realmagick.com The shrine of knowledge.

Articles on Celtic, Welsh, Irish & Brittish

Aedh

Fire god, Irish A son of Ler. He is a Lord of fire, and may thus be considered as a male aspect of the Brigit. He is one of the children of Ler transformed into a swan by a wicked stepmother, see Conn for fuller details....

Aengus

Unique strength. Irish Son of the Daghda. Associated with birds, particularly songbirds. An accomplished musician, He is considered a God of Beauty and perfection of form....

Aeron

Slaughtering. Welsh. A war-god, a male Aspect of the Irish Morrigan. He is a later-period male counterpart to Agrona, of earlier British belief....

Afagddu

Utter darkness. Welsh. The ill-favoured child of Ceridwen, whose name means "Dark" or "Ugly", for whom the Potion of Knowledge is intended. This Archetype reappears in the Arthurian cycle as a mortal warrior whose unsurpassed ugliness...

Agrona

Slaughtering. British A warrior Goddess, seemingly a version of the Irish Morrigan, in that she is associated with rivers as well. Later this archetype became masculinized among the Cymri as Aeron....

Aife

Pleasant, beautiful. Irish. I. Third wife of Ler, the evil stepmother of Aedh, Conn, Fiachra, and Finnguala, who transforms them into talking swans in a heat of jealous spite (she being childless). Her deed discovered, she herself is transformed into a...

Aine

Brightness, glow, splendour, glory. Irish. A Faery Goddess of love and desire, she is also the tutelary Goddess of Knockany, Munster. In that her name derives from the root for "fire", She may be considered as an aspect of the Brigit....

Ancamna

Gaulish. A Goddess known from inscriptions in the Moselle valley, near Trier. Apparently recognized as a Consort to a divinity identified by the Romans as Mars....

Andarta

Bear. Gaulish. An obscure continental Goddess known from inscriptions in Berne and in the south of France. Apparently a Patroness of the Vocontii tribe, and perhaps a counterpart or Aspect of Artio. She may also have a connection with Andrasta....

Andrasta

British. A warrior Goddess of the Iceni tribe, who accepted sacrifices of hares and, perhaps, humans. She is perhaps best known as the deity invoked by the Iceni warrior-queen Boudicca in her rebellion against Rome. See also, Andarta immediately above, for a...

Angus

Scottish The Scottish version of Aengus, and also a God of youthful vigour and perfection of form. Much of His tale revolves around conflicts with Cailleach Bheur, who attempts to deny Him His consort, Bride....

Arawn

Welsh Lord of Annwn, the underworld and realm of departed spirits. He makes a pact with Pwyll, to exchange places with him for one year, in order that Pwyll might defeat an enemy, King Hafgan. Though Arawn set no conditions upon the exchange, when the pact...

Arduinna

Gaulish An Artemis/Diana-like figure, the tutelary Goddess of the Ardennes Forest region. She seems to be a particular protectress of wild boars, and is imaged as riding upon one at least once. Often conflated with the Roman Diana....

Arecurius

One who stands before the assembly, lawgiver?. British. A Tutelary God of northern Britannia during the Roman occupation....

Arianrhod

Silverwheel. Welsh. The mother of Llew, the tale of how she needed to be guiled into granting him a name and arms is a mainstay of the Mabinogion. She is associated with Night, with the star Polaris, and her hall is said to be the aurora borealis. As her name...

Arianrhod

('Silver Wheel') Major Welsh Goddess. A star goddess. Her palace was called Caer Arianrhod (Aurora Borealis), Goddess of time and karma. Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess in Wales. Goddess of beauty, the Moon, fertility and reincarnation. Mother of Llew...

Artio

She-bear. Gaulish. A Goddess of Bears, a protector and nurturer of ursine virtues. Closely associated with the Helvetican city of Berne. See also, Andarta....

Badb

Raven. Irish. One of the three Valkyrie-aspects of the Morrigan....

Banbha

Pig, sow. Irish. One of the triplicity of Goddesses who are patronesses of all Ireland (for whom, see Eriu and Fotla). Her Name derives from the same root as "sow", or "pig"....

Banghaisghidheach

White. Irish. Chief of the cats of Kilkenny....

