DIAS'

of

Anceint

Ireland

This page is dedicated to The Three Bothers of Ireland whose sister was the Earth Goddess. This is a work in progress, which means, it will be continually added to. Therefore, you are invited to bookmark this page, bearing in mind, that you must remain an active member with FFN to receive the passwords, which change every season.

The heroes of the Tuatha De Danann make-up a warrior aristocracy of Irish gods, the major emphasis of what might be Solar gods. This thought is attached to Newgrange, the great megalithic mound which overlooks the River Boyne, believed to have been built by a thriving agricultural community which lived there around 3000 B.C.E.

Newgrange is often described as a passage grave. The whole structure covers an acre of ground, is estimated to contain about 200,000 tons of stone, and was made without metal tools or the use of mortar. Over the entrance is a stone-framed slit which is called the Roof Box; on the morning of Winter Solstice, the rising sun throws a pencil of light the whole length of the passage and chamber, to lilluminate the central of the three recesses for approximately seventeen minutes. This same effect is seen, though less strongly, from thee mornings before the solstice to three morning after. This structure lends strong consideration to the credence that the Iris gods may have been annually worshiped.

Solar gods are often referred to as war gods. War gods are ambiguous; sometimes they represent the hope of victory, sometimes pure destructiveness. To the Celt they reprsented both, to be invoked or propritiated accordingly. However, irish gods are also connected to the trees, specifically the oak, symbolizing strength and longevity; its acorn is expressively phallic; its roots are said to extend as far below ground as its branches do into the air, thus showing that such a god had dominion over heaven, earth, and the U nderworld. The oak was central to Irish Celtic religious symbology. It was the tree of the Dagda, the supreme Irish father god. The wood of the ritual midsummer fire was always oak, as was the Yule log.

The Irish god as a fertility god is rare, which brings up the Horned God, to which no certain origin of name can be placed. That he existed cannot be doubted. He is portrayed in many Celtic artifacts, such as on the medieval market cross in the center of Kells, County Meath (now gone), and on a stone in the churchyard on Tara Hill. He is usually portrayed with horns and acocmpanied by animals. He either wears or has looped on his horns the torc (circular necklet) of Celtic nobility (although the Horned God of Animals, Nature and Fertility was primarily a god of the ordinary people).

Unlike the Irish goddesses, man of the gods do not shapeshift, but retain posession of powerful weapons and magical tools. Lugh has a bloodthirsty spear that never misses its mark; the Dagda has a cauldron of abundance; and Lir has a cloak of invisibility.

Most of the gods are connected to a wife in their myth. This careful detail to polarity defines the Celtic view that man required woman to exist, recognizing his need for procreation and t hus emphasizing that the masculine and feminine principles were not mutually exclusive; each contained the seed of the other. Below is a listing of many Irish gods, I have marked the Nine Important irish Gods with a ** before his name.

[Excerpt from Faery Wicca, Book One, Kisma K. Stepanich]

A

Aed [ed] - (fire) is the name of the Sun Child or Child of Promise born at Winter Solstice to the Great Mother Goddess Dana. Aed is one of the Dagda's names.

All-Father - A title (in various languages) given to many gods but specifically the Dagda.

Ambisagrus - Continental Celtic, equated by the Romans with Jupiter.

Amergin - The bard and spokesman of the Milesian invaders of Ireland in the Mythological Cycle, and one of their leaders against the De Danann, Traditional author of the poem, I Am a Stag of Seven Tines. I am a stag of seven tines I am a wild flood on a plain, I am a wind on the deep waters, I am a shining tear of the Sun, I am a hawk on a cliff, I am fair among flowers, I am a god who sets the head afire with smoke, I am a battle-waging spear, I am a salmon in the pool, I am a ruthless boar, I am a threatening noise of the sea, I am a wave of the sea, Who but I knows the secret of the unhewn domen? It was he who granted the wish of the three De Danann queens, Eire, Fodhla, and Banbha, daughters of the Dagda, that Ireland be named after them. Click for the Secrets Of Amergin. H

**Angus - See OENGUS listed below. e is said to be buried under M

B

Balor - The old god who appears in legend as king of the Fomors. Husband of Dana or Ceithlenn, father of Eithne and thus grandfather of Lugh, the bright young god who supplanted him. He had a poisoned eye that could slay with its glance; it took four men to raise his eyelid in battle. At the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh, Lugh killed him by hurling a slingstone into his great eye. The Welsh equivalent is Beli.

Bith - In Irish legend, he is son of Noah and father of Cesara, the first occupier of Ireland. His wife was Birren. For more information on his connection to the Munster Province and County Kerry, click here.

Bormanus - An early Continental Celtic god.

Borvo (to boil) - Continental Celtic god of hot springs, in which role he replaced Sirona, said to be his mother. Equated by Romans with Apollo. May be the same as Borve in the Welsh legend of Llyr.

