Arya

Celtic society – Druids – Priestly caste. In those lands where the Aryan was the incoming conquerer the caste system often incorporated non-Aryan elements of the population into a separate and lowly caste. Amongst the Indo-Aryans the non-Aryan population were incorporated into a Sudra caste, although the Brahman, Ksatriya and Vaisya castes were already in existence prior to the invasion of India. The caste system introduced by Rig in Germanic society was already corrupted from the aryan original for the third caste, the Thralls were obviously non-Aryan slaves that were incorporated into Germanic society. The Gallic and Irish peoples kept true to the Aryan original as their caste system included just priests (Druids), warrior-nobles and cow-herders. The Germanic Jarl caste incorporated both priests and warriors whilst originally these would have been regarded as separate. This is indicative of a prehistoric power struggle between the priestly and noble castes which continued right into modern times in the guise of the struggle between church and state. This would help to account for Caesar’s comment: “The customs of the Germans are very different from those of the Gauls. They have no druids to preside over religious matters, nor do they concern themselves with sacrifices.”(The Gallic War, Book 6:21) It is interesting that the term Aryan (original, Arya) is to be found in the Irish caste system, preserved in the term aire: “The ceile was the producer, the basis of the entire society. Above them came the warriors and nobles, the flaith, often coming under the title of aire (noble), which is cognate with the Sanskrit word arya, freeman. Then came the professional class, originally the Druids.” (The Celts, Peter Berresford Ellis, 1998) “For those who for whatever reason wish to resist the idea that the Celtic mythology and religion (as well as culture) is essentially based on Indo-European roots, it might be noted that the first element in the names Ire-land and Ira-n are the same linguistically, and both are related to the Arya-ns of India.” (The Book of Ogham, Edred Thorsson, 1992) Avestic Iran – Athravan – Master of the Fire/Priestly caste. Some of the deities of the Irish and Gallic peoples contain the Er/Ar prefix in their names, eg Eremon and Ariomanus which are both cognate with Aryaman, Airyaman and Irmin, and also Eriu, the Goddess of the Aryans who physically embodies the land and sovereignity of Ireland/Eire. Liberal and politically indoctrinated scholars today in the main would deny Indo-Europeans the right to designate themselves as Aryans but the evidence is there for all to see that to see that to say this term was only used by Indo-Aryans and Iranians is a downright lie. J.B. Mallory and D.Q. Adams inThe Oxford Introduction To Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World state that the term `Aryan` or `Arya` derives from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European[PIE] term h4eros orh4eryos which has the general meaning of “member of one`s own group” which in itself is almost an admission that it is an ethnic term. The Hittite ara- means “member of one`s own group, peer, friend”. The Lycian arus means “citizens”, Old Irish aire “freeman”, the Avestan airya and the Sanskrit arya “faithful”. Mallory and Adams state quite clearly “The evidence suggests that the word was, at least initially, one that denoted one who belongs to the community in contrast to an outsider; a derivative of the word is found in the Hittite ara`[what is] fitting` and natta ara `not right`. Vedic India Braman-originally “man of formulation”-priestly caste Ksatriya-originally “man of power”-noble/warrior caste Vaisya-originally “village dweller” or “member of the band”-producer caste Avestic Iran Athravan-originally “master of the fire”-priestly caste Rathaestar-originally “chariot warrior”-noble/warrior caste Vastryo fsuyant-originally “cowherd shepherd”-producer caste Ionian Greece Hieropoioi-originally “sacrificers”-priestly caste Phulakes-originally “guardians”-noble/warrior caste Georgoi-originally “cultivators”-producer caste Celtic Society Druids (including Ovates and Bards)-priesly caste Flaith-noble/warrior caste Bo aire-“cow herds”-producer caste Germanic Society Jarls-noble/warrior caste Karls-freemen/peasants/soldiers-producer caste Thralls-servants Celtic Society – Flaith – Noble/Warrior caste. There appears to have been a certain amount of social mobility between the priestly and noble/warrior castes which the producer caste does not appear to have enjoyed. It was possible for those of the 3rd caste to rise to one of the other two but this was generally only recognised in the 3rd generation, in other words in the grandson of someone who had been elevated. (See page 42 of The Indo-Europeans, Professor Jean Haudry) “Social mobility provides a useful criterion for distinguishing the functions or function-classes from the castes. Celtic society has three function-classes, as we have seen, but only two birth-classes or castes, since a Druid’s son may become a warrior and viceo-versa; in this way the caste-border separates the first two function-classes (the elite) from the third, whose position of inferiority is noted by Caesar.” Professor Haudy is here referring to Caesar’s statement in Book 6.13 of his The Gallic War: “In the whole of Gaul two types of men are counted as being of worth and distinction. The ordinary people are considered almost as slaves: they dare do nothing on their own account and are not called to counsels. “Of the two types of men of distinction, however, the first is made up of the druids, and the other of the knights.” (Carolyn Hammond translation) The apparent gulf between the warrior and priestly castes against the masses may be an indication that the priests and nobles were the true Arya, the incoming and conquering dominant Nordic race. All successful historical Aryan so