Banshee

(Bean Sidhe , 'Woman Fairy') Irish. Attached to old Irish families ('the O's and the Mac's'), she can be heard keening sorrowfully near the house when a member of the family is about to die. Still very much believed in, and heard....

Belatucadros

Shining one, bright. British. Apparently an early version of Bran the Blessed, and clearly cognate with Beli. He was honoured by common soldiers in the north of Britain during the Roman occupation....

Belenus

Bright. Gaulish The continental version of Beli, conflated by classical authors with Apollo....

Beli

Bright. Welsh Brother, or perhaps precursor, of Bran the Blessed, and reputed to be father of all the Gods in some cycles. Quite possibly a solar deity in early times....

Bendigeidfran

Welsh. The Cymric equivalent of Bran....

Blodeuedd

Flowerface. Welsh A woman created by Math out of flowers (those of Oak, Broom, and Meadowsweet) to be a wife to Llew Llaw Gyffes. The match proved unfortunate as she encompassed his death through infatuation with another. For this, she was cursed by Gwydion...

Boand

She of the white cattle. Irish. Wife of Nechtain, and mother by the Daghda of Aengus Og. She is associated with the river Boyne....

Bodb Dearg

Bodb the red. Irish A daughter of the Daghda, and the tutelary God over southern Connacht and part of Munster....

Boudicca

Victory. Irish/British A female personification of Victory, especially in a martial sense. A very appropriate personification of her is seen in the historical Boadicca, Queen of the Iceni, who fought the Romans to a standstill in the first century CE....

Bran

Raven, crow. Irish. A master of the Isle of Britain, he is a cauldron-God, associated with a cauldron of regeneration which would revive the slain while leaving them voiceless. His cauldron destroyed, and he mortally wounded in a war to rescue his sister...

Branwen

White raven, white crow. Welsh In the Mabinogion, She is a central figure in being wed to the High King of Ireland and thereby encompassing the doom of both the Irish and Britons, when her brother Bran invades Ireland to rescue her from the degradation she...

Brianan

Scottish A very obscure figure, apparently a Divinity whose Name is used in oaths and exclamations, often as an invoking force with which to hurl fortune (sometimes good, but more usually bad) toward another....

Bride

Scottish Consort of Angus, a Scottish variant on Brigit....

Brigid - The Goddess of Imbolc and Celtic Europe

Celtic Myth | Ireland | Britain | Christianity | A Myth The Pagan goddess Brigid is perhaps one of the oldest goddesses of Celtic Europe still recognized and worshipped. In fact, until the mid-twentieth century in Scotland, she was still welcomed in at Imbolc...

Brigit

Exalted one. Irish and British. A triplicity of Goddesses associated with Fire and smithcraft, with poetry, and with motherhood and childbirth. As an individual, she is a daughter of the Daghda. In pre-Roman Britain, she was the tutelary Goddess of the...

Cailleach Beara

Crone of Beare. Irish A giantess associated with mountains. She holds in her apron huge boulders with which to add to mountainous realms. She is a Tutelary to southwest Munster. She also appears in tales describing a knight being importuned by an old hag for...

Cailleach Bheur

Genteel crone. Scottish A giantess associated with Winter. She is said to be blue in color, and a peculiarity of hers is that she emerges on Samhain as a ancient hag, gradually ages in reverse, and disappears at Beltain as a young and beautiful maiden....

Celtic Gods and Heroes: The Gods of Ancient Ireland

Celtic peoples established themselves in Ireland about 2,500 years ago. But humans had inhabited the island long before that, as evidenced by the monument site at Newgrange dating to 3000 B.C., as well as the prehistoric megaliths at Carrowmore in Sligo, and...

Celtic Gods and Heros: Celtic Gods of Mainland Europe

Speakers of Celtic languages once dominated a swath of Europe stretching from Spain to areas of modern-day Turkey. At various times in their heyday from 500 to 100 B.C., these Celtic peoples controlled what is now France, southern Germany, northern Italy,...

Celtic Gods and Heros: Introduction to Celtic Mythology

Youngsters of school age almost effortlessly learn about the gods and heroes of Greek and Roman mythology. Names like Zeus, Hercules, Diana, Ulysses, Mercury, Venus, and others become widely familiar. Paintings, popular movies, and books trace their stories...

Cernunnos

Horned one. Gaulish The horned God associated with the Wild Hunt. A lord of the natural world, of animal and vegetive strength. See also, Gwynn and Herne....

