|
|
Celtic Pantheon
|
Abarta |
A
God of the Tuatha. |
|
Abnoba |
Goddess
of the hunt |
|
Accasbel |
An
early God of wine, ale, and mead. |
|
Achtland |
Legend
has it she took a giant for husband because no mortal man could satisfy
her! |
|
Adsagsona |
Goddess
of the underworld and magic |
|
Adsullata |
River
goddess of Savus Noricum |
|
Aengus
MacAedh |
A
brother to the Goddesses Fand and Liban. Possibly a God of Song. |
|
Aengus
MacOg |
The
son of The Dagda and Boann, he is seen as the God of young love. |
|
Aerten |
A
Welsh Goddess of Fate. |
|
Aesun |
Possibly
an early Irish God from creation myths. |
|
Afagddu |
The
son of Cerridwen and Tegid, he was acclaimed as the ugliest child on
Earth. Possibly a God of inner beauty, strength and wisdom. |
|
Aife |
Sister
to Scathach, was leader of a band of warrior horse-women. Was a lover of
Cuchulain. |
|
Aine |
An
Irish cattle, sun, and fire Goddess. |
|
Airmed |
Goddess
of witchcraft and herb lore. |
|
Albiorix |
Rogisamos
or King of the World |
|
Albion |
Possibly
another God from creation myths, lost to our society. |
|
Alisanos |
A
Gaulish God of stones. |
|
Amaethon |
Deity
of agriculture and brother to Govannon and son of Don and Legend |
|
Ambisagrus |
A
Breton God of Weather. In the Roman occupation, his mythology merged
with that of Jupiter. |
|
Amergin |
Chief
Bard of the Milesians, he made contact with the Tuatha, and attempted
peace. He promised the four Goddesses the island would be named after
them. |
|
Andraste |
Her
name means "the invincible one" In celtic myth, Andraste was a
warrior/battle goddess. She was invoked by Queen Boudicca when she
revolted against the Romans. |
|
Anind |
Represents
the re-born Sun God. Probably revered at Yule ot Imbolc. |
|
Annwn |
In
Celtic mythology, annwn is the otherworld. |
|
Anu |
Celtic
Mother Goddess, Dawn Mother, and Goddess of death and the dead. The
Maiden aspect of one of the Triple Goddesses. A Goddess of abundance. |
|
Ard
Greimme |
Once
a Sun God, he is the father of Scathach and Aife. |
|
Ardwinna |
Goddess
of the forests |
|
Arianrhod |
Goddess
of fertility and Celtic Moon-Mother Goddess. Called the Silver Wheel
that Descends into the Sea. Like Kali she symbolizes cosmic time, and
was also imaged as a vessel which carries the dead. She is depicted as
Cosmogenitrix, her matron/fertility aspect. Throne-seated, nurturing her
children, she wears the ceremonial torc of Queenship. |
|
Arrawn |
The
King of Annwn, the Otherworld. |
|
Artaius |
A
God of sheep and herders in Celtic Gaul. |
|
Artio
|
Goddess
of wildlife. |
|
Aodh |
Celtic
Fire Goddess |
|
Aulnay |
Celtic
Green Man. Foliate Head images were central to the ancient Celtic
cultures of pre-Christian Europe, and symbolized fertility, prophecy,
inspiration and regeneration. By 400 BCE such heads were being carved in
stone, showing leaf foliage sprouting from the mouth. This art form
spread into the Romanesque and Gothic chapels and cathedrals, and is
viewed by scholars as the resurfacing of Druidic tree worship and
Dionysiac mystery themes originally suppressed by the church. Green Man
is the husband man/caretaker of nature, the male counterpart of the
Great Mother Goddess venerated since neolithic times. The God of
Woodlands is rather like the Oak king, has many similarities to
Cernunnos; he has blended into christianity as another form of their
"devil". He is seen with green hair and skin, with clothes
made of green leaves. |
|
Badb |
One
of the three war godesses, who together form the Morrigan. Depicted as a
raven with a blood-covered mouth. The Crone aspect of Anu in the
Triplicity. A war Goddess often associated with the "Ban-Sidhe".