Bres - Son of a Fomorian father and a Tuatha De Danann mother, he was married to Brigid, daughter of the Dagda, in a dynstic alliance. He became king of the De Danann but lacked the necessary qualities of generosity and lost his title when he was satirized by the bard Cairbre and boils appeared on his face. This led to renewed was between the Fomorians and the De Danann and to the latter’s victory at the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh.

Bussumarus (large - lipped) - Continental Celtic god, identified by Romans with Jupiter.

C

Camulos - A king of the Tuatha De Danann, fused with some earlier god; he may have been Cumhal, warrior king father of Finn, and the origin of King Cole of the nursery rhyme.

Cernunnos - The only known name of the Celtic Horned God. The name appears only on the alter of Nautes, now in the Cluny Museum in Paris. He is portrayed in many Celtic artifacts, from a rock carving at Val Camonica in northern Italy (fourth century) to the famous Gundestrup Cauldron which was found in a peat bog in Denmark. He is portrayed on the medieval market cross in the center of Kells, Col. Meatha, and a few miles farther off, on a stone in the churchyard on Tara Hill. He is usually portrayed with horns and accompanied by animals. He usually either wears or has looped on his horns the torc (circle necklet) of Celtic nobility. Often, as on the Gundestrup Cauldron, he holds a serpent with a ram’s head or horns. The Irish saints Kieran and Ciaran (5th- and 6th- century) had characteristics of this pagan deity. Both had animal legends attached to them. St. Kieran of Clonmacnoise had a tame fox who used to carry his writings for him. Just before his death, he asked for his bones to be left on a hilltop “like a stag,” and for his spirit to be preserved rather than his relics. St. Kieran of Saighir built his hermit’s cell with the help of a wild boar, his first disciple, to which he soon added a fox, a badger, a wolf, and a stag, which obeyed his every command.

Cian - Son of Dianchecht, father by Eithne of Lugh. May be equated with Mac Kinely.

Credne - Bronze-worker hero of the De Danann who, together with the smith Goibniu and the woodworker Luchtain, made the weapons with which the De Danann defeated the Fomors.

Crom Cruaich (The Bowed One of the Mound) - Also known as Cenn Cruaich, the Lord of the Mound, and Crom Dubh, the Black Bowed One. An ancient sacrificial god particularly associated with the festival of lughnasadh. The last Sunday in July is still called Domhnach Chrom Dubh [Crom Dubh’s Sunday], even though it has been Christianized as the day of the spectacular pilgrimage up St. Patrick’s mountain, the 2,410-foot Croagh Patrick in County Mayo.

**Cu Chulainn (coo coolyn) - The Hound of Culannis the epitome of the superhuman war-hero of the Faery Tradition. Cu (hound) is a common title for a great war-hero. Typically, he is destined to have a short, brilliant life covered with glory. He is unsurpassed in battle, young, valorous, of superhuman strength, and beautiful. He is closely associated with the gods and he himself is considered a demi-god because of his supernatural origin.

The oldest literature pertaining to Cu Chulainn is the part of the Ulster Cycle known as The Tain Bo Cuailgne. His introduction into the narrative probably dates from the seventh century.

Cu Chullainn's birth and youth are steeped in the supernatural. Hs mother was Deichtine, but his father was variously the Divine Lugh, Deichtine's brother Conchobar (birth due to incest was sometimes a mark of divinity), or the mortal Sualtaimh. He had many foster-fathers, including Ferghus and Conall Cernach.

At his time of his birth, two foals were born; they became his chariot horses, the Grey of Macha and the Black of Saingliu. Until he was seven years old, Cu Chulainn's name was Setanta. He arrived at the court of King Conchobar of Ulster, at Emhain Macha, having fought off 150 of Conchobar's boy-warrior troops on the way. He killed the fierce hound of Culann the Smith and pledged to act as a guard for the smith in the dog's place; this is how he acquired his name, Cu Chullain.

Cu Chullainn's war prowess is prodigious; he is larger than life, and The Tain is full of his increedible feats of battle. He was trained by a femal warrior/prophetess Scathach in Alba. He was one of the heroes who quarrel over the champion's joint of pork at the Feast of Bricriu. He killed the monster Cu Roi and his own son Conla. The latter tragic deed was done because he was bound to his king, and Conchobar foretold that Conla was a threat.

His magical weapons are Gae Bulga, a barbed spear given to him by Scathach, from whose wound no one could recover; and a visor, a gift from the sea-god Manannan.

One of his characteristics in battle is his habit of going berserk or into "arp spasm." On these occassions, he becomes a monster; his body revolves within its skin, his hair stands out from his head; one eye sinks into his head, the other bulges out into his cheek; his muscles swell to enormous size, and a hero-light rises from his head.

Cu Chullainn himself is linked with sacred numbers; he has tri-colroed hair; seven pupils in each eye; seven fingers and toes on each extremity. He has three faults: those of being too young, too brave, and too handsome.