Cernunnos

(Also Known as Hu'Gadarn, Herne, The Horned One) Celtic God of Nature, The Wild Man of the Woods, Animal Instinct, The Hunt. Known to all Celts as the "Horned God ". God of nature, virility, fertility, animals, sex, reincarnation and shamanism....

Cerridwen

White. Welsh A cauldron-Goddess associated with the brewing of a potion of Knowledge which she created for the benefit of her child, Afagddu. When the boy Gwion inadvertently tastes the brew instead, she pursues him in a transformation hunt which is a thinly...

Cerridwen

Welsh Mother, Moon and Grain Goddess, Goddess of Nature, wife of Tegid and mother of Creirwy (the most beautiful girl in the world) and Avagdu (the ugliest boy). Owner of an inexhaustible cauldron called Amen, in which she made a magic draught called 'greal' (...

Cliona of the Fair Hair

Irish. South Munster Goddess of great beauty, daughter of Gebann the Druid, of the Tuatha De Danaan. Connected with the O'Keefe family....

Conn

Wolf?, Hound? Irish. A son of Ler, and twin brother of Fiachra. He, his twin, and two other siblings (Aedh and Finnguala) are transformed into swans who can speak and sing by a jealous and spiteful stepmother, Aife. They spend many centuries in this form, and...

Crearwy

Light, beautiful. Welsh. The favoured child of Cerridwen, sibling to Afagddu....

Credne

(craftsman). Irish. One of a triplicity of Smithy-Gods. He is an artisan of worked metal, usually bronze, brass, or gold. The others are Goibhniu and Luchta....

Cruacha

Irish. An obscure figure, maidservant to Etain....

Cymidei Cymeinfoll

Welsh. A War-Hag, said to give birth every six weeks to a fully armed warrior. Wife to Llasar, keeper of the Cauldron of regeneration....

Daghda, The

(lord of skill). Irish. An important figure associated with a sacred well, and water in general. Also a fertility God. Various names and epithets (Eochaid Ollathair, all-father; Ruadh Rofhessa, master of knowledge; Deirgderc, redeye, the sun) of his seem to...

Damona

Continental Celtic cow or sheep goddess....

Dana, Danu

The major Irish Mother Goddess, who gave her name to the Tuatha De Danann ('Peoples of the Goddess Dana'), the last but one occupiers of Ireland in the mytholigical cycle....

Danu

Irish, Celtic, and general Aryan. A river Goddess whose name appears across the face of Europe, the tutelary deity of many nations and places (cf. Don River, Danube River, Denmark, etc.). In the isles, she was the Mistress of the Tuatha De Danaan, the race of...

Dioncecht

(swift ...). Irish. God closely associated with healing and mending of physical ills....

Don

Welsh. The Cymric equivalent of Danu. There seems to have been some conflation between Don and St. Anne within Mediaeval times....

Donn

(lord, master). Irish A God of the underworld, and of the dead. Associated territorially with western Munster. The Romans recognized him as an aspect of their own Dis Pater. Expectedly enough from his attributes, He is a silent and solitary figure, unusual...

Efnisien

(unpeaceful). Welsh Maternal half-brother to Bendigeidfran (Bran) and full brother to Nisien. Quarrelsome and a natural antagonist, he is said to be able to cause strife between two brothers when they were most loving. He it is that is responsible for the...

Eochaid

(horse-rider). Irish. A very early Aspect of the Daghda, A solar deity associated with lightning. Usually spoken of as one-eyed, and often refered to by an epithet of Daghda's, Deirgderc, redeye, the sun....

Epona

(divine horse). Gaulish. Female associated with sovereignty and rulership. Aspect is as a horse, which are sacred to her....

Erin

Irish. One of the Three Queens of the Tuatha De Danann, daughters of the Dagda, who asked that Ireland be named after them....

Eriu

Irish. One of the triplicity of Goddesses who are patronesses of all Ireland (for whom, see Banbha and Fotla). She it was whose name was applied to all Ireland....

Esus

Gaulish/Continental. A divinity revered before and during the Roman occupation of Gaul, most of our information about him comes from the Roman author Lucan, who speaks of dark and savage human sacrifices to this woodland God. Although a number of altars and...

