The Eagle (2011)

[Dale Seago]

The Eagle a good movie but like so many not 100% accurate. Go and enjoy the movie and forget about the details

In my limited Gaelic knowledge, they were speaking good Scottish Gaelic. I was able to pick out lots of words. OK the subtitles helped LOL. My only issue was the Picts did not speak Scottish Gaelic. The Gaels were newbies to the island of Britain compared to the Picts. Nobody knows what language the Picts spoke.

Well, I'd give 'em props for at least speaking a non-English language having a historic association with the northern part of the island.

If someone really wanted to pick linguistic nits, for the period represented the Gaelic would have been Old Irish.

And no, we don't know what language the Picts spoke with absolute certainty; but there seem to be some pretty cogent arguments going around that it was very likely a "P-Celtic" language. This book actually approaches that possibility from the direction of a genetic study more than, as you might expect, archeology/cultural anthropology/philology.

[Woodsheal]

And no, we don't know what language the Picts spoke with absolute certainty; but there seem to be some pretty cogent arguments going around that it was very likely a "P-Celtic" language. This book actually approaches that possibility from the direction of a genetic study more than, as you might expect, archeology/cultural anthropology/philology.

The image of the Picts as primitive, dark little Neolithic chaps is apparently derived from Robert E. Howard's "Conan" and "Bran mak Morn" stories!
As Dale states, current academic thought leans towards the Picts as being P-Celtic speaking Celts (not Q-Celtic Gaels) fairly indistinguishable from the British tribes to their south.
My son saw "The Eagle" over the weekend and was pretty much underwhelmed, but I still want to go...!