Emer, Cu Chulainn's wife imposes superhuman tasks on him before she will consent to marry him. Upon performing the tasks he has various encounters with the divine world: his OtherWorld father, Lugh, appears to heal and comfort him after combat; he encounters the Morrigu as a beautiful woman, and when he spurns her narrowly defeats her when she attacks him in the forms of an eel, a wolf, and a heifer. The Faery king Labhraidh invites him there, offering him the love of the Faery Queen Fand (The Sickbed of Cu Chulainn), in return for Cu Chullainn killing Labhraidh's rivals.

His death is devised by Medb: she uses the Children of Cailatin, whom she has trained, to lure the hero to his death and she pits against him the entire force of Ireland. He dies fighting alone at Magh Muirtheimme. Many portents surround his end: there is a geasa on him not to eat dog flesh; he breaks the taboo, and this weakens him. When the Grey of Macha is saddled-up for him to go to battle, the horse cries tears of blood; and when Cu Chulainn mounts his chariot, his weapons all fall at his feet. Finally, he encounters the Bean Sidhe, who washes his armor, thus presaging his imminent death. The hero is killed with a spear forged by Vulcan. His death is signalled by the presence of the Badb, the Battle Crow, alighting on his shoulder. A famous statue in the General Post Office in Dublin portrays his death.

D

**Dagda or In Dagda Mor (da-dah) - The good god of ancient Ireland was known by many names. He was also called Aed (fire), Eochaid (All-Father), and Ruad Rofessa (Lord of Great Knowledge). Many sources attribute Dagda as being the god of druidism or draidecht (magic) of the Tuatha De Danann. The old Irish tract called The Choice of Names indicates that he was a god of the earth.

He had a cauldron called The Undry in which everyone found food in proportion to his merits, and from which none went away unsatisfied. His favorite food was porridge. He had a living harp, and as he played upon it the seasons came in their order: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. He also had a huge club of which one end killed the living and the other revived the dead.

The Dagda is a paradoxical character, endowed with great wisdom, he is portrayed as gross and uncouth. In an ancient tale he is described as wearing a brown, low-necked tunic which only reached down to his hips, and over this a hooded cape which barely covered h is shoulders. He wore horse-hide boots (the hairy side outward), and carried, or rather, drew after him on a wheel, an eight-pronged war club so huge that eight men would have been needed to carry it. The wheel, as he towed the whole weapon along, made a track like a territorial boundary. His hair was gray.

In his fertility role, the Dagda mates with Boann, the spirit of the River Boyne, exemplifying the union of tribal god and mother-goddess. He also mates with the destructive war-goddess, the Morrigan, w hich ensures security for his people. The goddess Brigid was his daughter.

When the Sons of Mil invaded Ireland, according to the Mythological Cycle, the divine race of the Tuatha De Danann were driven underground to establish Otherworld kingdoms beneath the hills. The Dagda assigned each member of the Tuatha one of these mounds or sid. Nuada was lord of the sid of Almu; Midir of the sid of Bri Leith, and so on. The Dagda's sid possesses three trees wh ich perpetually bear fruit, a pig which is always alive, and an inexhaustible supply of drink.

The Dagda has the qualities of abundance and balance. He is the god of the earth, the Celtic Pan, representing the masculine aspect of fertility, family and home-life. He is a good provider, and a reliable and sturdy worker. The Dagda is like the King of Pentacles in the Tarot, the Yod-Fire force of the Tetragammation in the element of earth. This makes him a solid extension of the Father-Fire energy in the physical universe. Therefore, his energy is one that stimualtes vegetation, growth and material production. He can be thought of as the sperm which fertilizes the Mother's egg.

His symbol is the cauldron, the symbol of the womb. This womb cauldron is known for its abundance; any who eat from it are filled. The Dagda and his female cauldron represent balance between the male and female, and the willingness to be in partnership. Through this partnership the Spirit is reborn, or renewed and can begin celebrating the sense of family that has been united within.

Delbaeth - Son of Oghma Grainaineach. Father of the triple goddess Badb [Neman, Macha, and the Morrigan]. According to one account, also father of Boann, goddess of the River Boyne.

Diancecht - Healer god of the De Danann. His son Miach and daughter Airmid made the silver hand which replaced the one lost by Nuada at the First Battle of Maigh Tuireadh.

**Diarmaid or Diarmuid ua Duibhne - He appears in the Fenian Cycle. He is a lieutenant of the aging hero Finn, leader of the war-band, the Fianna, and hero of the archetypal love story of Diarmaid and Grainne. Grainne, daughter of the king of Ireland, was betrothed to Finn Mac Cumaill but at a feast in her father's house fell in love with Diarmaid O'Duibne and persuaded him to run away with her. At first he refuses her because of his bond of loyalty to his leader, but Grainne binds him with a geasa to take her away from the court of Tara. Finn pursued them for seven years (or in other versions, a year and a day), but they are aided by Diarmaid's foster-father, Oengus, the god of love. The couple reach the Forset of Duvnos, which contains a magic tree of immortality, guarded by a giant, Sharvan the Surly.

