Some remarks from me regarding the story :)

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Due to this story I read a lot about the Celts and their ways. And I reached the point where I realized that I couldn’t write the story I wanted to write if I got along like a slave with the history - as far as we know it. The celts hadn’t any written evidence. All we know we have to assume from roman scripture and this was often biased.

So I decided: Scratch the history. And so the Celts in my story have only slight similarities to the irish Celts of the 1st Century BC - the time I settled the story in. 

It was a rough time. The roman empire was slowly decreasing. One big blow was the loss of three legions in the such called “battle of Varus”. Arminius, Leader of the Cheruskian tribes wiped out this high skilled warriors with a few men. It was the eighth part of the whole roman army which got killed in that battle. 

“Varus, give me back my legions” - the desperate cry of the roman emperor Tiberius is legend - at least here in Germany (after all this was the last war the Germans ever won…).

In this rough time I placed the story of Eochaid and Aodhfin. But besides the historical inconsistencies I found one very interesting point. And that was the gay part. Literally.

Homophobia is a rather new concept in the human society. Homosexuality was always accepted. Not especially supported, because that wasn’t necessary. It was normal to be in a gay relationship. At least as a man.  Almost  nobody cared what women did as long as they got married and children.

But all the polytheistic religions with their many gods, alway supported the idea of gay relationships. The mentor system in the old Greece provided the young men with a teacher who introduced them to others so that they were able to gain the connections to make a living. They also provided the young men with knowledge, experience and very often money. The relationships in this mentor system often led to lifelong friendships.

The Samurai in ancient Japan had a rather similar system: Education and connections paid with a sexual relationship. Here the young Samurai approached his mentor. Not the other way around like in ancient Greece. China, Sumeria - you name it.

Look at almost any high culture with polytheistic religion and you had a society which accepted gay relationships, at least: As far as we know now. There are too many hints to ignore them. 

Gilgamesh and Enkidu in ancient Sumeria were not only comrades. They were lovers. As the friendship of David and Jonathan was more than just friendship. They also were lovers. There is no other interpretation of his words:

                        I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;

                        you were very dear to me.

                        Your love for me was wonderful,

                        more wonderful than that of woman.

With the rise of the monotheistic religions like Christianity and Islam the concept of homophobia, which was led directly out of the book “Leviticus”, came with the package. Leviticus is calling gay relationships as a “abomination” and Judaism carried out capital punishment for gays for a long time.

Isn’t it almost laughable that the two religions who detest Judaism that much that they almost wiped out the jews from the world, are relying on the same religion they abhorr so much to justify their own homophobia? And isn’t it even more laughable that some of the strongest supporters of gays are now jews? And those who are detesting gays the most are calling themselves christians and muslims?

Societies are not carved in stone. A society is in a constant flow, redefining itself. Same is for a religion. The Islam we know today is not the Islam 200 years ago. And the Christianity got a long way from the catacombs of the roman theatres where christians got killed for heresy to the religion we know and recognize nowadays. Societies are developing when new ideas get introduced to them. They need this new ideas to thrive off them and stay lively and healthy. A society where new ideas are forbidden or considered “unholy” is a dying society.

So let’s take our beliefs and let them clash together with the existing dogmas. Let’s all stick up for those who just wanted to live their lifes, who want to be a normal family - who only consists out of two Dads or two Moms.

Just the way Aodhfin and Eochaid wanted to do.