Celtic Mythology
Celtic tradition is found in well preserved books dating back to the 8th
century AD. Most informative are those from Ireland: the Books of Leinster,
of the Dun Cow, of Bally Mote, and the Yellow Book of Lecan. Other books
of importance come from the Welsh traditions.
Irish Gods
The Dagda: He is the “father of all,” the “lord of perfect
knowledge.” He was not just seen as a creator of the gods, but the
creator of everything, including mankind. He was the lord of life and
death, for he could kill nine men with one end of his club, but with the
other end of his club he could restore life. He is depicted as a coarse,
potbellied, ugly man with a club so large he has to carry it around on
wheels. His other symbol was the cauldron which was never empty and satisfied
anyone who partook from it. This symbolized his role as nourisher and
provider for his people. He was considered a god of fertility for the
people and for the land. People would make offerings to him through holes
and pits in the ground.
Lug: His functions were similar to the Dagda, but he was called “the
long arm” or “many skilled.” Lug possessed the ability
to do almost anything and everything. Legend says that he arrived at a
town and declared that he was a carpenter, but the town already had a
carpenter. So then he said he was a blacksmith, but the town already had
a blacksmith. Then he went on to list his other skills, including warrior,
harper, poet, historian, hero, sorcerer and many others. All of these
positions were filled, but he finally gained admittance by asking if there
was any single person who was master of all these skills. This is what
finally gave him his position. His symbols were a spear and sling and
other weapons capable of accurate aim beyond the reach of a man’s
arm. In some instances, he seems to have replaced the Dagda, but in others
he shares the same level of importance. He is not depicted as coarse and
crude like the Dagda and also not as violent as the Dagda.
Other Gods: There is not much information and these gods are not as easily
understood. Most of their functions duplicate the Dagda and Lug attributes.
These other gods seemed to be more specialized in each skill, not having
multi skills like the Dagda and Lug. Nuada was a chieftain type god who
lost a hand in battle and replaced it with a silver hand. He possessed
a sword that was so lethal that no enemy could survive it. Ogma was a
champion of the people. Gobniu was the god of blacksmithing and beer brewing.
Manannan was Lord of the Sea and the Celtic otherworld.
Irish
Goddesses
The Celtic gods are often called the People of the Goddess Danu, but this
does not mean that she gave birth to all of them. For instance, the Dagda
is considered her father. She only had three children, Brian, Iuchar and
Iucharba, a concept of trinity that was common in Celtic traditions. Sometimes
Danu is confused with the goddess Brigit, who was a triple deity and survives
as the Christian Saint Brigit (Bride). Brigit was a goddess of learning,
teaching, culture and other skills.
Macha was a fertility Goddess with close association with the soil.
She died giving birth to twins and while she died she put a curse on the
women of Ulster. Her curse caused them to experience terrible pangs of
childbirth for five days and four nights. In another myth, she is a warrior
queen, forcing her enemies to build her capital. It is not unusual for
women to fight in battle in these cultures, so goddesses of war were a
natural progression for the Celtic system of gods and goddesses. However,
these women were most depicted as sorcerers and fighting battles by shape
shifting and magic, using supernatural powers to win.
Written by Christine
Breese, D.D., Ph.D.