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Beyond preservation, salt carried spiritual significance.
The Purification:
Salt purified—both physically (salt solution cleaned wounds, preventing infection) and spiritually (salt was believed to repel evil spirits, cleanse cursed spaces, protect against malevolent forces).
Sprinkling salt around dwellings, adding it to ritual baths, or placing it at thresholds were protective actions, creating barriers against harm.
The Covenant:
Sharing salt created bond—the salt covenant was agreement sealed by mutual consumption of salt, considered more binding than mere verbal promises.
The phrase “salt of friendship” or variations thereof appeared in multiple Celtic cultures, indicating the substance’s role in cementing relationships.
The Offering:
Salt was offered to gods—thrown into sacred fires, dissolved in libation waters, left at shrines. The offering acknowledged that salt itself was gift (from sea, from earth, from divine provision) that deserved reciprocal gratitude.
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