Etain

. Irish. Wife of Mider. By Eochaid, the mother of Liban. She has associations with horses, and may be a later period aspect of an early sun goddess....

Etan

Irish. Sometimes confused with Etain, above. The daughter of Dioncecht and the wife of Oghma; she is considered a Patroness of craftsmanship and artisans....

Fand

(tear; but also Fann, weak or helpless person). Irish. Wife of Manannan and a lover of Cuchullain. Her name apparently derives from the same Aryan root that produces "Venus"....

Fiachra

Irish. A son of Ler, and twin brother of Conn, which see for a fuller telling of their tale....

Finnguala

Irish A daughter of Ler, sister to Aedh, Conn, and Fiachra and, like them, a victim of Aife....

Flidais

(... deer). Irish. A Celtic Artemis; a huntress figure associated with archery, the sanctity of forests and the wildlife therein, and the chase. Unlike Artemis, however, Her lustiness and sexual appetite is legendary....

Fotla

(under-Earth). Irish. One of the triplicity of Goddesses who are patronesses of All Ireland. The others are Banbha and Eriu....

Gilfaethwy

(servant of ... ). Welsh. The brother of Gwydion, his doom is encompassed by his uncontrolled lust for Goewin....

Gods of Ancient Wales and the Celtic Britons

A common temptation is to think that civilization reached Great Britain through the vehicle of Roman occupation. But Celtic civilization existed in Britain centuries before the Latins' arrival, and before the Celts, societies existed in Britain sophisticated...

Goewin

Welsh. The footmaiden of Math, and the object of Gilfaethwy's uncontrolled desires....

Goibhniu

(smith). Irish. A God of smithcraft, one of a trio (see also Credne and Luchta ). Aside from his craftsmanship, he is known as the provider of the Fled Goibnenn, a Sacred Feast. Associated, among other things, with brewcrafting, he is said to have formulated...

Gwydion

Welsh. The Cymric equivalent of Goibhniu. In Welsh sources his hall is the Milky Way; he was a magician of high repute, and the tutor and mentor of Llew....

Gwydion

Welsh druid of the mainland gods; wizard and bard of North Wales. Prince of the Powers of Air; a shape-shifter. His symbol was a white horse. Greatest of the enchanters; warrior-magician. Illusion, changes, magick, the sky, healing....

Gwydion and the Battle of the Trees

One of the common themes in Welsh mythology involves raids into the Underworld. This nether land realm is called by different sources Annwn, Achren, Caer Sidi, or by modern English references: Hades or the Otherworld. The images of the Welsh Underworld were...

Gwynn ap Nudd

The Master of the Wild Hunt, the Welsh Guardian of the Dark Portals of the Underworld. He rode the Night in a flowing grey cloak upon a pale horse following his Hounds called Cwn Annwn (very large, white with red tipped ears). They would seek out and collect...

Gwynn ap Nudd

(Southern) Welsh. A Cthonic divinity, leader of the Wild Hunt, in chase of the White Stag. Closely parallelling the Gaulish Cernunnos and British Herne, he also has affiliations with the northern Welsh Arawn....

Hafgan

Welsh. A lord in Annwyn, and a mortal enemy of Arawn, he may only be slain if struck a single killing blow; to strike a mercy-blow to his mortally wounded body would be to revive him again. This is accomplished by Pwyll when he comes to Arawn's aid, as...

Hafren

Welsh. Another river Goddess, she is the tutulary of the River Severn....

Herne the Hunter

The late British equivalent of Cernunnos, the horned God of the Wild Hunt (which see, above). He has a particular association in literature, at least, with Windsor Forest. Note also the South Welsh Gwynn....

Ilbrech

Irish. A son of Manannan, he rules over a section of County Donegal....

King Arthur

Based on a historical Welsh warlord of the first quarter of the 6th century CE, indirect evidence points toward a Lord of Britain circa 496-537 CE as the basis for the legend. King Arthur is certainly the best-known and most revered figure in British folklore....

King Arthur and the Cymry Heroes

The Celtic Britons called themselves the Cymry, which meant "fellow countrymen" in their Celtic tongue. Once Roman rule ended in Britain in about 410 A.D., a power vacuum developed, leading to the onslaught of Germanic invasions by Angles and Saxons,...

Ler

Irish. A God of the sea. Father of Bran, Fiachra, Aedh, Manannan, and numerous others....

