Irish Central's top ten gods and goddesses from Celtic mythology - PHOTOS

From the god of war to love and youth --ancient Irish tales

By

KERRY O'SHEA,

IrishCentral Intern

Larger Text

Print

E-mail

11 Comments

Cuchulainn

Photo by Martin McKeown

Tweet

6. Brigit
Now remembered in Christianity as St. Brigit or St. Bride, Brigit has several associations. She is trifold, with her powers being Fire of Inspiration, Fire of Hearth, and Fire of the Forge. Her festival on February 1 is Imbolc, where she ushers in springtime.

7. Cernunnus
Meaning ‘the horned one,’ Cernunnus is a Celtic horned god who is connected to fertility, wealth, and wild animals. He is depicted as having the antlers of a stag, most notably on the famous Gundestrup cauldron in Denmark.
Paleolithic cave paintings found in France depict a figure with antlers, believed to be Cernunnus, which places his origin to that era.

8. Arawn
Arawn is the Celtic god of the underworld of the dead. His most famous tale involves him switching places with Pwyll for a year and a day to challenge Hafgan, Arawn’s rival for ownership of the underworld. During the time they were switched, Pwyll defeated Hafgan and was rewarded with pigs.

9. Abandinus
Known as ‘Defender of the Waters,’ not much is known of the Celtic god Abandinus, save for an inscription on a bronze votive found in Cambridgeshire, England which read “To the god Abandinus, Vatiaucus gave this from his own money.”

10. Tuatha-de-Danann
Tuatha-de-Danann is the main family of Irish gods whose name means ‘Children of the Goddess Danu.’ Danu was their chief goddess and matriarch, but not their actual mother. This group of gods were known to have perfected their use of magic. Having originated on “the islands in the west.” they eventually settled in Ireland. The most important members of the family of Irish gods are Boann, Brigit, Danu, Daga, Dian Cecht, Gobniu, Lug, Macha, and Nuada.

PHOTOS - Irish Central's top ten gods and goddesses from Celtic mythology

Source - GodChecker.com.

Print

E-mail

Tweet