Back to "Dogs of my own" Contents Back to Home                                                                 C  E  L  T  I  C      T  A  L  E It's a French Celtic song that gave me the idea to write a Celtic tale. Of course, that could be only for my dear Gidan. For Gidan's official name is : Mawlch Gidan ; this kennel name isn't at all a Croatian word (the W letter doesn't exist in Croatian), but it conjures up Celtic words - in the North of  Wales, a town is named : Amlwch ! But the CH at the end of a word is also reminiscent of French Celtic words - Breton -,  and in some areas this CH (or C'H) at the end of a word is pronounced like a H.
		Once upon a time, so many moons ago, there was a wide forest where the clan decided to settle down. The clan was composed of a lot of martial and farming men and women, with their children, and some farm animals too. The forest was keeping a whole host of wild animals. Of course a lot of gods were managing this whole bunch, animals and human beings all together. The trees and the flowers too were in the gods' service. These gods were a bit despotic, and the men and women used to sacrifice animals or even children to gain their favour. When they succeed to kill someone of  any enemy camp, they used to cut off his head and keep it as a magical trophy - so was one Celtic custom ! One day, the young animal was looking curiously at some strange preparations ; he was living in the clan from a few months, and he had already seen such preparations before, but this time something seemed to be different - and strange. Suddenly, someone put him a kind of dress, as if he would have to play a part. He felt a bit worried. Then, a little bird sang, sang and sang a lot above his head, till he noticed him and gave up to watch the men and women all around. The bird succeed to make him hear what it had to say. The bird told him that the men
		were arranging the next sacrifice, but that he was the animal that was meant to be sacrificed for the gods. The young animal completely dissolved into tears ; he was trusting so much these men and women, and their kids who played with him so many times ! How could they be able to do such a thing ? He really felt betrayed. But he wasn't at all a poor character, and he quickly pulled himself together to face facts. Suddenly, a huge strength filled both his body and his mental attitude. He rushed with such a strength that he broke down his collar and then he ran away. He heard the men calling him, but he didn't trust them any more, and he ran on. Then he lived among the wild animals, he never trusted any human being any more, but the knowledge that the bird gave him never left him, and he kept too the huge strength both in his body and in his mental attitude. One day, another little bird told him that mankind says that knowledge is power, but that in reality knowledge is over power. 02/05/07 Isabelle Coquinot