Liban

Irish. A water-spirit, the daughter of Eochaid, by Etain....

Llasar Llaes Gyfnewid

Welsh. The husband of Cymidei, and bearer of the Cauldron later taken by Bran....

Llew Llaw Gyffes

(bright one of the steady hand). Welsh. The Cymric equivalent of Lugh. In the Mabinogion, he is portrayed as a youth who struggles against a series of malign geases cast by his mother, Arianrhod, and is assisted by Gwydion. He is later severely injured out of...

Llyr

Welsh. The Cymric equivalent of Ler....

Luchta

Irish. One of a triplicity of Smithy-Gods, his aspect is that of the wright, a mechanic and artificer. The others are Credne and Goibhniu....

Luchtigern

(mouse-lord). Irish. Chief of the mice of Kilkenny, slain by Banghaisghidheach....

Lugh

(light, brightness). Irish. Considered the chief Lord of the Tuatha De Danaan, the Celtic Zeus. His archetype appears to derive from an early solar deity, and he has many epithets and sobriquets, among which: Lamhfhada, Long-arm, refering to his skill with...

Mabon ap Modron

(son, youth). Welsh. The God associated with youthfulness, he is sometimes conflated with Pryderi. His full name is "Mabon Ap Modron", which simply means "Son, son of Mother"....

Macha

(field, plain). Irish. One of the three Valkyrie-aspects of the Morrigan....

Manannan

(he of the [Irish] sea). Irish. A child of Ler, and the principal sea-God; his name seems to derive from an earlier form of the Isle of Man. He possesses among other things, the fabulous Crane-Bag, holder of all his treasures, including Language. As with many...

Manawydan

Welsh. The Cymric equivalent to Manannan....

Maponus

British. Lord of poetry and music; revered during the Roman occupation of Britain....

Math

Welsh. Uncle to Llew. Tutelary to Gwynedd, in North Wales. He is considered the premier sage of Britain: old beyond reckoning, most skilled in Magick, and knowledgeable beyond measure. It was said that he could hear anything spoken that was uttered in the...

Mathonwy

Welsh. Father to Math....

Merlin

The tutor and companion of Arthur in his earlier years, Merlin the Magician is nearly as well known as his protege, whose life he parallels in many instances. He is also said to have been conceived in infamous circumstances, and he too falls ultimately to...

Mider

(central one). Irish. His Name derives from the root for "middle", and implies judgement or negotiation. Among the Tuatha De Danaan, he is a chieftain, and known for his stinginess and misplaced pride....

Modron

(mother). Welsh, British, and Gaulish. Often conflated with the Roman Matrona, she is the Tutelary of the Marne in Gaul. In Britain, she appears as a washerwoman, and thus there would seem to be a connection with the the Morrigan....

Morgan le Fay

The final incarnation of the Irish valkyrie Morrigan, Morgan plays a critical but ambiguous role in the Arthurian cycle. Portrayed as a mortal female deeply learned in Magick and a close relative of Arthur's (maternal half-sister), she is always at odds with...

Morrigan, The

(great queen). Irish. A triplicity of Valkyries (see Badb, Macha, and Nemain ), exalting in battle frenzy, chaos, and the gore of slaughter. She/they have a particular role in being the Choosers of the Slain; selecting, severing from the body, and guiding to...

Morrighan (the), Morrigan, Morrigu

("Great Queen", "Specter Queen", "Supreme War Goddess" or "Queen of Phantoms or Demons") Irish/Celtic. The Dark aspect of the Celtic Triple Goddess. Crone aspect of the Goddess. Great Mother. Moon Goddess. Great White...

Mother Of The Gods And The Father Of The Gael

There is no surviving, or as yet translated, Creation story within Irish mythology. We learn from the Lebor Gabala Erenn, a text from the Christian Middle Ages, of the Tuatha De Danann, or "People of the Goddess Danu", who came to Ireland either...

Nechtain

(?, but cf. the Latin "Neptune"). Irish. Another water-spirit, He is associated with a sacred Well within which live the Salmon of Knowledge. He is closely associated with the Daghda, and has been conflated with him....

Nehalennia

(steerswoman). Gallo-Belgic. Primarily associated with protection of travelers over the sea. Her known temple locations are always on the coast, and surviving inscriptions often praise her for successfully completed voyages, or implore her for similar...

