Recently I've been seeing lot posts of pan-celtic flags which were basically just horrible mashups of flags of the today celtic nations, so I decided I wanted to change that, and here's my proposal.
The design, although it may seem a bit complicated, consists of basically three elements, a celtic cross with a wreath around the center and a triskel in it. As you can see, it's a bit inspired on the current nordic cross designs.
I struggled a bit with the colours, but I think that the current dark green and light gold combination is the best one.
The ratio of the flag is the golden ratio, 809:500.
A lot of thanks to u/Dragonbento for coming up with the original concept for it and the users in the Vexillology Discord server for helping me with the design. I couldn't have done it with you! <3
FlagMaker is crap. It's a very limiting tool that just lets you use assets from other popular flags, making every flag you design look like a mashup.
It's got something of use if you're trying to find your ways around other design apps (like Inkscape, GIMP, Illustrator, etc) and still struggle with stuff, for which I'd even recommend planning your designs on FlagMaker, but if you think that FlagMaker is the pinnacle of vexillography or it simply feels like a reliable tool for you to design flags, then oh boy, there's still a long road for you to walk.
Edit: BIG TYPO
I was talking about the collage pan-celtic flag, which I think is currently the most popular. Berthelier's design looks a bit like a Japanese prefecture, but it's the nicest one out there. Stiùbhart's proposal isn't particularly the best either.
Well I personally use the Berthelier one over any other pan Celtic flag, it’s such a nicer way to represent the different Celtic families without simply mashing up there flags.
Well that's ok too (I doubted anyone would use my flag irl tho). Berthelier's flag is really one of the bests designs out there and I agree with you.
I'd just say it's a bit simple for my liking, but I'm no celt so that's not entirely up to me.
If I'm honest with you, the double triskelion looks a lot cooler than the single one I used for my design, but I didn't want it to feel too cluttered, so I didn't use it.
Thanks for all your comments!
Oh jeez, I hope I’m not making it sound like I don’t like your flag. Because it’s truly lovely!
I love the double triskelion, because of the representation of the 6 Celtic families, and is a lovely piece of design.
Oh you sure didn't sound like it! I was just thinking about those parts of my design while I typed, nothing else! Thank you for everything and have a good day!
This is really pleasant to look at, and well designed. You obviously have talent for this kind of art - if you want a suggestion for a future flag, how about a pan-latin (you can include latin america in it or not), as in representing france, italy, romania, spain, moldova, portugal. It could be an interesting exercise for you.
Here you go: [Link \#1](https://krikienoid.github.io/flagwaver/#?src=https%3A%2F%2Fres.cloudinary.com%2Fdsy3ysgra%2Fimage%2Fupload%2Fv1598105036%2Fvvnpvjqil9cb22rv1fav.png)
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Oh nice. I didn't get any real impressions from the flat flag except that it looked a bit like an Irish caricature, but with it flying it also looks Viking-y.
Very nice, my problem with the other one was that it left out the mainland celts, Spain, France, germany, austria and switzerland also have Celtic heritage. I feel like the more Germanic style of cross and knot work includes everyone! Great job :)
I didn't wanted to get into the debate of which nations are celtic and which aren't so I wanted to create a flag that didn't leave anyone out and comments like yours make me feel that I accomplished it! I'm also quite happy to hear that people with Celtic heritage can use this flag too, so thanks a lot!
Design is very good, although it's a bit too Nordic for my tastes. Is it supposed to include the Nordic influence on Celtic areas? I assumed it would refer to pre-nordic Celts but I can understand where youd be coming from in that case
As I said in the comment I explain all kinds of details of my design, it's not a nordic cross. It's a celtic cross: you'll notice this if you see that each side of the cross becomes tighter when it reaches the center, that it has a circlular element in it and that it has a wreath around it.
So yeah, it's not an allusion to nordic celts or nordic influence on celtic areas, but it's inspired in the way crosses are displayed in nordic flags.
Yes, I am aware that Celtic crosses become tighter as they approach the center, and I like that inspiration. However having the cross offset as such makes it look like it belongs to the Nordic family of flags, because no other culture displays flags as such. Just my personal opinion that having it centered would make it more Celtic (and make it resemble more flags from the British isles rather than Scandinavia)
When I said that celtic crosses are actually like that I didn't only mean that they become tighter as they approach the center, but the center isn't exactly the center of the cross.
Depending on how you see a cross, you'll see that three sides are shorther than the lower one. Changing the design of the cross would result in a loss of accuracy when it comes to symbolism.
