Celtic Deities Organized by Name Origins Irish
Welsh
Aine of Knockaine – f. (Awn-­‐yah) fairy queen; Amaethon – m. agriculture, husbandry, luck love and fertility; moon, crops, farm, cattle, body’s life force; woman of Leanan Sidhe (Sweetheart of the Sidhe); Sometimes a Morrigan aspect Gaulish/Britania/Roman
Abellio – m. god of apple trees Airmid – f. of the Tuathe De Denann; healing, Arawn – m. underworld, terror, revenge, war Andraste – f. moon, divination, rabbit magic medicinal plants, regeneration Angus Og – m. youth, love, beauty Arianrhod – f. “The Silver Wheel”, High Fruitful Mother; air, reincarnation, full moons, time, karma, retribution, carried dead in ship called Oar Wheel to Emania (Moon-­‐land) Artio – f. wildlife and bears, protector and nurturer of ursine virtues Anu – f. moon, magic, air, fertility, prosperity, plenty; Maiden aspect of Morrigan Blodeuwedd – f. turned into an owl for adultery; wisdom, lunar mysteries, initiations, growth (garden and children), Ninefold Goddess of the Western Isle of Paradise and Flower Face; Maiden form of triple goddess Bel/Belenus – m. fire and sun, crops, success, purification, science, fertility, health Aoibhell – f. woman of the Sidhe; golden harp of death Cerridwen – f. moon, grain, nature, luck, earth, death, reincarnation, fertility, inspiration, the arts, science, poetry, zodiac; brewed potion of knowledge down to three drops – past, present and future; similar to the Morrigan Creiddylad – f. flowers, love, daughter of sea god Lir; aka the May Queen Cernunnos – m. horned/antlered god; virility, fertility, life, animals, forest, underworld, aka Hearne the Hunter or Gwen Ap Nudd, “Lord of Wild Things”; earth, love, dark half of year, “Dark Lord”, leads the hunt at Samhain Babd – f. (pronounced Bav) war, life, enlightenment, wisdom, inspiration, “boiling”, “Battle Raven” and “Scald-­‐Crow”; Mother or Crone aspect of Morrigan; collects the heads/souls of the dead in from battlefields Balor – m. evil eye, King of the Fomorians Dewi – m. Red Dragon God Dis Pater – m. originally of death and underworld, eventually the chief of gods, ancestor of all Gauls Boann – f. rivers, fertility, healing; mother of Angus Og with Dagda Don – f. Queen of Heavens and Goddess of Air and Sea (Danu); Ruled over land of dead; control of elements; moon Epona – f. sovereignty and rulership, horses, healing spring, prosperity and mountains; Divine Horse/Great Mare; horses and dogs Brighid – f. (Brie-­‐yit); fire, poetry, forge; motherhood and childbirth; triple goddess (three voices); fierce, protective, warrior, Queen of the Tuatha De Dylan – m. sea god and brother of Lleu; son of waves, god of sea, silver fish Eostra – f. goddess of spring; Ostara – feast day Druantia – f. Queen of the Druids and mother of the tree calendar; mother of trees (fir); protection, knowledge, creativity, passion, sex, fertility, growth, trees and forests Bres – m. fertility and agriculture; first king of Gwydion – m. warrior, magician, the Tuatha De enchantment, illusion; shape-­‐shifter, white horse Matrona – f. mother goddess, earth mother Creidhne – m. (Crane-­‐ya); god of metal-­‐
working, Tuatha De Nantosuelta – f. nature, valley, streams, raven, controller of the Other World Gwynn Ap Nudd – m. (pronounced Gwen Ab Neath) underworld, war, hunt (for souls); King of Fairies and Elves; horned/antlered god of fertility and the hunt; aka Cernunnos or Hearne the Hunter; virility, life, animals, forest, earth, love, dark half of year, “Dark Lord”, leads the hunt at Samhain; has spectral hounds Govannon – m. (Giobhniu); blacksmith, weapon-­‐makers, brewing beer Dagda – m. god of Earth and All Father; death; father of Brighid; fighter with simple tastes; club that kills and restores life; cauldron of plenty and harp of seasons; arts; knowledge; music; magic; prophecy, prosperity; regeneration; High King of Tuatha De Danu (aka Anu) – f. mother of Dagda; clan of Hafren – f. river