In the seven year period, the two lovers live together happily, producing five children. Finally, Finn, still thirsting for revenge, organized a boar hunt in which Dirarmud is invited to take part. However, the boar is the magic boar of Boann Ghulban in County Sligo; this creature had once been Diarmaid's foster-brother and it was prophesied that Diarmaid would meet his death through him. Finn knows the prophecy and deliberately exposes Diarmaid to danger.

In one version of the story, the boar kills Diarmaid; in another, the boar is killed, but the hero is fatally wounded by one of its poisonous spines. The pursuit is commemorated by many dolmens in Ireland known as Diarmaid and Grainne's Bed. The dead Diarmad was taken to Brugh Na Boinne (Newgrange) by the love god Oengus, who breathed aerial life into Diarmaid.

The Elopement of Diarmaid and Grainne is first mentioned in the 10th century Book of Leinster. The stories of the Fenian Cycle were developed during the 12th century; and the tradition concerning Diarmaid's death dates from between the 12th and 15th century.

Diarmaid is of divine origin; ;he is closely linked with Oengus, and he is sometimes known as Diarmaid Donn (dark) or Diarmaid, son of Donn. Donn is the god of the dead. Diarmaid is irresistibly attractive and is desribed as Master and Charmer of Women.

Donn - Irish lord of the dead. Diarmaid's father.

E

Eochaid [yay-chod] - (All-Father) is another aspect of the Dagda.

ERC - ERC is an interesting god energy... he would really be considered one of the archaic gods of preCeltic Ireland. His name place is associated with Dowth and his wife was noted to be Bo, another archaic god. Now, here's something interesting, he may be likened to a Jupiterish quality, for expansive, all knowing quality, definitely of a stellar nature... one of his stars is aligned with Orion constellation and the most powerful may be Serius. He is believed to have passed into the myths of Elcmar, Nuada, Dubthach (Dagda), Lugh, which is quite an interesting evolution to say the least. Inside of Dowth is found his. Dowth is quite a memorable place. The energy there is very different than many of the other sites in the Boine Valley. I'm not sure why, other than I attribute it to the fact that this was a place at one time cursed by a female Druid after being raped... now that's pretty heavy when you think about it. Yet, Dowth has a foundation of being very linked to Faery Goddess energy, and no, ERC was not the raper. Anyway, what I think that myth tells us is that the site was governed by female druids and that it was taken from them, perhaps, in early christian times when many of the druids were becoming linked to esoteric christianity, which wasn't a bad thing, but it did cause upheavals. Dowth, the hill of darkness may very well have shown the way to the light of peace out of desperate times.

Essus, or Esus - Early Continental Celtic agriculture god, worshipped by the Essuvi. His consort may have been the bear-goddess Artio.

F

Fergus - name of several legendary characters, but this particular one’s virility was such that, when his wife, the woodland godess and ruler of beasts, Flidais, was away, he needed seven ordinary women to satisfy him sexually.

Fergus Mac Roi - King of Ulster who loved Nessa, mother of Conchobar; he suffered exile for her sake, and Conchobar inherited his throne. Later became tutor to Cu Chulainn, Chonchobar’s nephew; but he took Queen Maeve's side in her was with Ulster.

Fintan - Husband of Noah’s granddaughter Cesara, first occupier of Ireland in the Mythological Cycle. They left for the western edge of the world forty days before the Flood, with Cesara in charge of the expedition, Cesara appears to have been a pre-Celtic matriarchal goddess, with Fintan as her less-important consort. Fintan can be traced through Irish literature as he reincarnates as Tuan and then Amergin.

Fionn Mac Cumhal [Finn Mac Cool] - Son of Cumhal, king of the De Danann. As a child, he burned his finger on the Salmon of knowledge, sucked it and thus acquired all knowledge. Became leader of the Fiana, a famous mobile group of warriors and hunters. Said to have lived 200 years.

G

Gadel - Said to have been an ancestor of the Milesian, and to have divided the Gaelic language into five dialects - for soldiers, poets, historians, physicians, and common people. Perhaps originally an Achaean deity of the River Gadylum on the southern shore of the Black Sea.

Gavida - A smith god, brother of Mac Kinely. Equivalent of Gobniu, and the Welsh Govannon.

Gebann - Druid of the De Danann. Father of the South Munster goddess Cliona of the Fair Hair, renowned for her great beauty and connected with the O’Keefe family..

Goibniu - Smith of the De Danann, who with Credne and Luctain made the weapons with which the Tuatha defeated the Fomors. Uncle of Lugh. Equivalent to Gavida and the Welsh Govannon.

Grannos - Early Continental Celtic god of mineral springs. An inscription to him was also found at Musselburgh, near Edinburgh.