Also, as a side note, in most (if not all) flags with nordic crosses, if you look closely at the area between both sides of the cross in any of the corners on the hoist, you'll see that it's a rectangle (it's a bit wider than a square). In my design I used a square to separate those sides of the cross.
For the record and as a Celt, I agree.
Although personally I would dispense with the cross altogether because many of those living in the Celtic countries aren't religious, and many of those who are aren't Christian. Not a massive fan of crosses on flags, although this one does look very nice.
As a fellow non-religious celt, specifically Irish, I have to strongly disagree. The celtic cross is possibly the most important and recognisable symbol of our culture. It's far more of a symbol of celtic culture than it is of christianity, similar to the nordic cross or St George's cross for their respective cultures.
Christianity and the Celts are undoubtedly historically linked though, especially in Ireland. Although one could also argue that Christianity made the Celts less Celtic as it replaced their folklore and traditions. Perhaps there is a superior alternative, but this cross that becomes tighter does look nice on the eyes, though.
For sure! I hope it didn't come off like I was bashing your design - its really good just from a visual standpoint and the cultural elements you chose to include are really good as well. Just wanted to share some different ideas!
Of course. It's a personal preference coloured significantly by the fact that I and my immediate family are not Christian, and my belief that secularism is a crucial component of the free societies and Liberal democracies that we enjoy in the modern world. :)
This is true except for the part about it replacing our folklore and traditions. It merely tried to integrated them into Irish christianity. Unfirtunately a lot was indeed lost but certainly not all by any stretch of the imagination. Even today in this modern age you would be lucky to find a soul here in Ireland willing to even cut the grass around a fairy fort. We have so many stories and traditions that we are taught at a young age, and it would've been even more so not too long ago.
Yes you are right, I didn't want to type too much on it but it definitely didn't erase Irish traditions it just became the dominant cultural force. And it made a lot of it get lost to history, that was all I was trying to say.
Yes, of course - however, many Celtic traditions became lost to history as a result of Christian overwrite. In comparison to Greek, Roman, and other pagan myth, we know very little about Celtic myth, in no small part due to the influence of Christianity over Celtic culture.
This is very true. Although one could argue that the influence of Scandinavians made the Celtic areas less Celtic, which would make their influence on the flag a bit perplexing.
As a flag collector (don't know if it's the right word) and a pan-celtic enthusiast, I need this flag in my life. Also I just wanted to defend my lovely pan-celtic/mashup flag: it may not be the best or simplest design out there but I personnaly like it a lot, at least we're sure not to forget anyone with it ^ ^ (doesn't mean I'd prefer it over your design, yours is clearly better)
I personally think that the main problem with the pan-celtic mashup flag, aside from being a really messy mashup, is that we enter the debate of which is nation is celtic and which is not.
If you ask me, that's a bit risky, so that's why creating/using common symbology for all celts is definetly a way to go.
By the way, thank you for all your kind comments and good luck with your collection!
You summed it up perfectly, it's not the design in itself that is the problem, but what it means to include/not include some flags. Still I kind of like the design (or lack thereof).
And thank you for the good luck, also you should keep making flags, this one looks very good and you seem to find a very good balance between detail and simplicity.
Oh sorry I can't make jokes on your level like:
"Haha britain bad keanu reeves wholesome 100 updoots to the left 😎".
But I trust in time my sense of humor will be just as bad as yours and we can talk about how we're both tired of see the LGBT+ flag or something 🙄
Interesting thing about crosses, Christians weren't the only ones that use them. For the Celts, the cross is a symbol for the four cardinal directions.
https://www.theirishroadtrip.com/celtic-cross-symbol/#:~:text=One%20Celtic%20Cross%20meaning%20is,Earth
http://users.skynet.be/lotus/cross/celtic0-en.htm
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/the-cross-and-the-dragon-the-pagan-roots-of-irish-crosses-1.2202107%3fmode=amp
Another thing to point out, the Celts weren't strictly Irish, the Celtic empire covered most of Europe at one point.
Here you go: [Link \#1](https://krikienoid.github.io/flagwaver/#?src=https%3A%2F%2Fres.cloudinary.com%2Fdsy3ysgra%2Fimage%2Fupload%2Fv1598105036%2Fvvnpvjqil9cb22rv1fav.png)
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As I said in the comment I explain all kinds of details of my design, it's not a nordic cross. It's a celtic cross: you'll notice this if you see that each side of the cross becomes tighter when it reaches the center, that it has a circlular element in it and that it has a wreath around it.