|
|
Baile |
Literally,
the God of Blarney. |
|
Balor |
The
grand-father of Lugh, he was replaced by him as the Sun God. |
|
Banbha |
Earth
Goddess. One of the three Goddess who tried to keep the Milesians from
invading Ireland. |
|
Banshee |
In
Gaelic folklore, a banshee is a female spirit whose wailing outside a
house foretells the death of one of its inhabitants. These spirits
usually wail before the death of members of old celtic lines. |
|
Barinthus |
Probably
once a Sun or Sea God, now charioteer to the residents of the Otherworld.
|
|
Bassumarus |
The
Large Lipped |
|
Bean
Naomha |
An
Irish Goddess of wisdom. |
|
Bebhionn |
Goddess
of the underworld and pleasure. |
|
Bedbe |
The
Battle goddess in her Raven form |
|
Bel |
(Belenos
or Beli) was the Celtic god of light. He was closely related to Mabon.
Primary Welsh father God. Once a minor Sun God, for whom Beltaine was
named. His role now seems to be that of God of death in the Underworld. |
|
Belatucadros |
God
of war and destruction. |
|
Belenos |
God
of healing and light. |
|
Beli |
God
of Otherworld |
|
Belisama |
Goddess
of light and fire, the forge and crafts. Wife of Belenos |
|
Belisana |
"The
most war like goddess" and tutelar deity of river Ribble |
|
Berecyntia |
patronesss
of agriculture especaily the vine and possibly associated with Brigit |
|
Bladud |
A
regional sun God associated to the English hot springs at Aquae Sulis |
|
Blodeuwedd |
A
Goddess of the May, she was created out of flowers by Math and Gwyddion
as a wife for Llew. |
|
Boann |
In
Irish mythology, Boann is the goddess of rivers. Her secret afair with
the Dagda led to Oengus Og's birth The Boyne river is named for her. |
|
Boann |
Wife
of Dagda |
|
Bormanus |
Probably
one of the earliest Celtic Gods of whom nothing is know today. |
|
Borvo |
Tutelar
god of hot springs, God of healing |
|
Bran |
Presides
over poetry and bardic music. Bran was later called Bran the Blessed but
was originally a king of the Otherworld. Possibly a God of protection
and the waning year. It is said his head was carried back from battle,
speaking to his soldiers the entire journey, and then buried near the
Tower of London. His ravens are still protecting the Royal Family line,
as it is said should the Ravens ever leave Tower Hill...the Royal Family
will crumble and lose their crown. |
|
Branwen |
(Branwyn)A
Welsh Goddess of love. |
|
Bres |
God
of agriculture and fertility |
|
Brigid
(Brigit) |
One
of the triple goddesses of the Celtic pantheon. She is the daughter of
The Dagda, the deity of the Tuatha de Danaan, one of the most ancient
people of Northern Europe. Some say there are actually three Brigits;
one is in charge of poetry and inspiration; one is in charge of
midwifery and healing, and the last is in charge of crafts and smiths. She
probably began as a sun goddess. According to legend, she was born at
sunrise and a tower of flame beamed from her head. As
goddess of fire and water, she is immortalized by many wells and
springs. Most important of her monuments, though, was a shrine at
Kildare where there was a perpetual flame burning for Brigit. It was
tended by nineteen virgins called the Daughters of the Flame. They would
not talk to men, nor could men come near the shrine. When
Christianity began its onset, so loved was Brigit that she was made a
saint. However, the upkeep on her flame was considered pagan by the
church and it was extinguished out of more than a thousand years of
burning. St. Brigit remains one of the most popular Irish saints today,
along with Saint Patrick. Identical
to Juno, Queen of Heaven. Symbolizes human potential. AKA Brigit, Brigid,
Brigindo, Bride. Dark
the bitter winter, |
|
Breasal |
Possibly
a God of travel. It is said that Portugese explorers thought that they
had landed in his territory, and therefore named "Brazil" in
his honor. |
|
Brenos |
A
Continental war God. |