H

Holly King - Celtic god of the waning year. The cycle of fertility has been expressed in many god-forms. One of these, or rather one pair, which has been persisted from pagan times to contemporary folklore is that of the Oak King and the Holly King, gods respectively of the waxing year and the waning year. The Oak King rules from midwinter to midsummer, the period of expansion and growth; the Holly King from midsummer to midwinter, the period of withdrawal and rest. They are the light and dark twins, each being the other’s alternate self. They are not good and evil; each represents a necessary phase in the natural rhythm, so in this sense, both are good. At the two change-over points, they meet in combat. The incoming twin slays the outgoing one. But the defeated twin is not truly dead; he has merely withdrawn, during the six months of his brother’s rule, into the Castle of the ever-turning Silver Wheel. The custom of the Holly King can be seen in the survival of the folk-custom - Hunting the Wren at the winter solstice. The wren is the Holly King’s bird. In scattered places in Ireland, adult Wren Boys, wearing conical straw hats completely covering their heads and faces, still dance and sing around their villages on St. Stephen’s Day, December 26. More universally on the same day, in the West of Ireland, children, usually in fancy dress and with their faces made up, go from door to door carrying bunches of holly and reciting: The wren, the wren, the king of the birds, On Stephen’s Day was caught in the furze; Up with the kettle and down with the pan, And give us some money to bury the wren. Although the Holly King’s reign is one of , culminating in apparent lifelessness, his symbology reminds us all the time that he is his brother’s other self and holds life in trust while it rests. The holly’s leaves are evergreen, and its bright berries glow red when all else is bare of fruit. The Holly King is the true origin of Santa Claus, rather than the 4th-century bishop of Myra who is his official prototype and whose factual history is virtually non-existent, in contrast to his body of kindly legend.

I

Iuchar - Iuchar, Iucharba, and Brian were three sons of the goddess, Dana and grandsons of Balor. Said to have married Eire, Fodhal and Banbha, the three goddesses after whom Ireland was named. [See also Mac Cecht, Mac Cuill and Mac Greine.] One account makes them the joint fathers of Lugh by Clothru, a ring of red circles on his neck and belly showing which part each had fathered. Another version makes them murderers of Lugh’s father Cian, for which crime they had to gather the Treasures of the Tuatha De Danann.

J

K

Keithoir - God of the Green Wood. Click for more.

L

Leucetios - A Continental Celtic god of thunder.

Litavis - An early Celtic god, possibly Breton in origin; Llydaw is the Welsh name for Brittany.

Lir - The Shakespearean King Lear is molded after this god. He is both a Welsh and Irish god. In Irish mythology, he is the father of Manannan Mac Lir. He is both a Welsh and Irish god. He was also a king of the De Danann; his first wife was Aebh, by whom he had a daughter, Fionuala, and three sons, Hugh, Fiacha, and Conn; Aeb then died. His second wife was Aoife, who turned the four children into swans out of jealousy. The Children of Lir flew around Ireland as swans for 900 years, until the hermit Mochavog baptized them and they changed to aged human shape and died.

Lamhfada or Lugh [loo] - The name of this Irish sun-god means long-handed, or far-shooter. He was also called Illdanach, the Master of All Arts, named so by the Tuatha De Danann when he became their king. Although Lugh's father was Cian, son of Etan of the Tuatha, his mother was Ethniu, daughter of Balor of the Evil Eye, the Fomorian king. It was Lugh, who seeking the favor of the Tuatha killed his grandfather in the Second Battle of Mag Tuired and thus became king of the Tuatha De Danann.

The word lugo means raven, and there is a trenuous link between Lugh and the ravens; before The Second Battle of Magh Tuired, Lugh is warned by ravens of the coming of the Fomorians.

Towns such as Luguvalium (Carlisle) and Lugdunum (Lyon) are linked by scholars to Lugh, and at Lugdunum, coins depict images of ravens.

In the Irish tradition, Lugh is portrayed as a Shining God of Light, but also as a warrior, sorcerer, and master of crafts. He appears at Tara, the royal court of Nuada, king of the Tuatha, presenting himself as the master of all crafts and skills. This had led to a link between Lugh and the Gaulish Mercury, whom Caesar refers to as inventor of all the arts. Lugh appears at Nuada's court to encourage him to stand up to the Fomorians. Nuada surrenders the kingship to thim and Lugh then orchestrates the military campaign.

He engagese the three craftsman-gods, Gobihniu, Luchta, and Credihne to forge magic weapons. He himsel has a magic speark, the Gae Bulga, but it's with a slingshot that he kills his grandfather.

To help the Tuatha against the Fomorians, Lugh brings with him such magic objects as Wave-sweeper, the boat of Manannan the sea-god, and Answerer, a sword which will cut through anything. Lugh himself is a Druid, he cants spells to encourage the army of the Tuatha.

He was celebrated at Lughnasadh (Lamas) on Agust 1 (one of the Four Great Festivals) as a reminder of the Tuatha De Danann victory over the Fomorians. Unlike the Dagda, Lugh was handsome and polished, and owned a spear that was extremely powerful; if he were to say ibar as he threw the spear, it would not miss its mark. It would come back to his hand if he said athibar. When not in use, he kept the tip of the spear immersed in the Dagda's cauldron to prevent the village where it was stored from going up in flames. After the De Danann are driven undergrown by the Sons of Mil, the Dagda assigns to Lugh the sidh of Rodruban.