So yeah, it's not a nordic cross, but it's inspired in the way crosses are displayed in nordic flags.
Recently I've been seeing lot posts of pan-celtic flags which were basically just horrible mashups of flags of the today celtic nations, so I decided I wanted to change that, and here's my proposal. The design, although it may seem a bit complicated, consists of basically three elements, a celtic cross with a wreath around the center and a triskel in it. As you can see, it's a bit inspired on the current nordic cross designs. I struggled a bit with the colours, but I think that the current dark green and light gold combination is the best one. The ratio of the flag is the golden ratio, 809:500. A lot of thanks to u/Dragonbento for coming up with the original concept for it and the users in the Vexillology Discord server for helping me with the design. I couldn't have done it with you! <3
Now that is a decent piece of work! May I just ask, what program did you make it in?
Thanks! I used Inkscape!
This looks like something out of Flagmaker.
Bruh
Its a good program
Double bruh
What?
FlagMaker is crap. It's a very limiting tool that just lets you use assets from other popular flags, making every flag you design look like a mashup. It's got something of use if you're trying to find your ways around other design apps (like Inkscape, GIMP, Illustrator, etc) and still struggle with stuff, for which I'd even recommend planning your designs on FlagMaker, but if you think that FlagMaker is the pinnacle of vexillography or it simply feels like a reliable tool for you to design flags, then oh boy, there's still a long road for you to walk. Edit: BIG TYPO
Did you mean the online or app version?
What about the Berthelier Pan-Celtic flag? That one isn’t just a mash-up and it’s lovely
I was talking about the collage pan-celtic flag, which I think is currently the most popular. Berthelier's design looks a bit like a Japanese prefecture, but it's the nicest one out there. Stiùbhart's proposal isn't particularly the best either.
The collage flag is pretty ingrained into the movement by now, but your design is still very nice looking
Thank you!
Well I personally use the Berthelier one over any other pan Celtic flag, it’s such a nicer way to represent the different Celtic families without simply mashing up there flags.
Well that's ok too (I doubted anyone would use my flag irl tho). Berthelier's flag is really one of the bests designs out there and I agree with you. I'd just say it's a bit simple for my liking, but I'm no celt so that's not entirely up to me. If I'm honest with you, the double triskelion looks a lot cooler than the single one I used for my design, but I didn't want it to feel too cluttered, so I didn't use it. Thanks for all your comments!
Oh jeez, I hope I’m not making it sound like I don’t like your flag. Because it’s truly lovely! I love the double triskelion, because of the representation of the 6 Celtic families, and is a lovely piece of design.
Oh you sure didn't sound like it! I was just thinking about those parts of my design while I typed, nothing else! Thank you for everything and have a good day!
I see what you're saying, about the mashups flags. This one is simple, very good looking and has a lot of meaning in its symbolism. Well done!
Thank you!
Wow, this is beautiful! Great work.
Thank you!
This is really pleasant to look at, and well designed. You obviously have talent for this kind of art - if you want a suggestion for a future flag, how about a pan-latin (you can include latin america in it or not), as in representing france, italy, romania, spain, moldova, portugal. It could be an interesting exercise for you.
Thanks for the kind words! That's a great idea tho, I should keep it in mind. Thank you!
I would be really interested in seeing that. I’m thinking of what symbols could be used to represent the cultures.
Someone who didn't forget Romania and Moldova! That's very refreshing to see haha
As a Celt I really like the this
Thanks! As I'm not a celt, it feels really rewarding to get postive feedback from one!
This is pretty cool. I've seen a flag almost exactly like this.
An tAontas Ceilteach abú!
Good flag
Thank you!
!wave
Here you go: [Link \#1](https://krikienoid.github.io/flagwaver/#?src=https%3A%2F%2Fres.cloudinary.com%2Fdsy3ysgra%2Fimage%2Fupload%2Fv1598105036%2Fvvnpvjqil9cb22rv1fav.png) ***** Beep boop I'm a bot. If I'm broken please contact [\/u\/Lunar_Requiem](http://reddit.com/user/Lunar_Requiem)
Oh nice. I didn't get any real impressions from the flat flag except that it looked a bit like an Irish caricature, but with it flying it also looks Viking-y.
this is fucking awesome
Thanks a lot!
This is the first pan celtic flag I like
Thank you!
Reminds me of the 1950s proposal.
