Celtic Women Institute 

This class exposes participants to my own research among the modern day descendants of Vinca Culture of Eastern Europe, in which the bear religion still is actively practiced. This religion is considered the world's first religion and survives in isolated pockets of Europe, despite having been mostly eliminated from much of Europe.  This is correlated to the Bear Religion in North America among North American indigenous peoples.  Insights will be presented from my own ethological studies at the Wildlife Research Institute in Ely, Minnesota with living bears. Participants will learn of the Celtic Bear Goddess and who in the historical period might be considered the incarnation of the Bear Goddess.  We will examine linguistic evidence and images of the material culture from the 15th century, which offers supporting documentation as well as the impact of the Bear Religion on the Women's Warrior Tradition.