In the Ulster Cycle, Lugh is associated with cu Chulainn. He is a kind of Otherworld father to the young hero demi-god, and when Cu Chulainn is wounded and exhausted by his battles against Connacht, Lugh appears to soothe his hurts and heals him by causing him to sleep for three days.

Lamfhada has the qualities of strength and protection. He is the sun-gor or Father Sky energy. He reigns over his domain, assuring that his warmth and light will shower down upon all his subjects. In his mightiness, he takes his charge seriously and will fight to his own death in defense of those he loves.

Lugh can be compared to the King of Wands of the Tarot, representing the Fire of Fire aspect. This extremely dynamic Father Force is a volatile igniting spark; the first action. This energy can be fierce and unpredictable but not durable. Like a volcano, its force great and uncontrollable, Lugh can be wild and warlike, a raw, unleashed energy when not worked with.

His symbol, the might spear dripping blood from its tip, though representing a weapon used to defend, is also phallic in nature and suggests not only strength but virlity. Lugh's spear can pierce through the obstacles in life.

Lugh is aligned with Grove Four.

For more information on Lugh as THE GOD OF LIGHT.

M

**Manannan mac Lir (man-awn-an mac leer) - The Irish sea god, son of the god Lir. In early texts, Manannan is not specifically listed as a member of the Tuatha De Danann, but in later documents he is included. He was the special patron of sailors who invoked him as God of Headlands, and of merchants who claime dhim as the first of their guild. He protected Ireland, enclosing the island with his own element to guard it. His favorite haunts were the Isle of Man, to which he gave his name, and the Isle of Arran, in the Firth of Clyde, where he had a palace called Emhain of the Apple Trees.

Apart from being a sea-god, Manannan is also a master of skills, wisdom, trickery, illusion, and magic. The divine warrior Lugh, in helping Nuada and the Tuatha vanquish the Fomorians, obtains magical gifts from Manannan: a boat which obeys the thoughts of its sailor and requires neither oar nor sail; a horse that can travel with equal ease on land or se; and a dreadful sword named Fragarach, the Answerer, which can penetrate any armor. Cu Chulainn has a visor as a present from Manannan. The sea-god possesses magic pigs which are killed and eaten on one day and are alive and ready for the same fate on the next. Many other tales of magic surround the character of this god.

He had many famous weapons of his own: two spears called Yellow Shaft and Red Javelin; a sword called The Retaliator, which never failed to slay, as well as two others known as the Great Fury and the Little Fury. His boat was called Wave-sweeper, which propelled and guided itself wherever its owner wished, and he also had a horse called Splendid Mane, which was swifter than the spring wind, and as already mentioned, travelled equally fast on land or over the waves of the sea.

Manannan wore a magic coat of mail and breast-plate through which no weapon could pass, and on his helmet there shone two magic jewels as bright as the sun. He endowed the gods with the mantle which made them invisible at will, and he fed them from his pigs. The Feast of Age was his famous banquet at which those who ate never grew old. It is his figure that outshines all other gods. Up to the latest days of Irish heroic literature, reference is made to his luminous figure.

His wife was the Faery, Fand. From lack of Manannan's attention, she fell in love with Cu Chulainn, but in the end was persuaded by Manannan to return with him to Tir Taingiri. Upon her consent, Manannan wove a web of forgetting around both Fand and Cu Chulainn, and upon waking neither remembered the other. Click for more information on the sea-god.

Manannan has the qualities of youth and long life. His realm is the vast ocean upon whose crest he walks as if the water were solid. In his palace, Emhain of the Apple Trees, he serves the Feast of Age, at which those who eat never gorw old. His helmet reflects the sun, while his body is surrounded by the moon. He is the greatest sea-god, and in his boat, Wave-sweeper, he will assure safe passage from one body of land to the next.

Like the King of Cups of the Tarot, Manannan represents the Water of Fire element. He symbolizes the subconscious realm of the human mind and the creative spark which ignites and gives birth to unconscious images. These are the qualities of sensitivity, attraction, and grace.

His symbols are water and a magic mantle that when worn produces invisibility. As the god of water he represents emotional, intuitive element of a masculine gender. His feeling nature and his ability to safely cross the water demonstrates his levelheadedness.

The mantle of invisibility represents the quality of knowing when to make oneself noticed and when to remain quiet and skirt around the edges. This emotionally balanced god teaches us the blending of wisdom and knowledge.

Mac Cecht - Son of the Plough, or ‘whose god was the plough’. Husband of Fodhla, the mother aspect of the triple goddess symbolizing Ireland. He represented the earth element.

Mac Cuill - Son of the Hazel, or ‘whose god was the hazel’ or ‘whose god was the sea’. He was husband of Banbha, the crone aspect of the triple goddess symbolizing Ireland. He represented the primordial water element.

Mac Greine - Son of the Sun, or ‘whose god was the sun’. He was husband of Eire, the maid aspect of the triple goddess symbolizing Ireland. He represented the fire element.

Mackinely -Son of Balor and Ceithlenn, and father by Eithne of Lugh. He may be equated with Cian.