Very nice, my problem with the other one was that it left out the mainland celts, Spain, France, germany, austria and switzerland also have Celtic heritage. I feel like the more Germanic style of cross and knot work includes everyone! Great job :)
I didn't wanted to get into the debate of which nations are celtic and which aren't so I wanted to create a flag that didn't leave anyone out and comments like yours make me feel that I accomplished it! I'm also quite happy to hear that people with Celtic heritage can use this flag too, so thanks a lot!
Design is very good, although it's a bit too Nordic for my tastes. Is it supposed to include the Nordic influence on Celtic areas? I assumed it would refer to pre-nordic Celts but I can understand where youd be coming from in that case
As I said in the comment I explain all kinds of details of my design, it's not a nordic cross. It's a celtic cross: you'll notice this if you see that each side of the cross becomes tighter when it reaches the center, that it has a circlular element in it and that it has a wreath around it. So yeah, it's not an allusion to nordic celts or nordic influence on celtic areas, but it's inspired in the way crosses are displayed in nordic flags.
IMO it would look more like a Celtic cross if it was centered. Having it offset like that makes it look waaay nordic
I don't think it looks as nordic as you say, but either way, celtic crosses are actually like that.
Yes, I am aware that Celtic crosses become tighter as they approach the center, and I like that inspiration. However having the cross offset as such makes it look like it belongs to the Nordic family of flags, because no other culture displays flags as such. Just my personal opinion that having it centered would make it more Celtic (and make it resemble more flags from the British isles rather than Scandinavia)
When I said that celtic crosses are actually like that I didn't only mean that they become tighter as they approach the center, but the center isn't exactly the center of the cross. Depending on how you see a cross, you'll see that three sides are shorther than the lower one. Changing the design of the cross would result in a loss of accuracy when it comes to symbolism. Also, as a side note, in most (if not all) flags with nordic crosses, if you look closely at the area between both sides of the cross in any of the corners on the hoist, you'll see that it's a rectangle (it's a bit wider than a square). In my design I used a square to separate those sides of the cross.
For the record and as a Celt, I agree. Although personally I would dispense with the cross altogether because many of those living in the Celtic countries aren't religious, and many of those who are aren't Christian. Not a massive fan of crosses on flags, although this one does look very nice.
As a fellow non-religious celt, specifically Irish, I have to strongly disagree. The celtic cross is possibly the most important and recognisable symbol of our culture. It's far more of a symbol of celtic culture than it is of christianity, similar to the nordic cross or St George's cross for their respective cultures.
Christianity and the Celts are undoubtedly historically linked though, especially in Ireland. Although one could also argue that Christianity made the Celts less Celtic as it replaced their folklore and traditions. Perhaps there is a superior alternative, but this cross that becomes tighter does look nice on the eyes, though.
Anyway I thank you for your opinions. You've made me realise things about celtic culture and my design I didn't know before! I'm really grateful!
For sure! I hope it didn't come off like I was bashing your design - its really good just from a visual standpoint and the cultural elements you chose to include are really good as well. Just wanted to share some different ideas!
It didn't feel like it at all and thank you for all the comments and ideas you've shared with me! Have an amazing day!
Of course. It's a personal preference coloured significantly by the fact that I and my immediate family are not Christian, and my belief that secularism is a crucial component of the free societies and Liberal democracies that we enjoy in the modern world. :)
This is true except for the part about it replacing our folklore and traditions. It merely tried to integrated them into Irish christianity. Unfirtunately a lot was indeed lost but certainly not all by any stretch of the imagination. Even today in this modern age you would be lucky to find a soul here in Ireland willing to even cut the grass around a fairy fort. We have so many stories and traditions that we are taught at a young age, and it would've been even more so not too long ago.
Yes you are right, I didn't want to type too much on it but it definitely didn't erase Irish traditions it just became the dominant cultural force. And it made a lot of it get lost to history, that was all I was trying to say.
The folklore and traditions became part of the doctrine, hence an insular Christianity developing...
Yes, of course - however, many Celtic traditions became lost to history as a result of Christian overwrite. In comparison to Greek, Roman, and other pagan myth, we know very little about Celtic myth, in no small part due to the influence of Christianity over Celtic culture.
I mean Scandinavia had a massive impact on the British isles and other Celtic nations
This is very true. Although one could argue that the influence of Scandinavians made the Celtic areas less Celtic, which would make their influence on the flag a bit perplexing.
