Pagan symbolism: the torque

The well-known image of the torque is that it is worn by fierce Celtic warriors who wage war against the Romans or other Celtic tribes, armed with shield and spear. But the torque is much more than just an ornament. In this blog, we discuss the deeper symbolism of the torque.

A torc (Torq,Torque) is a large rigid metal neck ring. It can be made from a single piece or from multiple strands twisted together. Most torques are open at the front. However, some are completely round and equipped with a clasp for wearing. Torques can be made from any kind of metal, and many torques made of precious metals such as gold and silver have been found. 

The torque are known as a characteristic Celtic ornament. This image has arisen because Celts are often depicted with torques and because Romans have emphasized torques as distinctively Celtic. But other Indo-European peoples also wore torques. Torques were worn among the later European bronze Age, around 1200 B.C. to the 3rd century A.D., and later this tradition was continued by the Germanic peoples such as the Vikings. Torques were also worn by peoples such as the Scythians, Illyrians, Thracians, Celts (Gauls), Germans, Vikings, and sometimes even the Romans. All these peoples shared their Proto-Indo-European ancestry. Possibly, the torque can therefore be traced back to the Indo-European steppe culture. 

The Indo-European peoples had a strong oath-bound, dharmic culture where their pagan religion focused on the cosmic order. The Indo-European cosmic order is the principle of harmony and balance within the universe, where everything functions according to fixed laws. In Vedic thought, this concept is called "Rta," while the Greeks referred to it as "Kosmos." Rta is a dynamic force that regulates both nature and abstract concepts such as morality, ensuring a balance in both nature and society. Acting in accordance with Rta, also known as "dharma," is essential for individual and collective well-being. Violating these cosmic laws, "adharma," leads to chaos and misery. Deities such as the Norns, Matres, and Moirai guard this order.

To maintain this cosmic order, society consisted of different layers: the religious & ruling class, the warrior class, the working class. Each class had its responsibilities, guaranteed by making agreements and taking an oath. Torques and also upper arm bands probably served as oath rings. These oath rings represented the oath between the wearer and the person, god, or tribe to whom he had sworn. 

Archaeologists debate the dating of torques; some may have been passed down for generations as heirlooms. Torques were likely hereditary like an oath. In the works of Homer, the warriors Glaucus and Diomedes halt their fight and exchange gifts when they discover that their grandfathers had a guest-host relationship.

In Celtic mythology, gods and goddesses are sometimes depicted with torcs, such as the god Cernunnos, who is shown in various images wearing one torc around his neck, while others hang from his antlers or are held in his hand, as seen on the Gundestrup Cauldron. Besides representing power and wealth, these torques possibly symbolize their oath to the cosmic order. 

Torques are frequently found in combination with bracelets that likely served a similar function. 

The luxurious materials from which most torques are made show that torques are clearly associated with the aristocracy. Within the Indo-European aristocracy, religion and governance were virtually in the hands of the same person. For example, the Roman emperor was also seen as a high priest, and the Celtic druid wielded significant political power. Warfare, especially raids by war bands (the Kóryos), can be considered semi-ritualistic. The warrior class was the 'free' class within society, comparable to having legal personality. It is likely that they, too, wore torques or bracelets in some cases. These were eagerly seized by the Roman legionaries after battles. 

Sometimes torques are found in groups, without clear association with a burial. This can represent the ritual breaking of an oath, for example when a leader has died. But it can also represent the ritual swearing of allegiance to a particular deity and thus stand for protection. 

In addition to jewelry, the torc was possibly also used in rituals, with some specimens containing rattling stones or metal pieces. However, some torcs were too heavy to wear and were probably intended for cult statues. 

Until the 3rd century BC, torques were mainly found in women's graves, while in earlier and later periods they were associated with men. Images of gods and warriors wearing torques are also mostly male. The precise meaning of this remains unclear. Although Indo-European society was patriarchal, it also had female aristocrats, some of whom were buried in prominent burial mounds. It is possible that the torques in graves give a distorted view because only a small portion of the graves has been found. It could also be that men gave their torque to women to wear during their lifetime or after their death.