Miach - Son of Diancecht, the father of medicine, and himself a physician. With his sister Airmid, made King Nuada's silver hand, for which Diancecht killed him. Healing grasses grew on his grave.

**Mider or Midhir - King of the Gaelic Underworld, son of the Dagda and Boann, goddess of the River Boyne. His wife was the outstandingly beautiful Etain Echraidhe, personfication of reincarnation. He had a magic cauldron which his daughter, Blathnat, helped Cu Chulainn to steal. In the Mythological Cycle Midir is the lord of the sid of Bri Leith. The Book of Invasions tells of the invasion of Ireland by the Milesians who drove the divine Tuatha De Danann underground to become lords of the Otherworld beneath the hills.

The most important story of Midir concerns his wooing of Etain. He incurs the wrath of his wife Fuamnach by bringing home his new bride, and she uses magic to transform her young rival into a butterfly or fly (in most versions), buffeted about the world for many years. Midir makes desperate attempts to find Etain and finally tracks her down, reborn more than 1,000 years after her initial birth as a beautiful young woman. But the new Etain is married to Eochaid, king of Ireland, and she is at first reluctant to return to Midir, since she has forgotten him. By means of trickery, he manages to kiss Etain, she remembers and loves him, and the pair finally escape from the royal court of Tara in the form of two swans. They are pursued by the king, but Mirid magically configures fifty women, all identical to Etain. By mistake, Eochaid chooses not the real Etain, but their daughter, and thus commits the horror of incest.

Another story about Midir also concerns his association with birds. The Book of Leinster has a tale in which Midir possesses three hostile cranes who discourage travelers from stopping at his dwelling, and who rob warriors of their courage. His royal palace is located at Usneach.

Moccos, or Moccus - A Continental Celtic pig god, or god of a pig totem clan. He is identified under Roman influence with Mercury.

Mullo - A Continental Celtic god known as the patron of muleteers. Sometimes he is identified with Mars. His probable totem was the ass.

N

**Nemed - He was the leader of one of the early peoples to occupy Ireland in the Mythological Cycle. Husband of Macha, the (probably pre-Celtic) Ulster goddess. Was the supreme god of battles. He was also given the name Argetlann (He of the Silver Hand) when he lost his hand in the First Battle of Magh Tuired, between the Tuatha De Danann and the Fir Bolgs. Upon losing his arm he had to relinquish the kingship, because he no longer met the criterion of physical perfection which was a rule of sovereignty. The new king, Bres (meaning beautiful), reigned as surrogate for Nuada until the divine smith/leech, Dian Cecht, made Nuada an artifical arm of silver and thus made it posible for him to resume his power.

During the wars with the Fomorians, Nuada is daunted by the terrible power of the Fomorian leader, Balor of the Baleful Eye, and he again gives up his kingship to the hero Lugh. Lugh takes over the organization of the war and overcomes Balor himself.

Nuada was possessed of an invincible sword, one of the four chief treasures of the Tuatha De Danann, over whom he was twice king. Nuada is one of the original kings or gods in direct lineage to the ancient Mother Goddess Dana.

Although Nuada, the supreme war-god, vanished early out of the Pantheon after being killed by the Fomorians in The Second Battle of Magh Tuired, he lived on through his greatest proteges: the five great war-goddesses of the Celts, Fea, the Hateful, Nemon, the Venomous, Badb, the Fury, Macha, a personification of Battle, and over all of them, the Morrigu or Great Queen. After the Milesian invasion, Nuada was given the sid called Almu, which was later wrested from him by Finn.

Nuada has various counterparts. In British archaeology, he may be identified with Nodens, the god of Lydney on the river Severn. Both names mean cloud-maker. In Welsh mythology, Nuada may be identified with Nudd or Lludd, who was probably a sun-god. The loss of his arm gives Nuada a resemblance to the Germanic Tyr whose right arm was bitten off by a wolf.

Nuada has the qualities of competion and battle. He was the supreme war-god and can be compared to the King of Swords in the Tarot, representing the Air of Fire. This quality symbolizes the violent, fiery power of movement as well as the vitalizing power which lies behind the Astral Realm of image and inspiration. He can be likened unto the first spark of intellectual inspiration, but in this element it is a swift and agitated energy. His symbol is an invicible sword that can aggressively slice through any obstacle placed before it. The sword is an instrument created specifically for killing humans, unlike the spear or bow and arrow that were created for hunting food for survival. The sword is an attitude of attack.

O

Oak King - Celtic god of the waxing year. [See Holly King entry above.] The Oak King rules from midwinter to midsummer, the period of expansion and growth. His bird id the robin; its red breast symbolizing the reborn sun.

Oberon - The fairy king invented by Shakespeare. He has magickal powers and rules a kingdom called Mommur. He is a dwarf, though with an angelic face, and son of Julius Caesar and the Lady of the Hidden Isle.