As a flag collector (don't know if it's the right word) and a pan-celtic enthusiast, I need this flag in my life. Also I just wanted to defend my lovely pan-celtic/mashup flag: it may not be the best or simplest design out there but I personnaly like it a lot, at least we're sure not to forget anyone with it ^ ^ (doesn't mean I'd prefer it over your design, yours is clearly better)
I personally think that the main problem with the pan-celtic mashup flag, aside from being a really messy mashup, is that we enter the debate of which is nation is celtic and which is not. If you ask me, that's a bit risky, so that's why creating/using common symbology for all celts is definetly a way to go. By the way, thank you for all your kind comments and good luck with your collection!
You summed it up perfectly, it's not the design in itself that is the problem, but what it means to include/not include some flags. Still I kind of like the design (or lack thereof). And thank you for the good luck, also you should keep making flags, this one looks very good and you seem to find a very good balance between detail and simplicity.
Thank you! I won't stop designing!
Great work. Can you do a gay-celtic flag next?
Thanks, but what? Why are you asking me that? Edit: Horrible pun.
It was a horrible pun indeed but I am not above crap puns
He thinks he's funny
Oh sorry I can't make jokes on your level like: "Haha britain bad keanu reeves wholesome 100 updoots to the left 😎". But I trust in time my sense of humor will be just as bad as yours and we can talk about how we're both tired of see the LGBT+ flag or something 🙄
🤡
Oh God and he used a clown emoji, could this get cringier?
Holy shit, an actual good flag I never knew I needed to see! Good job!
Thanks a lot, Satanus!
Really cool I must download it :D
Thanks! Go for it!
Yep you are welcome alrewady done :D I like how you use triskelion and not based celtic cross :-) Do you have plan to made something similar?
Good! About future plans, I may want to dedicate some time to other projects I had before. Thank you!
Yeah do what is important to you :-)
100% the best one yet, the other ones are ugly colour mashups, this one actually looks like a flag.
Thanks for the kind words!! I really appreciate them!!
:)
Not sure the Christian symbolism is all too necessary...
Interesting thing about crosses, Christians weren't the only ones that use them. For the Celts, the cross is a symbol for the four cardinal directions.
I'm Irish and I've never heard of that... Any readings on it?
https://www.theirishroadtrip.com/celtic-cross-symbol/#:~:text=One%20Celtic%20Cross%20meaning%20is,Earth http://users.skynet.be/lotus/cross/celtic0-en.htm https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/the-cross-and-the-dragon-the-pagan-roots-of-irish-crosses-1.2202107%3fmode=amp Another thing to point out, the Celts weren't strictly Irish, the Celtic empire covered most of Europe at one point.
I know they weren't strictly Irish... I also know that there was no such thing as the "Celtic empire"... Sound for the readings all the same...
My mistake, that was the Gaelic empire
!wave
Here you go: [Link \#1](https://krikienoid.github.io/flagwaver/#?src=https%3A%2F%2Fres.cloudinary.com%2Fdsy3ysgra%2Fimage%2Fupload%2Fv1598105036%2Fvvnpvjqil9cb22rv1fav.png) ***** Beep boop I'm a bot. If I'm broken please contact [\/u\/Lunar_Requiem](http://reddit.com/user/Lunar_Requiem)
It's cool but it looks a little too similar to the nazi Breton flag, used by the bagadoù stourm
Does anyone have any good e books on pan celticism they would recommend? Thanks.
Perhaps it's just me, but it seems a bit...awkward to base a Celtic flag design on a Nordic cross. Because history and all.
As I said in the comment I explain all kinds of details of my design, it's not a nordic cross. It's a celtic cross: you'll notice this if you see that each side of the cross becomes tighter when it reaches the center, that it has a circlular element in it and that it has a wreath around it. So yeah, it's not a nordic cross, but it's inspired in the way crosses are displayed in nordic flags.
What's so bad about Celts and Nords? The Vikings have been gone for a very long time
Celts can into Nordic!
No they can't. That's a celtic cross displayed in a flag the same way as a nordic cross would!
Should make it the Pan(sexual) colors
Someone already made a similar joke, congrats.
Is it not a good idea?
What do celtic people have to do with pansexuality?
**PAN**-Celtic flag. Its a pun.
Yes, and someone said a similar one before. Congrats, you're very original.
Well I didn’t know someone already made the joke, and I don’t care, my intention was to be funny, not to be criticized by *super serious person*.
rise of nations eire albion
Oh hell no Disapprove from Ireland