Religion and mythology played the great role for Celts, unlike the neighbouring Roman Empire where the social pyramid was held up on the army devoted to the emperor. Those who kept and embodied mythology were druids (or priests).

 In spite of the fact that the Celts had a propensity to monotheism, it is known that they had a lot of different deities with various functions.

Unfortunately, it is not much known about Celtic gods, as well as about many other things from the life of Celts. Antique sources give us little information and another source is the Irish sagas which were written down already during Christian times. In these sagas gods act as heroes. The reconstruction of Celtic pagan pantheon is possible with the help of the Scandinavian sources, but it demands special research which is beyond the given work.

Nevertheless the witness of Julius Caesar will be given. In the sixth book of �Notes about Gallic war� there is such description of druids: �Druids take an active part in affairs of worship, watch the correctness of public sacrifices, and construe all the questions concerning religion; a lot of youth is sent to them for studying sciences and in general druids are respected by Gauls (i.e. Celts). It were druids who passed sentences on all disputable issues, both public and private..and if somebody, whether a private individual or the whole nation does not obey their will, they will be deprived of the sacrifices. It is the most severe punishment for them. Those who were deprived in that way were considered ungodly and the criminal, everybody shuns them like from an infectious, avoids meetings and conversations with them not to get in the trouble.�

Most likely, druidism originated from Britain. So Caesar supposed. Also the texts of Irish sagas prove it. The schools of secret knowledge that were situated on the territory of modern Scotland (in Alban) are mentioned there.

The religion played the great role in the public life of Celts. Sometimes reaching mysticism, it strongly held the consciousness of all believers and made them flexible material in the hands of ruling groups. The religion gave way to various cults, rites, customs, traditions, myths and epos.

The fundamentals about god can be found in the triads of Irish bards. There the main points of Celtic world-outlook concerning various questions are postulated. There are triads about the Man and his ordinariness, about essences in general and, certainly, about god.

By Julius Caesar�s description, the Gauls had their gods, which corresponded to five functions and presented by Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Apollo and the Minerva in Roman mythology. Unfortunately, he gave no local name of these deities.

After the conquest of Gallia and its Romanization the process of merging of Celtic and Roman pantheons started, and it had the deliberate character.

The Gauls chose the Roman names for their gods by the principle of correspondence of iconography and functions (in the same way as the pagans throughout Europe identified mythological characters with Christian sacred centuries later). To Caesar�s credit be it said that he managed to single out the main mythological types that were later revered by Gaul-Romans under the Roman names. Of course, he missed something. Besides, the direct identification emasculates some interesting features of Celtic mythology.

So, speaking about Old Celtic (Gallic and, in a lesser degree, Briton) deities, usually the following names are mentioned: Taranis, Cernunnos, Esus (Hesus), Toutatis (Teutates), Lugh, Belenus, Ogmios, Brigantia.