**Oengus mac Og or Anegus of the Birds - The son of the Dagda. In the early literature he is presented as one who is himself in love and he also helps other lovers in adversity. He was also called Mac ind Oc or In Mac Og, which means The Young Son or The Young God. He received this name from his mother, Boand, who decreed upon his birth, "Young is the son who was begotten at break of day and born betwixt it and evening." Dagda had concealed Boann's pregnancy by causing the sun to stand still for nine months, so that Oengus was conceived and born on the same day.

In The Tain, Oengus is represented as a Gaelic Eros, a god of love and beauty, described as "slender and as swift as a wind. His hair swung about his face like golden blossoms. His eyes were mild and dancing and his lips smiled with quiet sweetness. About his head there flew perpetually a ring of singing birds, and when he spoke his voice came sweetly from a center of sweetness." For more: click here.

As was his way, one could not know him unless he made himself known. He called himself Infinite Joy and Love. Like his father, he had a h arp, which was gold rather than oak like the Dagda's, and when he played it, his music was so sweet that anyone who heard it would follow.

Three main stories surround Oengus. In two he is presented as a helper of lovers. In the story of Midir and Etain, Oengus woes Etain on Midir's behalf. Later, Oengus is able partially to emove the butterfly spell cast on Etain by Midir's jealous wife, Fuamnach. She is thus restored to human form from dusk to dawn and is cherished in Oengus' palace on the River Boyne. In the story of Diarmaid and Graine, Oengus intervenes to help Grainne and Diarmaid against Finn, who desires Grainne. Oengus is Diarmaid's foster father, and on one occasion he takes on Dairmaid's form to lure away Finn's companions who are hunting him. Oengus also spirits Grainne away to safety on two occasions where her discovery is threatened by Finn.

In the tale, The Dream of Oenghus, it is the god of love himself who is smitten by passion. He dreams of a young woman whom he does not recognize, and falls desperately in love with her. He learns that the girl's name is Caer Ibormeith (Yew Berry), and he finds her with her companions on a lake. He also learns that Caer is a shape-changer, and every other year she transmogrifies from human form to that of a swan. King Ailill of Connacht intercedes with Caer's father, Ethal Anbual of Sid Uamain, on behalf of Oengus, but to no avail. The only way to win Caer is to take her when she is in swan form.

The shape-change occurs on the Feast of Samhain, on the first of November, and it is now that Oengus approaches Caer and flies off with her, having trnsformed himself also into swan form. The two fly three times round the lake, sending everyone to sleep for three days and nights by their magic song, then fly off to Brugh na Boinne, Oengus' palace. Newgrange is his burial place also.

Oengus is the archetypal young man, or divine youth. As such, he may be identified with the British Maponus and the Welsh Mabon.

Oengus has the quality of love and beauty. This is the Celtic ERos, the Greek Cupid. He teaches us to find the beauty in all areas of life. H is symbol is that of a golden harp upon which he plays and all who hear follow (much like the Pied Piper). Music and song are his gifts; the vibration of Spirit and spreading that vibration to all life. Divine Imagination is what Oengus represents. Balancing the male common sense and the female happiness will result in an embrace in love of immense will. Oengus' greatest gift is to gather women and men to the center from the far without to the deep within, trembling from the body to the soul until the head of woman and the heart of man are filled with Divine Imagination.

**Oghma Grianaineaqch (of the Sunlike Countenance) - Irish god of wisdom, learning and writing. As one of the Tuatha De Danann and son of the Dagda, he was said to have invented the Ogham script. This script appeared about the fourth century in The Book of Ballymote, but almost certainly continues an older system of magical symbols. The ogham is a system of writing which consisted of horizontal or slanting strokes and notches cut on stone or wood and branching out on either side of a vertical line or corner.

Ogham was shrewd and quick thinking warfare; he was also a champion in battle. Not only is he described as a strong god, but he is likened to the classical demi-god hero Hercules. He is also connected to the Greek Ogmios, an old man, bald and burnt by the sun. Like Ogmios, Oghma is described as holding a club and lion-skin, drawing crowds of prisoners along with golden chains connected by their ears to the tip of his tongue.

Oisin, or Ossian - son of Fionn Mac Cumhal and the deer goddess Sadhbh. She was lured away from Fionn’s house by magic Oision came to him and grew up to be an inspired poet. The only man on record to stand up to St. Patrick in argument. He went with Niamh of the Golden Hair to Tir na nOg, where she bore him two sons (Fionn, after Oisin’s father, and Osgar, he who loves the deer’), and one daughter (Plur na mBan [Flower of Women]).

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R

Ruad Rofess - Lord of Great Knowledge; another name for the Dagda.

S

Segomo - A Continental Celtic god of war; also known as Cocidius.

Shoney - This god is both Irish and Scottish. A sea god to whom libations of ale were offered till late into the nineteenth century by fishermen in Ireland and the isle of Lewis.

T

Tethra - A chief of the Fomorians who was also king of Lochlann, their mythical undersea home.

Tuan - A reincarnation of Fintan, who then evolves into Amergin. The Book of the Takings is supposed to have been told by Tuan, who is the first or birth of the Bhairds.

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