goddess Danu (Tuatha de Dennan); Universal Mother; water, well, magic, wisdom Merlin/Myrrdin – m. a druid, wizard, magician Ogmios – m. warrior god, rather like Hercules; poetry, charm and incantation Diahcecht – m. powerful healer; jealous of Llew Llaw Gyffess – m. harpers; healing, son, Miach, and killed him and destroyed the poets, smiths, waters, sorcerers; white stag, 365 healing herbs taught to him by Airmid. wife Blodeuwedd tried to kill him Rosmerta – f. “The Great Provider”; fertility and wealth Eiru – f. 1 of 3 patronesses of Ireland (with Banb, Fotia and Fodla) Llyr – m. god of waters and sea; son is Manawydan Sequanna – f. patron goddess of the river Seine; health Flidais – f. (Flih-­‐dish); woodlands, forest, hung, wild things; archery, chase Mabon – m. youthfulness, liberation, harmony, music and unity; “Mabon Ap Modron” is “Son of Mother” aka Son of Light; his birth on the Winter Solstice is symbolic of light returning to the land after winter; circle of life; fresh starts and new beginnings Manawydan – m. is Mannanan, see him in Irish column Sucellos – m. controller of the other world; “the good striker”; (Arawn); agriculture, forests, hammer god; consort is Nantosuelta Math Mathonwy – m. magic, sorcery, enchantment; king; Premier Sage Tentates – m. fertility, war, wealth; “God of the Tribe” (Roman Mars) Fand – f. “Queen of the Fae”; wife of Mannanan, daughter of Flidais; healing and magic Goibhnui – m. (Guv-­‐new); god of blacksmiths, weapon-­‐makers, and brewing Taranis – m. “Thunderer”; aka Taran (Welsh); wheel and forces of change Ler – m. god of sea, father of Mannanan Morgaine/Morganna/Morgan le Fey – f. the Welsh version of the Morrigan; sister of King Author; Queen/High Priestess of Avalon, Queen of the Fairies Luchta – m. (Looked-­‐ah); smithy god; wright, mechanic, artificer Olwen – f., flowers and springtime, life and rebirth Lugh – m. (pronounced Loo); The Many Skilled; druid, carpenter, poet, mason, raven and lynx, healing, reincarnation, prophecy, revenge; Sun God; son of Cian (Tuatha De); magic spear and spectral hounds Pwyll – m. husband of Rhiannon, father of Pryderi; cunning and virtue; name means “sense” Macha – f. (pronounced Macka); Morrigan aspect (mother); war, life and death, cunning and strength, protects in battle and peace, sovereignty, land, horses, crow/raven Scathach – f. (Irish and Scottish); healing, magic, fighting arts, prophecy; “The Shadowy One”, “She Who Strikes Fear”, Dark Goddess; taught fighting arts in Albion Maeve/Madb – f. Morrigan aspect; “She Rhiannon – f. horses and birds; fertility, Who Intoxicates”; war, speed, fertility, earth, moon, enchantment, charms, poetic super lustful, great conqueror incantations Mannanan Mac Lir – m. god of sea, sailors and merchants, gift of immortality and invisibility, magic, Isle of Man Morrigan – f. The Great Queen; supreme warrior goddess, chooser of the slain, war, death, rebirth, fertility, fate, prophecy, revenge, sensuality, magic; Anu/Danu, Nemain/Badb, Macha; battle frenzy, carrier of dead to the Other World Neit – m. god of battle Niamh – f. beauty and brightness, helps heroes at death Nemain – f. battle cry, war, “panic”; Morrigan aspect Taliesin – m. song and bards; druids, magician, shape-­‐shifter; knowledge from Cerridwen; Commonly mistaken for “Merlin”, but this is a title, not a name – Taliesin was the most famous of Merlins Nuada – m. warrior god, king of Tuatha De, silver hand, harpers, healing, historians, poets, writing, warfare Oghma – m. warrior, knowledge, magic, eloquence; invented Ogham script, the rune alphabet; genius, inspiration, language, charms, honey-­‐tongue Shannon – f. Anglicized from Sionainn; goddess of the river Shannon v Miscellaneous Ø The White Lady – known to all; death and destruction; Dryad of Death, Queen of the Dead; crone aspect Ø The Green Man – wisdom, connection to other world, protection, counsel; he is the voice between the gods and humans