Deities of Wales, Ireland, Gaul and Britain
There are over 300 Deity names documented, alot of which are found only once, with little background information. Here are a few that we know some details about.
DIETIES OF WALES
Amaethon
God of agriculture.
Arianrhod
Celtic earth goddess. She is the daughter and/or wife of Don, sister of Gwydion.
Bran ("raven")
Son of Llyr and Penarddun, and brother of Branwen and the sea god Manawydan, and half brother Nisien and Efnisien. He is a hero god and perhaps also the god of poetry and the underworld.
Branwen
Branwen is the Celtic goddess of love and beauty, also worshipped in Manx and Wales. She is the sister of Bran the Blessed and Manannan mac Lir, daughter of Lir, and wife of the Irish king Matholwch. After the death of her brother Bran, due to a war caused by her husband, Branwen died of a broken heart. She corresponds with Aphrodite and Venus.
Belatu-Cadros (Belatucadros)
The Celtic god of war and of the destruction of enemies. His name means fair shining one. The Romans equated him with their god Mars.
Cerridwen (Caridwen)
Mother of Taliesen, greatest and wisest of all the bards, therefore she is patron of poets. Caridwen corresponds with Brigit. She is connected with wolves, and some believe that her cult dates to the Neolithic era. Originally a corn goddess.
Children of Don
One of the rival dynasties of Welsh mythology, and equated with the Tuatha de Danaan of Ireland, the Children of Don includes Gwydion, a warrior magician, and Aranrhod, sky goddess and symbol of fertility. Their sons were Dylan, associated with the sea, and Lleu Llaw Gyffes.
Children of Llyr
Bendigeidfran, Branwen and Manawydan, who appear in the story of 'Branwen Daughter of Llyr.
Dewi
An old Welsh god. The official emblem of Wales, a red dragon, is derived from the Great Red Serpent that once represented the god Dewi.
Don
Mother Goddess; the Welsh equivalent of the Irish Danu
Dylan
Welsh sea god, brother of Lleu.
Govannon
God of smiths and metalworkers
Gwynn ap Nudd
God of the Underworld
Gwydion
Welsh warrior and magician god. By his sister Arianrhod he fatherd Lleu and Dylan.
Lleu
Brother of Dylan, son of Arianrhod and Gwydion. Hero god who corresponds with the Irish Lugh. His festival, teh Lugnasad, was held on the first day of August.
Llyr
God of the sea
Math ap Mathonwy
God of sorcery
Modron
Goddess whose name means "divine mother"
Pwyll
Prince of Dyfed (southwest Wales) who marries the Goddess Rhiannon and has a son Pryderi.
Rhiannon
Believed to be the Welsh counterpart of Gaulish horse goddess Epona. Her son, Pryderi, succeeded his father Pwyll as the ruler of Dyfed and of the otherworld.
DIETIES OF IRELAND
Aine
Goddess of love and fertility, later known as an Irish fairy queen..
Airmid
A healing goddess of the Tuatha de Danann, goddess of medicinal plants and keeper of the spring that brings the dead back to life.
Banbha
One of the trio of goddesses who lent their name to Ireland
Brigit (Bridget, Brighid, Brigindo)
Brigit is the Irish-Celtic goddess of healing and fertility, patroness of smiths, poets and doctors, symbolized by a white swan. She is the daughter of The Dagda, the deity of the Tuatha de Danaan, one of the most ancient people of Northern Europe. Brigit is wife of Bres, king of the gods and Ireland. Her festival is that of the Imbolc, observed on February 1. In Kildare, Ireland, she was served by a female priesthood. Brigit shares attributes with the ancient Greek triple goddess Hecat. The pre-Christian Brigantes, from where her name derives, honored her as identical to Juno, Queen of Heaven. So well loved is Brigit, that she was made into a Christian saint when the Celts turned to Christianity.
Bres
The Irish-Celtic god of fertility and agriculture. He is the son of Elatha, a prince of the Fomorians, and the goddess Eriu.
Bile
Corresponds with Gaul god Belenius.
Boann
Boann is a Goddess of bounty and fertility, whose totem is the sacred white cow. She was the wife of Nechtan, a water deity. The father of her son Angus was Dagda. To hide their union from Nechtan, Boann and the Dagda caused the sun to stand still for nine months, so that Angus was conceived and born on the same day.
Cliodna
Goddess of beauty and the otherworld
Creidhne
God of metalworking; one of the trio of craft-gods of the Tuatha De Danaan
Dagda (Dagde, Dagodevas)
The Irish Celtic God of the Earth and Father God. On New Years Day Dagda mates with his wife the raven Morrigan. His attributes are a bottomless caldron of plenty and a harp with which he rules the seasons. His club can kill as well as restore life. As leader of the Tuatha De Danaan, Dagda is a fearsome warrior and skilled artisan.
Danu
Danu is considered to be the mother of The Dagda, god of the Tuatha de Danaan. She most likely existed in an earlier form as Anu, Universal Mother.
Dian Cecht
God of crafts and healing
Donn
God of the dead; the "dark one"
Eriu
Another of the three goddesses after which Ireland was named
Fomorians (Fomors)
In Irish-Celtic mythology, the Fomorians are a race of demonic giants, the original occupants of Ireland. The Tuatha DÈ Danann, the Irish race of gods, arrived and destroyed the Fomorian hold over Ireland for good in the second battle of Mag Tuireadh. The Fomorians were given the province of Connacht, and were allowed to marry some of the Tuatha DÈ. The king of the Fomorians is the one-eyed Balor.
