The Faeries: Celtic Gods and Goddesses

© 2005 Britt Nesheim

The faeries, not to be confused with flower fairies, are the decedents of the goddess Danu, and are the
ancestors of the Celts. In Celtic countries they are also called the Shining Ones, the Fair Family or the People
of Peace. The gods and goddesses of Danu were lordly, bright, and ageless or immortal. Born into a world of
divine order and beauty, they have always lived according to the patterns of harmony and peace intended for
creation. They possessed many supernatural powers and are akin to the gods and goddesses of Atlantis,
Greece, Rome and the elves of J.R.R. Tolkien. At one time gods and goddesses lived side by side with
humans in the etheric plane. Civilisation reached a crossroads and humans stepped down their vibration to
reside on the physical plane.

Gods and goddesses are evolutionary cousins to humans. Humans possess many of the aspirations, ideals
and struggles of gods and goddesses and gods and goddesses appear physically human.  

The gods and goddesses of Danu are known as the Tuatha De' Danann. Tuatha means tribe, De' means god,
and Danann refers to the goddess of the Danube river, Danu, mother goddess of the Celts, a.k.a. Dana and
Ana in old Irish and Don in Welsh. Danu was the original mother, the divine waters of creation. The Tuatha De'
Danann were known as gods and goddesses of light and goodness. It was their responsibility to create order
out of chaos.

After the Tuatha De' Danann, lost a battle against the mortal Milesians, ancestors of the Irish, for possession
of the land known today as Ireland, the chief druid of the Milesians, Amairgin, struck a deal with the Tuatha de'
Danann and proposed that the land be divided such that Milesians lived above the earth and the gods and
goddesses of Danu lived beneath the earth. The gods and goddesses of Danu agreed and retreated to live
beneath the earth in the mounds or sidhe'. The sidhe' are part of the UnderRealm where the gods and
goddesses of Danu built their faery palaces.

The following deities are decedents of Danu and play a primary role in Celtic mythology. Characteristics of the
god and goddesses which repeat themselves are wisdom, magical craft, healing, seership, sovereignty,
championship, magical music, and fertility. A you grow and develop spiritually you may master some of the
skills of the gods and goddess. You may learn how to spiritually heal. You may study spiritual wisdom for
yourself or teach it others. You may learn how to transform things for the better, and to create new life forms
that are beneficial. You may develop the ability to perform readings. You may be responsible for governing
people as a parent, teacher, manager or leader. You may learn to use your strength and power for beneficial
purposes. You may charm people with your personality or voice. You may learn how to work with Mother
Nature to create new life.

Even though the stories of the gods and goddesses seem terrifying and morbid to us, the gods and
goddesses are beings of light and were responsible for sustaining life and creating order and peace out of
chaos. Many of the stories about the gods and godesses involve battle. Whether or not the stories are literal,
you can think of these battles as stuggles between the order of the heavenly world and the chaos of the
mortals.

As you will see, the female goddesses embodied aspects of the Mother Goddess.

Dagda, father of the children of Danu, whose name means the good god, was the king of the Tuatha De'
Danann, keeper of the cauldron of plenty. He wielded a club which could kill and restore life. The Dagda also
owned a magical harp named Uaithane which he used to cast spells. The Dagda created three types of
magical harp music: sleep music, laughter music, and weeping music. Celtic harp music has its roots in faery
harp music.

Brigid, a.k.a. Brigit, Brighit, Brid, Briid, mother of the children of Danu, daughter of the Dagda, whose name
means exalted one, was a fire goddess, triple goddess of three supernatural arts: poetry, healing and craft.
Poetry was an art full of wisdom in ancient times. Smithing, the equivalent of craft, was believed to be magical.
With the rise of Christianity she became Saint Brigit, a.k.a. Brighid, Bride.

Aine, daughter of the Dagda, whose name means brightness, was a faery queen. Based on the meaning of
her name, she may have been a goddess of the sun. Gods and goddesses often personified a core spiritual
quality which the Celts needed to survive or celebrated. Most goddesses represented an aspect of the Mother
Goddess, worshiped by ancient civilisations before the onset of male-oriented religion. Aine was a patroness
of love and fertility. The Celts associated fertility with abundance and prosperity. Myths about Aine tell that she
mated with many humans creating a magical race of human faeries.

Mo'rri'gain, whose name means phantom queen, was a goddess of war fury and sovereignty. Mo'rri'gain
should not be confused with Morgan Le Fay, priestess of Avalon of the Arthurian legends. Mo'rri'gain formed a
triplicity known as Mo'rri'gna which included the goddesses Macha, Badb, and Neiman. These goddesses used
their supernatural powers to create clouds of darkness and showers of fire and blood in battle against
enemies. Mo'rri'gain is a primary character in the Cath Maige Tuired (Battle of Mag Tuired) against the
Fomorians, deities of the ocean, children of Llyr which means sea, and the Ta'in Bo' Cuailnge (Cattle Raid of
Cooley) as patron of Connacht, about which the Ta'in is written.