|
Bussumarus |
A
Celtic Gaul God identified with Jupiter. |
|
Cailleach Beare |
The
archetypical Crone Goddess. |
|
Caireen
|
A
mother Goddess, specifically for children. |
|
Camulas |
Contenental
and British god A war God from the Colchester region of England. |
|
Carlin |
The
spirit of Samhain (Halloween). |
|
Carman |
Goddess
of evil magic. She gave birth to three sons: Dother ("evil"),
Dian ("violence") and Dub ("darkness"). |
|
Carne |
Another
version of the Horned God of the Hunt. |
|
Caswallan |
A
war god or war king |
|
Cebhfhionn |
A
Goddess of inspiration and knowledge. |
|
Ceirwy |
Daughter
of Keridwen and Tegid, goddess of love |
|
Cenn
Cruaich |
God
of the heavens. |
|
Ceridwen |
Goddess
of Dark Prophetic powers, her cauldron of knowledge is famous. She is a
Goddess of the moon, and grain, as well as knowledge. Generally
perceived as a mother. |
|
Cernunnos |
In
Celtic mythology, Cernunnos was the god of the underworld and of
animals. He is depicted as a man with the antlers of a stag. Known as
the horned one, many of his images appear all over the Celtic world. He
is a hunter and is usually seen squatting in a common, cross legged,
hunter's position. He is seen holding serpents, signifying his mastery
of the otherworld. In the Mabinogi he is shown as a lord of animals. He
is a strong part of the male principal in celtic myth. He was a god of
purification through sacrifice and selection. Primal fertility God,
consort to the Great Mother, also depicted as Lord of the Woodlands and
Keeper of the Gates to the Otherworld. |
|
Cerridwen
|
In
Welsh mythology, Cerridwen is the goddess of dark prophetic powers. She
is the keeper of the cauldron of the underworld, in which inspiration
and divine knowledge are brewed. Mother of Taliesein after he goes
through many reincarnations to escape from her. |
|
Cian |
Son
of the God of medicine, Diancecht, father of the sun God Lugh. |
|
Cliodna |
Goddess
of the otherworld and beauty. |
|
Culiodna |
A
divine woman, the most beautiful in the world |
|
Cocidus |
God
of forest and hunting, and sometimes war. |
|
Conchobar |
In
Celtic mythology, Conchobar was the King of Ulster whose intended bride,
Deidre, eloped with Noisi. Conchobar killed Deidre's husband and his
brothers and she died of sorrow. |
|
Condatis |
A
Continental God of confluence, whose sacred space was where two rivers
or bodies of water met. |
|
Corra |
A
Scottish Goddess of prophecy. |
|
Credne |
God
of metallurgy and smithing, patron tutelar god of Brasiers |
|
Creiddylad |
Another
May Goddess over whom two warriors must fight to the death for the
fertility of the land. |
|
Creidhne
|
In
Celtic mythology, Creidhne was the god of metal working |
|
Cuda |
Mother
goddess. |
|
Cromm
Cruiach |
Also
called Lord of the Mound, he is seen as a harvest, death, and
sacrificial God. |
|
Cronos |
A
minor sun and harvest God. |
|
Cuchulain |
Cuchulain
was a Celtic hero, the chief figure in a cycle of Irish legends. He is
associated with his uncle Conchobar, King of Ulster; his most famous
exploits are described in The Cattle Raid of Coolie. He was son of Lugh
and a mortal woman. He possessed a great strength when in battle rage.
He may once have been worshipped as a minor sun God. |
|
Cyhiraeth |
Now
much like Ireland's BanSidhe, she was once a Goddess of streams. |
|
Cythrawl |
His
energy has been personified as deity. His home is the Underworld. |
|
The
Dagda |
His
name means "The Good God" or the "all father". A
very potent father God figure, he may possibly have been a
personification of the creative principle, son/consort of the Mother
Goddess. He played the seasons into being with his harp. He fed earth
from his cauldron of plenty. He possessed the perfection of human
science. The Dagda had power over the flow of milk and the growth of
corn. He has a large club symbolizing his control over the food supply.
