The Celtic Cross  SBAG-CELTICCROSS   $16.99  Expedited Shipping Available! E-mail service@strongblade.com or call 866-7SWORDS In Stock - Ships in 1-3 days    The pagan Celts may have accepted Christianity, but they didn't leave their old ideals completely behind. The Celtic cross features the typical Christian crucifix but has a Celtic circle behind it, and usually bears intricate Celtic patterns throughout. There are many explanations for why this is, but all seem to agree that it most likely was the union of Celtic ideals (possibly the circle represents the sun or the moon goddess) with Christian symbolism. This is a concept that jives pretty well with the overall relationship between Christians and pagans. After all, Christians adopted and altered many pagan holy days as their own, possibly to ease the conversion of pagans who did not relish the thought of giving up their rituals. Easter, for example, falls around the time of the Spring Solstice, an extremely sacred pagan occasion, devoted to fertility. Rather than force the pagans to give up this ritual time, Christianity simply changed it's calendar to match that of the pagans. Ever wonder what the heck the Easter bunny and the egg have to do with Christ rising from the dead? No, they didn't serve rabbit and hard boiled eggs at his last supper. Rabbits and eggs are both symbols of fertility. There are a number of examples like this, including the adoption of the pagan Yule log as the modern Christmas tree. But the main fact remains; the principles of Christianity never really changed, even if their holy days and some of their traditions did.

The Spartans were reknowned for their ferocity and for their military strength and skill. Of the Greek city-states, the Spartans were one of the few who actually had a standing army with professional soldiers. (Most of the other city-states had sitting armies who would rarely stand at all. Okay, just jokes). The Spartans carried Spartan Spears in one hand and Spartan Shields in the other. They wore Spartan Helmets and Spartan Greaves, and bore Spartan swords at their sides. Coincidentally, Strongblade sells all of these.

Keywords: pendant, necklace, celtic, cross, alchemy, gothic