Fodla
Third of the trinity of goddesses of Ireland
Goibhniu
God of the smith; one of three craft-gods of the Tuatha De Danaan
Luchta
God of wrights; one of the triad of craft-gods of the Tuatha De Danaan
Lugh
This Celtic deity was worshipped during the 30 day midsummer feast in Ireland, where sexual magic ensured ripening of the crops and a prosperous harvest. He is linked with the nature goddess variously named Tailltu, Machta or Rosmerta in Gaul. His animal totems are the raven and the lynx, and he corresponds with the Roman God Mercury.
Macha
Goddess of war and fertility; called "Macha the crow"
Morrigan
Morrigan was the Celtic goddess of war and death who could take the shape of a crow or raven. She is associated with the sometimes frightening aspects of female energy, and is wife to Dagda. As one aspect of the Celtic triple goddess, Morrigan is seen washing bloody laundry prior to battle by those destined to die.
Nechtan
Water-god whose sacred well was a source of knowledge
Nemhain
Goddess of war and battle
Nuada
One of the kings of the Tuatha De Danaan
Oenghus(Angus)
God of youth and love
Ogma
Ogmias is his Gaul counterpart. Sometimes associated with the Greek Herakles, he is a great warrior. Here he is seen carrying his club. He is the champion of eloquence.
Shannon
Irish goddess of the river Shannon.
Sidhe
Ancient Irish hill people believed to be the spirits of the dead.
Tuatha De Danann
The Tuatha De Danann ("People of the goddess Danu") are the Irish race of gods, founded by the goddess Danu. These gods, had perfected the use of magic. From the legends of the Tuatha De Danaans we learn that these were deities of learning, magical skills, arts and crafts. The three things that they revered above all others were: the plough, the hazel and the sun.
DIETIES OF GAUL
Abnoba
Goddess of the hunt, similar to the Roman Diana
Andraste
Goddess of victory
Belenus
God of light, The Shining One, associated with Apollo. Married to Belisama. Belenus was the most widely worshipped Celtic God. Belenus is in charge of welfare of sheep and cattle. Corresponds with Irish God Bile. The Feast of Beltane means 'Fire of Bel'.
Belisama
(corresponds to classical Minerva) Goddess of light and fire, forging and craft.
Borvo
God of healing; his name is associated with the bubbling water of springs
Cernunnos
"The Horned One" is a Celtic god of fertility, life, animals, wealth, and the underworld. He was worshipped all over Gaul, and his cult spread into Britain as well. Cernunnos is depicted with the antlers of a stag, sometimes carries a purse filled with coin. The Horned God is born at the winter solstice, marries the Goddess at Beltane, and dies at the summer solstice. He alternates with the Goddess of the moon in ruling over life and death, continuing the cycle of death, rebirth and reincarnation. Paleolithic cave paintings found in France that depict a stag standing upright or a man dressed in stag costume seem to indicate that Cernunnos' origins date to those times. Romans sometimes portrayed him with three cranes flying above his head.
Damona
Goddess of fertility and healing; her name translates as "divine cow"
Epona
The Goddess of horses, mules, and cavalrymen. She was worshipped throughout entire Gaul, and as far as the Danube and Rome. Her cult was eventually adopted by the Roman army and they spread her worship wherever they went. Epona is depicted sitting side saddle or lying on a horse, or standing with multiple horses around her. Her symbol is the Cornucopia ("horn of plenty") which suggests that she could (originally) have been a fertility goddess. She is also identified with the Celtic goddess Edain.
Esus
God equated with the Roman deities Mars and Mercury
Nantosuelta(Nantosvelta)
Consort of Sucellus, she is possibly a goddess of nature, valleys and streams. Her symbol, the raven, suggests that she may be associated with Irish war-goddess Morrigan.
Ogmios (Sun face)
A hero god, he has gold chains that hang from his tongue attached to the ears of his followers. He is the patron god of scholars and eloquence. It is Ogmios who invented the runic language of the Druids. He is represented as an old man, with a bald head, and dressed in a lion skin. His Irish counterpart is Ogma.
Rosmerta
A Celtic goddess of fertility and wealth, whose cult was widely spread in Gaul. She is the wife of the god Esus, but also of the Gaulish Mercury. Her attributes are a cornucopia and a stick with two snakes; her name signifies "great provider"
Sirona
Goddess of healing
Smertrios
Gallic war deity.
Sucellus
He's the guardian of forests and the patron of agriculture. Often seen with a great hammer and a dog by his side, he ferries the dead to the otherworld. His name means 'good striker'
Taranis
His emblems are the wheel and the lightning flash, and his name means 'Thunderer'. This Gaulish god is sometimes identified with Jupiter.
Teutates
Teutates is an ancient Celtic god of war, fertility and wealth worshipped in Gaul. His name means "the god of the tribe". Human sacrifices were made in his name. Teutates is the equivalent of the Roman god Mars.
DEITIES OF BRITAIN
Belatucadrus
God whose name means "fair shining one"
Cocidius
God associated either with forests and hunting (linked with the Roman god Silvanus), or war (equated with Mars)
Condatis
God who personified the joining of two bodies of water in the Tyne-Tees area of North Britain; also conflated with the Roman god Mars
Coventina
Goddess who personified a holy spring (that was reputed to have healing powers)
Cuda
Mother goddess
Latis
Goddess associated with water (and possibly beer as well)
Matres Domesticae
An aspect of the three mothers, who were considered goddesses of the homeland (Britain)
Mogons
God who was worshipped mainly in North Britain; his name means "great one"
Nodens
God of healing; he is related to the Irish god Nuadu
Sulis
Goddess of healing, she presided over hot springs in Aquae Sulis (modern Bath); often conflated with the Roman goddess Minerva
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