reminder of the beastly mentality of man. Should they be allowed to paint a deformed picture of mankind’s history, to please the taste of modern man?

Legend says St Cuthbert of Northumberland, England, was buried with his enemy’s head in his hand - a strange Christianity indeed!. Until recent times a common practice was to make busts of famous people, so indicating your affinity to that person’s talents or achievements.

Go back to the Bible and you encounter John the Baptist’s head on a platter, which has been said to have been brought back to Britain by the Knights Templars, who, it is claimed, worshipped it, as it possessed the power to talk and utter prophesies. The ability of the severed head to talk or sing is well known in a number of cultures. The use of the skull as a drinking vessel is ancient. Skulls have been found buried under alters dedicated to the god Mars.

Some heads carved out of stone have a strong stylised look to them, that the modern mind finds alien and unnatural. They appear to belong to a race with a different knowledge of the environment, and understanding of life.

Heads and images of faces can be found in not only one form, but two’s and three’s, as Janus the two faced god, or Celtic stone heads with three faces, which metamorphosises into a triple aspect of god, akin to the trinity of Christianity. We also have the sayings that have come down to us such as.....

Two heads are better than one !

Head over heels

Headway and Headland

Heading and Headman

and Godhead.

It’s the head that has the halo around it, and the circle is linked with the head not just in solar symbolism, but as a torc, shown around many Celtic necks, that are depicted on their stone heads.

The meaning is lost about the head today

We need to take its golden mask away

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