He is the father of Brid and her sisters (a triplicity) and was lover to
the Morrigan (also a triplicity), and was though to be a triplicity
himself. |
|
Dia
Greine |
A
minor sun Goddess. |
|
Damona |
Goddess
of fertility and healing |
|
Dannan |
He
was the husband of Brigit |
|
Danu |
Mother
of the Tuatha De Dannan. She is an earth mother or goddess of fertility. |
|
Darona |
Consort
to a mercury like god |
|
Dea
Domnann |
Goddess
of Irish Celts. She was probably worshipped by the original aboriginal
population. She has connections with nether regions and is also a
goddess of fertility. |
|
Deirdre |
In
Celtic mythology, Deidre was the beautiful intended bride of Conchobar.
She eloped with Noísi, and died of sorrow when Conchobar killed him and
his brothers. |
|
Diancecht |
His
names means "swift power". God of healing and medicine. Once
saved Ireland, married to Morrigan. In
the first battle of Moy Tura, Nuada lost his hand. Diancecht fashioned a
new one of silver and joined it to Nuada's arm. One day, Diancecht's son
Miach took what remained of Nuada's original flesh hand, placed it next
to Nuada's arm, and spoke an incant. After three days and nights the
hand was rejoined to the arm seamlessly. Nuada
rejoiced, but Diancecht was furious that his son was a better healer
than he was. Diancecht struck Miach thrice on the head with his sword.
Miach was able to heal each wound. Diancecht, more furious now, split
Miach's head in two, killing him. From Miach's grave grew 365 herbs,
each one with curative powers for one of the 365 nerves in the body.
Miach's sister, Airmid, picked these herbs and arranged them according
to their curative powers. Diancecht
became so enraged that his son rivaled him even after death that he
scattered the herbs about, hoplessly confusing them. If Diancecht hadn't
done this, man would be immortal. |
|
Donn |
Welsh
God, Lord of the Underworld, consort to the crone Goddess Macha, son of
Faery King Midhir. A death God. |
|
Don |
Sister
of Math and probably a British Danu. She is associated with the
constellation Cassiopeia. |
|
Dunatis |
Celtic
Gaul God of fortifications. |
|
Dwyn |
Goddess
of love |
|
Dylan |
Name
means "son of the wave." Guardian deity of the mouth of the
River Conway. When Dylan was born he at once took on the nature of the
sea. When he was slain by his uncle Govannon, all the sea lamented.
Dylan was a personification of the sea. |
|
Easal |
A
God of abundance and prosperity. |
|
Eire |
The
Goddess Protector of Ireland. The island is named for her. |
|
Elphame |
A
Scottish Goddess of death and disease |
|
Epona |
A
Celtic-Gaul horse Goddess, Epona's legend and myth spread as far west as
Ireland, and as far east as Rome. She is the only Celtic deity to have
been worshipped in Roman shrines, where she was known as Eponae. You may
know of the horse image cut into the hill at Uffington, England. This
was directly linked to her followers. |
|
Epos
Ollsatir |
A
horse God often though of as a male version of the Goddess Epona, or
perhaps her consort. |
|
Essus |
A
Breton harvest God. |
|
Etain |
Maiden
of Joy and Sorrow, Sun goddess of ancient Ireland. |
|
Erce |
A
harvest Goddess sometimes symbolised by the Horn of Plenty. |
|
Eri |
A
Tuatha de Danann virgin Goddess. |
|
Fachea |
An
Irish Goddess of poetry. Sometimes heralded as the patron Goddess of the
bards. |
|
Fand
|
Once
married to the sea God Manann, she was a minor sea Goddess, as well as
one of the Goddess Twins of earthly pleasures with her sister Liban. |
|
Finvarra |
A
mighty father God who has become known as a Faery king. He rules the
