The rise and fall of the Celtic warriors - Philip Freeman

Prevodilac: Aleksandar Bošnjak Lektor: Ivana Korom

One summer evening in 335 BCE, Alexander the Great

Jedne letnje večeri 335. godine p.n.e. Aleksandar Veliki se odmarao

was resting by the Danube River after a day of fighting the Scythian tribes

pokraj reke Dunav nakon jednodnevne borbe sa skitskim plemenima

when a band of strangers approached his camp.

kada je grupa nepoznatih ljudi prišla njegovom kampu.

Alexander had never seen anything like these tall,

Aleksandar nikada nije video ovako visoke i agresivne ratnike

fierce-looking warriors with huge golden neck rings and colorful cloaks—

sa velikim zlatnim okovratnicima i šarenim ogrtačima,

so he invited them to feast with him.

pa ih je pozvao da se posluže jelom i pićem.

They proudly said they were Keltoi or Celts who came from the far-away Alps.

Ponosno su rekli da su oni Keltoi ili Kelti koji su došli sa dalekih Alpa.

Alexander asked what they feared the most in the world,

Aleksandar ih je upitao čega se najviše boje na svetu,

hoping they would say him.

nadajući se da će reći njega.

They laughed and said they feared nothing at all.

Nasmejali su se i rekli da se ne boje ničega.

This is one of the earliest stories about the ancient Celts.

Ovo je jedna od najstarijih priča o drevnim Keltima.

While we don’t know where the first Celts came from,

Iako ne znamo odakle su došli prvi Kelti,

by Alexander’s time they had spread across Europe

do vremena Aleksandra Velikog proširili su se širom Evrope,

from Asia Minor in the east to Spain

od Male Azije na istoku do Španije

and the Atlantic islands of Britain and Ireland in the west.

i atlantskih ostrva Britanije i Irske na zapadu.

The Celts were never one unified empire, and they didn’t build cities or monuments.

Kelti nikada nisu bili ujedinjeno carstvo i nisu gradili gradove i spomenike.

Instead, they were hundreds of independent tribes who spoke the same language.

Umesto toga, bili su podeljeni u stotine nezavisnih plemena

koja su pričala istim jezikom.

Each had its own warrior-king and religious center.

Svako pleme je imalo svog ratnika-kralja i verski centar.

The tribes fought each other

Plemena su se borila međusobno

as enthusiastically as they fought their enemies.

istim zanosom kao kada se bore protiv neprijatelja.

Few armies could stand up to them.

Malo je vojski moglo da im se suprotstavi.

Somewhat unusually for the time, the Celts believed in reincarnation—

Malo neobično za ovo vreme, ali Kelti su verovali u reinkarnaciju

that they would be reborn on Earth to live and feast and fight again,

i da će ponovo biti rođeni na Zemlji da žive, piju, jedu i bore se,

which may have contributed to their fearlessness in battle.

što je možda doprinelo njihovoj neustrašivosti u bitkama.

Some of them fought naked, scoffing at their enemies’ armor.

Neki od njih su se borili goli, rugajući se oklopima svog neprijatelja.

The greatest trophy a Celtic warrior could possess

Najveći trofej koji je keltski ratnik mogao da ima

was the severed head of a foe.

je bila odsečena glava neprijatelja.

They preserved these heads in jars of cedar oil

Čuvali su glave u teglama kedrovog ulja

and showed them to guests who visited their homes.

i pokazivali ih gostima koji su posećivali njihove domove.

Celtic warriors were so valued in the ancient world

Keltski ratnici su bili veoma uvažavani u starom svetu

that foreign kings often hired them as mercenary soldiers

da su ih strani kraljevi često upošljavali kao ratnike plaćenike

to serve in their armies.

da služe u njihovim vojskama.

But the Celts were much more than just warriors.

Kelti su bili mnogo više od samih ratnika.

Among them were many skilled craftsmen, artists, and great poets called bards.

Među njima je bilo puno veštih zanatlija, umetnika i velikih pesnika zvanih bardovi.

