The Human Search For Meaning In Religion Essay

Throughout history, religion has been instrumental in developing response to the ultimate search for meaning in human existence. Understanding such ancient religions as those of the Celtic and Norse influences us in recognising the religious inclinations that seem to define human beings, and the existentialisms which continue to remain present within civilisation. For the Celts, a group of ancient peoples that once occupied lands in the British Isles between 2000 and 50 BCE, the search for meaning in life is fundamentally recognisable within their religion and the inextricable connection they hold to the Earth. The Ancient Nordic religion is one that once formed the backbone of Scandinavian culture in particular Viking society and in turn their search for meaning in life is made evident through their beliefs and rituals.

While no written records surround the origins of the ancient Celts, the archaeological evidence available to us in conjunction with interpreted historical accounts surrounding their origins and beliefs have been used to reconstruct ideas about their religion. There is therefore no complete myth about the origin of the world; however there is the general Celtic belief in the creation of geographical features for example where bodies of water can be attributed to the tears of giants. The principal Nordic beliefs concerning the origins of the universe are embodied in the creation myth which takes place in the magical void Ginnungagap, which is situated between the realm of Niflheim (the realm of ice to the north) and the realm of Muspelheim (the realm of fire to the south). The sons of Bor threw Ymir’s body into Ginnungagap and created Midgard (the human realm), Asgard (the realm of the gods) and Hel (the realm of the dead) from Ymir’s corpse. These realms are arranged in levels connected by various magical pathways around the universal tree Yggdrasil. It is believed that later they used an ash tree to create the first man and an elm tree to...