Sovereignty goddesses represented an aspect of the land and its fertility. To ensure the prosperity of a tribe,
the king had to ritually mate with the sovereignty goddess before he could be inaugurated. Through a ritual
ceremony fertility goddesses bestowed on kings the right to rule. In myth, sovereignty goddesses often test
warriors to see if they are fit to be king by appearing as a hag and asking for a kiss. Promiscuity was a symbol
of the fruitful earth, the Mother Goddess.

Epona of Gaul, whose name means divine horse goddesses, is a sovereignty goddesses connected to a white
or grey mare. She is often shown riding horseback, side-saddle, accompanied by a bird, dog and a foul, all
three of which were magical. In the Christian era, she was known as Rhiannon, a Welsh goddess. Rhiannon is
depicted riding a horse surrounded by magical birds that sang magical healing songs. She is a main character
in the Pwyll and Manawydan, branches of the Mabinogi.

Horses were revered by Celts for their speed, elegance and sexual vigor. They were symbols of prestige.
Gods and goddesses of the faery race are often depicted riding a horse to and from the UnderRealm, a
symbol of a spiritual journey. The horse was considered sacred and its sacrifice extremely important. Horses
were so valued that Celts adorned their horses. Sometimes the sovereignty ceremony involved a horse
instead of a goddesses, but instead of mating, the king ate horse flesh and bathed in its blood. (Yuck.)

Lug La'mfhota, a.k.a. Lugh and Lleu in Welsh, whose name means bright one and long handed, was a
champion, king and a god of arts and crafts. The original meaning of king was one who reached out their hand
to protect your people. It also means to guide, direct, govern and rule. Lugh was the chief of the Tuatha De'
Danann. He is the central hero of the Mythological Cycle of Irish literature. Many stories tell of his ability to hurl
a weapon long distances or to use a sling. His association with craft also means he was a seer. Because of the
meaning of his name, he may originally have been a sun god. Portrayed as eternally youthful, handsome, and
athletic, he had a dramatic personality. In one story he claims to be a builder, smith, champion, harper, warrior,
poetry, historian, magician, physician, cup-bearer, asks if the Tuatha De' Danann have one man who
possesses all of these skills. They do not and allow him to enter the court. Upon succeeding the king, Lugh
leads the Tuatha De' Danann into victorious battle against the Fomorians.

Goibniu, smith of the Tuatha De' Danann, one of three gods of craft called the na tri' dee da'na. The other two
were Luchta, the carpenter, and Credna, the worker in bronze. All three were commissioned to make weapons
to battle the Fomorians written about in the Cath Maige Tuired (The Battle of Mag Tuired). Smithcraft to the
Celts was sacred because the smiths worked with fire and ores. Smiths could heal and foretell the future as
well as craft, an art of transformation. The weapons of the three gods of craft had magical properties and were
very powerful. Lugh used one of Goibniu's spears to overcome the Fomorians by piercing their leader, Balor,
in his evil eye. Goibniu used his healing powers to create ales that healed people of sickness and make them
immortal.

Angus O'g, whose name means true vigor, a.k.a. Mac O'g or Oenghus, the young son, was the god of youth,
vigor, love, poetry and music. The Dagda raised him in the palace of the faery king Midir where Angus O'g
became a champion hurley player. Angus O'g appears in many stories about love, usually bestowing romantic
love onto others. In a myth called the Dream of Angus, Angus O'g pines after a beautiful woman. When she
disappears from his dream, he goes out in search of her. He discovers that she is Ca'er Ibormeith (Yew Berry).
When the lovers are joined they pair off as swans chanting music so beautiful that anyone who heard it could
not sleep for three days and three nights. Angus O'g wore a cloak or rainbow colors and played a harp. Four
birds circling above his head that bestowed romantic love.

Donn was the god of the dead, god of the UnderRealm. He was a loner and preferred to spend time away from
the other deities. The dead live with him in his house, Tech Duinn, a rocky islet near Dursey Island at the
western end of the Beare peninsula. When people died, the Celts believed they traveled to Tech Duinn and
remained there.       .

References

Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, James Mackillop
The Celts: A History, Peter Berresford Ellis
Kindling the Celtic Spirit, Mara Freeman
Queen of the Night: Rediscovering the Celtic Moon Goddess, Sharynne MacLeaod NicMhacha
Avalon I: Roots of the Tree, Course Materials, Mara Freeman
Faery Castle
Artist Wendy Andrew
www.paintingdreams.co.uk
Brigid
Pamela Matthews
http://pamelamatthews.com/catalog
/index.php?cPath=31
Epona,
Artist Wendy Andrew
www.paintingdreams.co.uk
Jonathon Earl Bowser
http://www.jonathonart.com/
Inspired by Angels

    Britt Nesheim
Judy Mastrangelo
I Give You Star Dreams
www.themysticalvisions.com