burgh at Knockma with Oonaugh, his wife. |
|
Fionn
MacCumhal |
A
legendary warrior God/giant. |
|
Fomorians |
Aboriginal
deities originally associated with soil and fertility and were
originally peaceful. The invading Celts changed them into dark gods
representing evil. |
|
Fland |
A
minor lake Goddess. |
|
Flidias |
A
shape-shifting Goddess of the Woodlands. |
|
Fodlha |
One
of the Triplicity with Eire and Banbha. |
|
Garbh
Ogh |
Goddess
of the Hunt. It is thought the Horned God is her consort. |
|
Geofon |
In
British mythology, Geofon was the ocean goddess |
|
Goewin |
Welsh
Goddess of sovreignty. |
|
Gog |
The
male counterpart of fertility Goddess Magog. |
|
Goibhniu |
In
Celtic mythology, A master goldsmith at Tara, he is a patron God of
craftspeople. |
|
Goidel |
The
common ancestor of the "Goidelic" Celts, the Irish, Manx, and
Scottish. A God of language and communication. |
|
Goleuddydd |
A
Welsh sow Goddess, the mother of Culwch. |
|
Govannon |
Known
as Gobnui in Ireland. He was the god of smith craft and workmanship. He
brewed the gods ale. |
|
Grannos |
Early
God of mineral springs, and on the Continent he was a minor sun God. |
|
Grian |
Once
a powerful Sun deity in Ireland, she is also the Goddess of the waning
year. |
|
Guaire |
A
guardian God of Brugh na Boinne - the Cairn at Newgrange. |
|
Gwawl
ap Clud |
Son
of the Goddess Clud, he was possibly a minor sun God. He is a
participant of the Rhiannon/Pwyll myths. |
|
Gwion
Bach |
The
boy charged with stirring the potion of knowledge brewed by Cerridwen
for her son, Afagddu. When three drops landed on his finger, he sucked
it off, and gained the knowledge. Cerridwen chased him down, and
although he changed shape many times, she finally caught him, and
consumed him while he was a grain of corn, and she a hen. He was
re-born, from Cerridwen, as Taliesin. |
|
Gwyddno |
A
one time sea God, now thought of as a sea monster. |
|
Gwyn
ap Nudd |
In
Celtic mythology, Gwyn ap Nudd is the lord of the underworld and master
of the wild hunt. He lives at Glastonbury Tor. Many times depicted as a
divine ancestor. Patron God of fallen warriors, and a God of war, he
leads the souls to Annwn. |
|
Habondia
|
A
Goddess of prosperity. |
|
Henwen |
The
Anglo-Celtic sow Goddess, similar to the Welsh Cerridwen. |
|
Herne |
The
Hunter - In English folklore, Herne The Hunter is the spirit of a hunter
which guards travellers through Windsor Great Park. He wears the antlers
of a stag upon his head. Herne was prominent in the tales of Robin Hood,
although Windsor Great Park is nowhere near Sherwood Forest. |
|
Hevydd
Hen |
Father
of Rhiannon, king of Faeries for a time. |
|
Hu
Gadarn |
The
common ancestor and father God to the Cymry (Welsh). |
|
Ialonus |
A
Continental fertility God who rules all cultivated fields. |
|
Ibath |
A
Nemedian thought to be an ancestor/father/God to the Tuatha. |
|
Idath |
A
warrior and fertility God married to the Goddess Bo Find. |
|
Iubdan
of the Faylinn |
An
Ulster God known as King of the Faeries. |
|
Keevan |
May
once have been a God of the Hunt. |
|
Kele-De |
An
Irish Goddess of feminine power. |
|
Latis |
A
lake Goddess who became the Goddess of ale and Mead. |
|
Leucetios |
An
air or thunder god similar to the Norse God Thor. His name is almost all
that remains. |
|
Li
Bann and Fan |
Dream
women. Twin sisters They are the Goddesses of Earthly pleasures and
Health. |
|
Llasar
Llaesgyfnewid |
A
Welsh battle God. |
|
Llew
Llaw Gyffes |
The
son of Arianrhod and her brother Gwyddion, or possibly her Uncle Math.