The bards sang of the brave deeds of their ancestors

Bardovi su pevali o hrabrim delima njihovih predaka

and praised the accomplishments of warrior kings—

i slavili su dostignuća ratnika-kraljeva

and composed biting satires about cowardly or selfish leaders.

i sastavljali su zajedljive satire o kukavičkim ili sebičnim vođama.

The Celts worshipped many gods,

Kelti su se molili mnogim bogovima,

and priests known as druids oversaw this worship.

a sveštenici poznati kao druidi nadgledali su ovo moljenje.

Anyone could become a druid,

Bilo ko je mogao da postane druid,

but the training required many years of study and memorization—

ali trening je zahtevao dugogodišnje učenje i memorizaciju -

the druids were not allowed to record any of their teachings in writing.

druidi nisu smeli da zapisuju bilo kakvo učenje na papiru.

Druids supervised religious practices and sacrifices to the gods,

Druidi su nadgledali verske obrede i žrtve bogovima,

but they were also teachers, healers, judges, and scientists.

ali su bili i učitelji, iscelitelji, sudije i naučnici.

They were so respected that they could step between warring tribes

Bili su toliko poštovani da su mogli da stanu između zaraćenih plemena

in the middle of a battle and call an end to the fighting.

usred bitke i pozovu da se bitka okonča.

No Celt would dare to harm a druid, or question their decisions.

Nijedan Kelt se ne bi usudio da povredi druida

ili ispituje njegovu odluku.

In the 2nd century BCE, the Romans began to encroach on Celtic territory,

U 2. veku p.n.e, Rimljani su počeli da zadiru na teritoriju Kelta,

conquering the tribes of northern Italy.

pobeđujući plemena u severnoj Italiji.

Rather than unite against the Roman legions in response to this defeat,

Umesto da se ujedine protiv rimskih legija kao odgovor na ovaj poraz,

the Celts maintained their tribal divisions.

Kelti su nastavili da održavaju samostalnost svojih plemena.

The tribes of Spain fell soon after.

Španska plemena su ubrzo zatim pala.

In the 1st century BCE, Julius Caesar marched his armies across France,

U 1. veku p.n.e, Julije Cezar je krenuo sa svojom vojskom preko Francuske,

using bribery, threats, and lies to turn tribes against each other.

koristeći podmićivanje, pretnje i laži da okrene plemena jedna protiv drugih.

Only in the closing days of this great war

Tek u poslednjim danima ovog velikog rata

did the Celts unite against their common enemy

Kelti su se ujedinili protiv svog zajedničkog neprijatelja

under the leadership of king Vercingetorix,

pod vođstvom kralja Vercingetoriksa,

but it was too late.

ali bilo je prekasno.

Countless warriors and their families died or were enslaved

Bezbroj ratnika i njihovih porodica je umrlo ili porobljeno

as the Romans conquered France.

kad su Rimljani osvojili Francusku.

Protected by the surrounding waters,

Zaštićeni okolnim vodama,

the Celtic tribes of Britain and Ireland were the last holdouts.

keltska plemena Britanije i Irske su bila poslednja uporišta.

When the Romans finally invaded Britain,

Kada su Rimljani najzad napali Britaniju,

the queen Boudicca united her tribe in a revolt after her husband was killed.

kraljica Budika je ujedinila svoje pleme u pobuni nakon što je njen muž ubijen.

She almost succeeded in driving the Roman legions out of Britain

Skoro da je uspela da otera legije Rimljana van Britanije

before dying as she led a final battle against the enemy.

pre nego što je umrla vodeći poslednju bitku protiv neprijatelja.

By the end of the 1st century CE, Ireland alone, far out at sea,

Krajem prvog veka nove ere,

samo Irsku, koja je bila udaljena, Rimljani nisu osvojili.

remained unconquered by Rome.

There, the ways of the ancient Celts survived untouched by the outside world

Tamo, način života starih Kelta ostao je netaknut

long after Rome itself lay in ruins.

dugo nakon što je Rim bio u ruševinama.