The oldest known torques were made in various forms, such as the "twisted ribbon" type and variants with square, X-shaped, or round cross-sections. Examples of these date from the 12th or 11th century BC and have been found in Tiers Cross, Wales. The Milton Keynes Hoard contained two large torques with thicker round shapes, similar to bracelets. Bronze Age torques, often small in size and sometimes used as bracelets, armlets, or jewelry for children or statues, were also found in England.

Torques also appear in Parthian and Scythian art. In Parthian art, the "Shami statue" depicts a nobleman with a chain lacking the characteristic Iron Age details. Scythian torques, from the early Iron Age, feature classical Eastern decorations and are found in Thraco-Cimmerian art. 

Significant finds include the gold torques in the Mooghaun North Hoard (circa 800–700 BC) from Ireland and Scythian torques from the Kuban area in Russia, dating from the 4th century BC. Torques with animal motifs also appear in the art of the Persian Achaemenid Empire.

Torcs were prominently featured in Celtic cultures that stretched along the Atlantic coast, from Spain to Ireland, and on both sides of the English Channel. In Great Britain and Ireland, torcs from the late La Tène period have been found, often richly decorated and dating from the 3rd to 1st century BC.

Another remarkable find is a heavy silver torc with bull head terminals from Trichtingen, Germany, dating from the 2nd century BC and weighing more than 6 kilos. The Snettisham Torc, found in Norfolk, England, contains a kilogram of gold and is one of the most refined specimens from the 1st century BC.

One of the most famous classical depictions of a torc can be seen in the Roman copy of the Greek statue The Dying Gaul, which features a wounded Gallic warrior who is naked except for the torc. This statue refers to descriptions by Polybius of the gaesatae, Celtic warriors from Northern Italy and the Alps, who participated in the Battle of Telamon in 225 BC. The torc was also prominently featured on early Celtic statues of human figures, such as the Warrior of Hirschlanden from the 6th century BC.

In medieval Irish mythological texts, such as the Lebor Gabála Érenn (11th century), torcs are also mentioned. For instance, Elatha, a figure from Irish mythology, is said to have worn five golden neck rings when he met Eriu.

Following the Roman conquest of Britain, from around 75 AD and for at least a century thereafter, a new type of torc emerged in Roman Britain, known as the "beaded-torc." This type of jewelry was especially common in the northern frontier areas and had two variants: type A, consisting of separate beads, and type B, made from a single piece. Unlike the earlier Celtic torcs from the Iron Age, which were often made of precious metal and associated with the elite, these Roman versions were made of copper alloys. This suggests that these torcs were more widely distributed and worn by various social strata, rather than exclusively by the elite.

The Romans adopted the torc as a military decoration, as evidenced by the legend of Titus Manlius, who in 361 BC killed a Gallic warrior and took his torc. This led to his family adopting the nickname Torquatus. During the Roman Republic, the torc was used as a tribute for distinguished soldiers. Although only a few Roman torcs have been discovered, Pliny the Elder reports that the Romans collected 183 torcs from Celtic dead after a battle in 386 BC.

The Gallic-Roman warrior of Vacheres, depicted in Roman military attire, possibly wears a torc as a symbol of his Celtic heritage. Quintilian mentions that the Gauls offered Emperor Augustus a golden torc weighing nearly 33 kilos. A torc from the Winchester Hoard from the 1st century BC, in Celtic style but crafted using Roman techniques, suggests that such objects may have served as diplomatic gifts between Romans and Celtic chieftains.

Celtic torcs fell out of use during the Migration Period, with the Germanic peoples favoring other rings. Around the Viking Age, the torque regained popularity, with silver chains in torc style being particularly worn. Similar neck rings are also characteristic of the jewelry styles of various other cultures and eras.

Rings and arm rings play an important role in early Germanic cultures, as evidenced by archaeological finds and textual sources. They are primarily associated with wealth and served as currency in the early Middle Ages. Additionally, rings were essential in swearing sacred oaths, often in connection with the gods. In Germanic mythology, rings symbolize sacredness and are crucial for maintaining relationships between rulers and their vassals. This cultural significance of rings persisted even during and after the Christianization of the Germanic peoples, with the gifting of rings and oath-swearing as enduring traditions.