Thought to be the same as the Irish sun God Lugh. |
|
Llud |
A
river God for whom Ludgate in London is named. |
|
Lludd |
Son
of the death God Beli, and a death God in his own right. |
|
Luaths
Lurgann |
A
warrior Goddess, known as Ireland's fastest runner. |
|
Luchtaine |
In
Celtic mythology, Luchtaine was the god of wheel making. |
|
Lugain
Riab nDerg |
Foster
brother to Cuchulain, he is thought to represent a masculine version of
the Triple Goddess. |
|
Lugh |
In
Irish mythology, A God of the sun, light and grain harvest, his Sabbat
is Lughnasadh. He killed his grandfather, Balor, during the great battle
in which a new order of gods and goddesses took over from the primal
beings of chaotic energy. He was the god of skill and ability. A god of
many skills and the Gaulish Lugus.Sun god who carried a magic spear. He
is also worshipped as a God of weaving, fire and metallurgy, crafting
and protector of the weak. |
|
Lyr |
(Llyr
or Lir) A powerful God of the sea. Father of better known sea God Manann.
|
|
Mabon |
In
Celtic mythology, Mabon was the Son of Light, equated with the Roman
Apollo. He was the god of liberation, harmony, music and unity. He is
associated with Jesus, the horned one, bel and Oenghus. He represents
the innocence of youth , then strength and virility as a man, and the
sacrificial God when elderly. The fall equinox "Mabon" is his
Sabbat. |
|
MacCecht |
God
of the plow for the Tuatha. |
|
MacCuill |
sea
God of the Tuatha. |
|
MacGreine |
Sun
God of the Tuatha. |
|
Macha |
In
Irish mythology, Macha is a goddess of athletic games, festivals and
fertility. She is also a horse goddess. The battle goddess in human
form. One of the three war goddesses known as the Morrigan. She feeds on
the heads of dead enemies. One of a triplicity, she represents death,
destruction, strife and disease. |
|
Manann |
Sea
God for whom the Isle of Man is named. Second husband to Rhiannon. |
|
Manannan
mac Lir |
Trickster,
God of the Sea, Ancient One Manannan Mac Lir is the son of Lir. Husband
to Fand and father to Neim. He is one of the most popular deities in
Celtic mythology. He is Lord of the sea and of the three great waves of
Ireland, and son of the mystical god Lir, ruler of Time and Deep Space.
While very little is known of Lir himself, his son Manannan appears in
many of the old legends. It is said that he traveled around Ireland in
many different shapes and guises. As a master of tricks and illusions
(which he enjoyed acting out on mortals) he was known as Gille Decair,
the Bad Servant, an apparently foolish clown who could disappear at
will. Despite his trickery, however, he never brought harm to any
mortal. Manannan himself is said to have undergone many different
incarnations, including as Culain the Smith, Fionn MacCumhal and Mongan,
who was taken away to Manannan's Land of Promise when he was just three
nights old. He was also the foster father of the great warrior Lugh. He
wrapped the young child in his vast cloak and took him away in his boat
to his Otherworld lands beyond the sea. The
Isle of Man takes its name from this ancient Celtic deity who has his
stronghold on South Barrule mountain. As guardian of the Blessed Isles
of the Celts he also has strong associations with Emhain Abhlach, the
Isle of Apple Trees, where the magical silver apple branch lies. To the
Celts, the Blessed Isles that lie beyond the sea are the gateways to the
Otherworlds, where the soul journeys to after death. Manannan is the
guardian of these gateways between the worlds. He is the Ferryman, who
comes to transport the souls of the dead through the veils. Yet
it is sometimes possible for the brave warrior to go to these islands
and still return to this world to tell the tale. The voyage of Bran Mac
Febal is one of the best known legends of a voyage to the Land of the
Living. One day Bran heard strange music which lulled him to sleep. When
he awoke, a silver branch laden with apple blossom lay beside him. He
encounters a woman of the Sidhe who tells him of the fair, distant isle
in the Land of Promise: The
Sidhe woman describes in vivid detail the wonders of this isle, and so
Bran sets sail to find it. On the third day he sees Manannan coming
towards him in a chariot drawn by a white mare that is riding over the
waves as swiftly as if it were on dry land. This is the Ocean Sweeper,
the magical boat of Manannan that would obey the wishes of whoever
sailed in it, and had neither oars nor sails. Manannan tells Bran that
he will reach Emhain before the setting of the sun. When Bran and his
companions finally return to the shores of Ireland, they discover that
many years have since passed and their voyage is recounted in stories. Another
mortal who goes to the Land of Promise is King Cormac. He was given a
silver branch with three golden apples on it by a gray-haired warrior.
