Zeynep: It was on a grassy strand, with the ford across the Liffey just behind them, that Conall and Finbarr prepared for battle. There was a ritual to be followed before a Celtic warrior fought. First, the warrior should be naked, though he might paint his face on his body with the bluish dye called woad. But more important than any outward decoration was the inward preparation. For men did not go into battle cold. Armies worked themselves up with fearsome war chants and terrifying battle cries. Druids would shout to the enemy, telling them they were doomed. As the druids cast spells and warriors hurled insults, men from the camp would sometimes throw mud or even human excrement at the faces of their opponents to discourage them. But above all, each warrior had to work himself into that heightened state where strength and skill became something more than mere bone and muscle-where he drew strength from all his ancestors, too, and even the gods. This was the warrior's sublime inspiration, his battle rage, his "warp spasm," as the Celtic poets called it.

It was on a grassy strand, with the ford across the Liffey just behind them, that Conall and Finbarr prepared for battle. There was a ritual to be followed before a Celtic warrior fought. First, the warrior should be naked, though he might paint his face on his body with the bluish dye called woad. But more important than any outward decoration was the inward preparation. For men did not go into battle cold. Armies worked themselves up with fearsome war chants and terrifying battle cries. Druids would shout to the enemy, telling them they were doomed. As the druids cast spells and warriors hurled insults, men from the camp would sometimes throw mud or even human excrement at the faces of their opponents to discourage them. But above all, each warrior had to work himself into that heightened state where strength and skill became something more than mere bone and muscle-where he drew strength from all his ancestors, too, and even the gods. This was the warrior's sublime inspiration, his battle rage, his "warp spasm," as the Celtic poets called it.

Sayfa 159

The Princes of Ireland: The Dublin Saga Edward Rutherfurd

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