Nemain

(frenzy). Irish. One of the three Valkyrie-aspects of the the Morrigan....

Nemetona

(she of the sacred grove). Gaulish. A Continental Deity revered during Roman times; her name may be cognate with the Irish Valkyrie Nemain, and in fact the Romans seem to have regarded her as having some connection with Mars....

Nisien

(peaceful). Welsh. Maternal half-brother to Bendigeidfran (Bran) and full brother to Efnisien. Well-favored, he was a natural diplomat of whom it was said that he could make a peace between two embattled armies at the height of their fury. He spent much of...

Noudens

Gaulish. A derivation from Nuada, and as such revered during Roman times. This name has the somewhat unenviable distinction of being borrowed by H. P. Lovecraft to play a bit part in his famous Cthulhu Cycle....

Nuada

(cloud maker or catcher). Irish. A warrior God, He was twice king over the Tuatha De Danaan. He lost his office when his arm was severed in combat with the Fomorians; as Kings must be physical whole, he could not resume his kingship until Dioncecht fashioned...

Nudd

Welsh. Another form of Nuada....

Oghma

Irish. A child of the Daghda, a warrior God who is closely connected to knowledge, magick, and eloquence. He is the inventor of Ogham script, the Celtic variety of runes; and note well, he is said to have designed the letters as a way of encoding knowledge---t...

Ogmios

Gaulish. The continental equivalent of Oghma, portrayed as a bald old man leading a contented group of followers by chains attached to their ears....

Parsifal -- The Search for The Holy Grail

(This is a long and rich tale, which really merits a much more thorough analysis. I hope to return to that another time. Here I have only related the most essential parts:) Parsifal grew up in the woods with his mother who was a widow. One day he saw a group...

Pryderi

(care, thought). Welsh. The son of Pwyll, whom he succeeds in his lands. He is stolen away as a newborn infant by a nameless Fiend who, on a horse-thieving expedition, drops him once more into the world when it is struck a blow by the guardian of the horses....

Puck

Also known as Robin Goodfellow. He is a mischieveous imp who delights in pranks and hazings. Boastful and immature, at his best he resembles a kind of Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn figure, if you can imagine those two endowed with supernatural powers. His name is an...

Pwyll

(wisdom, prudence). Welsh. Lord of Arberth. Father of Pryderi, Husband of Rhiannon, trusted associate of Arawn as related in the first book of the Mabinogi....

Rhiannon

("Great, or Divine, Queen") Welsh fertility, enchantments and Otherworld Goddess. Goddess of birds and horses. Her name means "Great High Queen", and she rode a beautiful white mare, which symbolized power and rulership. Birds which...

Rhiannon

Welsh. Wife of Pwyll, mother of Pryderi. Unjustly accused of destroying Her newborn son (who had been kidnapped by a nameless Fiend; see above), She is compelled to take on the role of a horse, until Her son is unexpectedly returned to her. She is considered...

Scathach

("The Shadowy One" or "She Who Strikes Fear") Sgathach or Skadi. Irish/Scottish. Warrior woman and prophetess. The Goddess of martial arts. The destroyer aspect of the Dark Goddess. A great sword warrior and instructor. Patroness of...

Scathach

(Shadowed) Irish/Scottish. "Lady of Shadows", or, "of the Shadowy Isle". She is a warrior, with additional associations in smithcraft and oracular wisdom. She dwells in Albannach (Scotland), on (most tales agree) the Isle of Skye (Scaith),...

Sequanna

Gaulish. Patron Goddess of the River Seine....

Shapeshifting in Celtic Myth

The theme of shapeshifting is found in Celtic myth regardless of the specific country one invesigates. Thoughout my studies of Celtic lore I have found that there were very specific reasons or circumstances for shapeshifting. These reasons fall into at least...

Silvanus

A woodland spirit associated with parks, villas, and fields, and at an earlier date associated with the forest beyond the settlements, the wildwood. He is a Roman Deity, but so closely did He resonate with Celtic notions that He is often combined with other...

Sinann

Irish. Patron Goddess of the River Shannon....

Sirona

(divine star). Gaulish. A Continental divinity of healing and fertility....

Tailltiu

Irish. Tutulary Goddess of the Telltown region of Ulster....