When shaken, the branch would play music that lulled mortals to sleep.
Cormac journeys to the Land of Promise where he gains from Manannan a
magical golden cup of Truth. Any false statements uttered beneath this
cup would cause it to break. He is also shown the Well of Knowledge from
which five streams flow, and over which there are nine purple hazel
trees and five salmon in the streams eating the hazelnuts. It is
Manannan who reveals to Cormac the meanings of all these wonders. Manannan
is the keeper of many magical treasures. He possessed a sword, Fragarach
(The Answerer) which no armor could resist and which was entrusted to
Lugh, and a breastplate that no weapon could pierce. He wore a cloak
that could change into any color. It was this cloak that he shook
between his Sidhe wife Fand and her mortal lover Cuchulain, to prevent
them from ever meeting again. Thus Manannan's cloak, like the mist with
which he is associated, signifies the veil between the worlds. The most
interesting of all his magical treasures is the crane skin bag, made
from the skin of Aoife. At first glance it appears to contain a strange
collection of items, such as 'the bones of Assal's pig', the belt and
smith-hook of Gobhniu, the helmet of the King of Lochlan, and so on. Yet
on deeper reflection we may realize the hidden meanings of the contents.
The crane is the sacred bird of Manannan and the crane- skin bag is
given in turn to Lugh, then Cumhal MacTredhorn and then to Fionn
MacCumhal. As
magician of the mystical race of beings known as the Tuatha De Danaan,
Manannan commands a very high status among his people. After their
defeat by the Milesians, it was Manannan who gave to the De Danaan the
power of invisibility. He found retreats for them in the hollow hills
and put hidden walls about them so that no mortals could find them. He
also gave to the De Danaan the 'Feast of Age'. No-one ever grew old at
this feast, in fact they became immortal. The pigs that were kept by
Manannan and killed for the feast became whole again the next day. [Copyright
S. McSkimming/L.MacDonald GODS OF THE CELTS 1992] |
|
Math
ap Mathonwy |
God
of sorcery. Brother to Mother Goddess Don. |
|
Mathonwy |
The
early father God. |
|
Matrona |
Goddess
of the Marne River. |
|
Melusine |
A
serpent Goddess. |
|
Midhir |
He
is seen as a Faery God, and a minor Otherworld God. |
|
Moccus |
A
swine God. |
|
Morrigu |
A
battle goddess of the Celts. a Triplicity of Goddesses, war, death,
battle and destruction and associated with the great mother. She would
take the form of a raven. |
|
Mullo-tutelar
|
deity
of mule-rivers |
|
Murrigen |
Irish
lake Goddess associated with the deluge myths. |
|
Myrddin
Wyllt |
A
woodland God. |
|
Naas |
This
Goddess was a wife of Lugh, the Sun God. |
|
Nechtan |
A
Pict king, also a water God. |
|
Neit |
A
Tuatha war God. |
|
Nemain |
A
war Goddess. |
|
Nemetona |
Goddess
of all sacred spaces. |
|
Nemglan |
A
bird God |
|
Niamh |
A
Goddess who leads deceased warriors to Tir na Nog, land of the forever
young. |
|
Nimue |
Also
thought to be a Goddess of Glastonbury Tor or Avalon. It was Nimue who
sealed Merlin in his Ice Castle |
|
Noctiluca |
A
Goddess of Magick. |
|
Nodens |
A
river God. |
|
Nuadha |
A
king god |
|
Nuada
of the Silver Hand |
The
last king of the Tuatha, also a God of war. |
|
Nudd |
A
former king of the Tuatha De Dannan. Lugh was his successor. His hand
was cut off and he, because Irish law says that a maimed king can't
rule, got either a silver hand or some say a magical hand. |
|
Nwyvre |
Possibly
once a father sky God. |
|
Oenghus |
In
Irish mythology, Oenghus is the son of Daghdha and Boann. He is the god
