Four Gifts & The Ages of Man Beirdd Sat Dec 12 22:48:16 1998 Searles has posted some fascinating information and insights into the Four Gifts of the Tuatha de Danaan (The Treasures of the Celts). I would like to offer the diagram above as an additional interpretation of the gifts, arranged according to geographical directions, as markers for the stages of a person's life.*p*The Cauldron symbolises birth (and, ultimately re-birth) beginning the age of childhood. Childhood ends with physical generativity or parenthood, symbolized by the Lia Fail as hearth and home. This marks the beginning of youth, when one's energies are primarilty directed toward meeting the physical needs of the self and others. Youth ends with the attainment of knowledge, or mental generativity, shown as the sword that, like the rising Sun, cuts through the darkness, bringing the person into the period of adulthood. When this knowledge is actualized, it becomes wisdom, symbolized by the spear which pierces to the core, (often depicted as dripping blood to signify the giving nature of wisdom) and the person enters into maturity and the spiritual time of life which will end with death and re-birth, beginning the cycle again.*p*I realize this is all pretty sketchy. Perhaps someone else can contribute their own impressions of this scheme.*p*--Beirdd http://www.geocities.com/athens/forum/6580/cross.gif