Tailtiu

Irish. Foster-mother of Lugh, who instituted the Tailtean Games, central event of the Festival of Lughnasadh (Lammas) (1 August), in her memory....

Taliesin

(radiant-brow). Welsh. A semi-mythical figure whose life has become deeply intertwined with the Divinities of the Celts. He apparently lived in the 6th century CE, and was regarded as the premier bard, or poet of his or any other time. A book of his work...

Taran

(thunder). Welsh/Continental. A war god who may very well be the source of the image I describe as the God of the Wheel....

The Fisher King

A confused but powerful set of tales coalesce in the Arthurian mythos to create this figure. Stripped of all the divergent threads and inconsistencies, the essence of the story seems to be that of a Guardian of a sacred treasure (the Grail, in the Arthurian...

The Four Grieving Queens

These are the Ladies who attended Arthur after his final battle, when he lay mortally wounded, and they are the ones who carried him off to Avalon. Two are mentioned below, Morgan Le Fay as chief amongst them, and Nimue, a Lady of the Lake. The other two are...

The God of the Hammer

Gaulish/Continental. This is a figure of which a number of images and icons survive. He is invariably represented as a bearded male of pleasant and friendly aspect. He always bears a large, usually long-handled maul. Almost always, he also carries a cup or...

The God of the Wheel

Gaulish/Continental. This figure is nearly always represented as a fierce-appearing, nude male. He bears in striking position a thunderbolt, and he very often has an armlet from which are attached more bolts. He invariably holds in his left hand, or at least...

The Goddess Epona

Lately, it seems that Epona is coming back into Her own with the growing popularity of the internet. Most people identify with Her through Her connection with horses - She is the protector of them, after all - but most people don't seem to be aware of all Her...

The Green Man

One of the most ancient figures in European tradition, pre-dating perhaps even the Aryan invasions. He seems to be a God of vegetative strength, a masculine figure of fertility and life-energy. He is usually imaged as a large or giant male, clad entirely, or...

The Horned God in India and Europe

Of all of the Gods that we honor in Paganism today probably the most revered is the Horned God, in the shape and form of Cernunnos. Pick up some modern Pagan literature and chances are he is in there, listen to conversation at a Moot and you will hear him...

The Lady of the Lake

This is simply a conflation of all the multitudinous lake, river, and water spirits so prevalent in Celtic mythology. Nevertheless, common threads do appear; one of the best documented is that of relic-guardian, holder of the sacred sword Excalibur, who gives...

The Mabinogion

Welsh mythological prose finds its most enchanting breath in the Mabinogion, a collection of stories about the gods and goddesses of the Celtic Britons. More formally the work is known as the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. Although the full set of tales...

The Story of Brân the Blessed

Brân was a Welsh god of the underworld whose eminence is most often associated with his the "Wonderful Head." Though he could present himself as a principal of battle, Brân was also a patron on bards, minstrels, and musicians. He was huge, colossal....

The Story of Ceridwen

Beneath Lake Bala lived the goddess Ceridwen and her husband Tegid the Bald. They had a beautiful daughter and three sons, one of whom was viewed as ill-favored and repulsive. His name was Avagddu. Ceridwen very much wanted to find some consolation for her...

The Twilight of the Celtic Gods

The Milesians, according to myth, were the first Celts to settle in Ireland. This group was named after the eight sons of Mil (some texts say King Milesius); these Gaelic peoples, the myths report, came to Ireland from Spain. Ironically, the first phase of...

Tuireann

Irish. Son of Oghma and Etan, Husband to the Brigit....

Uathach

(Spectral). Irish/Scottish. Daughter of Scathach and, like Her, a lover of CuChulainn....

Weyland the Smith

Not British as such, he was imported by the Anglo-Saxons from the continent. He is known in Teutonic sources, Frankish sources, and in Scandinavia, where he is called Volund. The gist of his tale is that he loved a swan-maiden who lived with him for seven...

Celtic, Welsh, Irish & Brittish is described in multiple online sources, as addition to our editors' articles, see section below for printable documents, books and related discussion.

Suggested Pdf Resources

Suggested News Resources

Suggested Web Resources

Great care has been taken to prepare the information on this page. Elements of the content come from factual and lexical knowledge databases, realmagick.com library and third-party sources. We appreciate your suggestions and comments on further improvements of the site.