of fatal love. |
|
Oghma |
The
God of communication and writing who invented the Ogham alphabet, which
he gave to the Druids. |
|
Ogmios |
In
Celtic mythology, Ogmios was the eloquent god of the strength of poetry,
charm and incantation. He is depicted as an old man with wrinkles, but
carrying a club and a bow. |
|
Ogyrvran |
Patron
God of the arts |
|
Plur
na mBhan |
Daughter
of Niamh and Ossian, a Goddess of Beltaine. |
|
Pryderi |
The
son of Rhiannon and Pwyll, he is the only person mentioned in all parts
of the Mabinogion. |
|
Pwyll |
Father
of Pryderi, human husband of Rhiannon, king of Dyfed who also became
king of Annwn. |
|
Ratis |
Goddess
of protective fortifications. |
|
Rhiannon |
Associated
with the horse, Welsh counterpart of Epona. A potent symbol of
fertility, bringer of dreams, and a Moon deity, she is also the Goddess
of the Otherworld, and Death. Her stories are sad, yet beautiful at the
same time. |
S - Y
|
Scathach |
The
great warrioress who ran a training school for warriors. Sister to Aife,
who taught women to fight, the two were in perpetual competition with
each other. |
|
Scena |
Wife
to Amergin, possibly once a Goddess of confluence. |
|
Scota |
A
Mother Goddess. She was the wife of Mil, and the mother of the Milesians
who invaded Ireland, and the daughter of the Egyptian pharoah Cingris. |
|
Segomo |
A
continental war God. |
|
Sequana
(Sequona) |
An
Earth and River Goddess. The river Seine is named for her. |
|
Sheila
na Gig |
A
Goddess of regneration. |
|
Sin |
One-time
patron Goddess of warriors. |
|
Sinann |
Grand-daughter
of Manann, she was the namesake and Goddess of the River Shannon. |
|
Sirona |
Yet
another goddess of healing. |
|
Slaine |
Possibly
once a deity of the healing arts. |
|
Somhlth |
A
deity with incarnation. He represents the pure masculine energy. |
|
Sul |
A
Goddess of hot springs, she had a shrine near the present day spa at
Aquae Sulis, in England. |
|
Taillte |
An
Irish Goddess of competition and the Lughnasadh Sabbat. Said to have
been the foster-mother of the Sun God Lugh. |
|
Taisch
|
Taisch
was the Gaelic name given to "second sight", the involuntary
ability of seeing the future or distant events or otherworldly things.
It originated in the Scottish highlands. |
|
Taliesin |
Minor
barley God. |
|
Taranis |
In
Druid mythology, Taranis is the god of the wheel, associated with forces
of change. He is also 1 god associated with the weather aspects of
Jupiter or Zeus. |
|
Taranus |
A
thunder God in Celtic Gaul. |
|
Tea |
Goddess
of the Royal Stronghold at Tara, some say the site is named for her. |
|
Tethra |
A
sea god |
|
Teutates |
Probably
a tribal God. |
|
Teyrnon |
A
minor fertility God. |
|
Tiranis |
A
solar deity associated with the solar wheel |
|
Tlachtga |
A
Samhain Goddess. |
|
Triuduana |
A
Goddess of the Edinburgh area, rather than submit the the Pict King
Nechtan's advances, she plucked out her own eyes in order to destroy her
beauty |
|
Tuan
MacCairill |
A
God of animals and woodlands. |
|
Tuatha
De Dannan |
The
Irish gods. Drove the former race of Fir Bolgs into Cannaught
symbolizing the driving of aboriginals into the west by the Celtic
invaders. Their major chiefs were the Dagda, Len, Lugh, Midir Lyr,
Mannanan, Morrigu, Cleena, Aine, Sinend, and Nudd. |
|
Turrean |
A
lovely Goddess turned into an Irish Wolfhound by a jealous rival. The
two are often noted as the Maiden and Crone. |
|
Uathach |
A
warrior Goddess similar to her mother, Scathach. |
|
Urien |
A
minor sun God. |
|
Vitiris |
Wisdom
God. |
|
Ysbadadden |
A
sacrificial God fated to die if his successor were to marry his daughter
|