Here is a glossary Celtic : Dagda, Damona, Dana, Deichtire, Deimne, Deirdre, Diancecht, Diarmaid O'Duibhne, Dobar, Don, Dragon, Dun Aengus
Celtic Glossary
The Dagda (“good god” – Daga Devos) is, in the mythology Irish Celtic, the most important god of the Tuatha Dé Danann just after Lug. He is also known in literature as Eochaid ("who fights by the yew tree"), Ollathair ("the mighty father") and Ruadh Rofessa ("Red of ideal science"). It appears in particular in the story “Cath Maighe Tuireadh” (Battle of Mag Tured).
In the mythical story, as reported to us by the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Books of the conquests of Ireland), the gods landed and took possession of the island, after defeating the Fir Bolg during the Cath Maighe Tuireadh (Second Battle of Mag Tured). According to medieval literary sources, divine society is structured in the same way as human society, and the organization of the Tuatha Dé Danann (the People of the Tribe of Dana) is hierarchical into three functional classes:
* the priestly function whose role covers the Sacred is ensured by the Dagda
* the warrior function which is responsible in particular for sovereignty, represented by Ogme the god-warrior and Nuada the god-king
* the artisanal function which must produce for the whole community, represented by Goibniu, Credne and Luchta
This diagram takes up the tripartite ideology of the Indo-Europeans as it was studied by Georges Dumézil. Lug, nicknamed Samildanach (the polytechnician), does not belong to any of these classes because, as supreme god, he can assume all the functions of each of them.
The Dagda is the druid god par excellence (and therefore the god of the druids), he is in charge of the sacred, science, and contracts. He reigns over time, eternity and the elements, as well as the Sidh (the Celtic Other World) but he himself inhabits the Brug na Boinne, or “Hotel de la Boyne” that Oengus, his son, goes to delight him. Under the pretext of having the enjoyment of it for a night and a day, the Dagda lends his residence, but the duration symbolizes eternity and Œngus keeps it definitively. This residence, which is none other than a Sidh, is compared to the megalithic site of Newgrange, north of Dublin.
He forms a pair with his brother Ogme (the Ogmios of the Gallic), the god of war magic, of which he is the complement. By his function, he is a perfect druid, he is omniscient and omnipotent, he is also a powerful warrior. He has a paternal and nurturing side. He is sometimes described as a hideous giant and a bawdy ogre. His couplings with the goddesses are numerous. Several talismans are known to him, including the cauldron of abundance (symbol of prosperity), the club that kills and resurrects (symbol of his power) and the wheel (cosmic symbol).
In Gaul his function is divided between three distinct gods: Esus, Sucellos and Taranis.
Dagda is also the tutelary god of musicians and as such he has a magic harp, which is another of his talismans; it is known under the names of Dur-Dabla and Coir Cethar Chuir. This instrument has the particularity of knowing all the melodies of music and being able to play them on its own, on the instructions of the god. In the story entitled Second Battle of Mag Tured (Cath Maighe Tuireadh), the harp is stolen by the Fomoires, the Dagda sets out to look for it, accompanied by Lug and Ogme. They find it hanging on the wall of an enemy residence. At the call of the god, the harp flies away and kills nine Fomoires. Then she plays the tune of lamentations and the women begin to cry, then she plays the tune of smiles and the boys begin to laugh; finally she plays the song of sleep and the enemy army falls asleep.
The Dagda sometimes uses the services of a harpist named Uaithne (meaning harmony)
The cauldron is an important element in Celtic mythology. That of Dagda comes from the island of Murias of the druid Semias, before the Tuatha Dé Danann settled in Ireland. It symbolizes sovereignty, abundance and resurrection (see Gundestrup cauldron). It is found in Arthurian legend in the form of the “grail”.
The wheel symbolizes cosmic power. The wheel of Dagda has eight spokes, it deafens those who hear it, blinds those who see it and kills those on whom it falls.
The Dagda has the right of life and death: the club kills at one end and resurrects at the other. It can crush nine men with one blow. It is so heavy that it takes eight men to carry it and it leaves a furrow in the ground which can serve as a boundary between the two worlds. It is mounted on wheels.
His brothers are Elcmar, Nechtan and Midir. From his relationship with Boand he has a son Oengus, he is also the father of Brigit and King Bobd. His wife is Morrigan.
Damona (also called Bormona), is the consort of the god Borvo. Borvo has a function of water healer, Damona is the goddess of springs and rivers.
Its name, which means "Great Cow", is similar to Boand, the goddess of prosperity, of the Tuatha Dé Danann, in Irish mythology.
Its equivalent in Great Britain is Arnemetia whose name means “she who is in the sanctuary”; the root nemet, which has the meaning of sacred, is found in Nemed and Nemeton.
Dana (we also find the spelling Danu), in Irish Celtic mythology is the primordial goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the "people of the goddess Dana", that is to say the gods of the Celts before the Christianization of the island. In Cormac's Glossary (Sanas Cormaic, 10th-century manuscript by Bishop Cormac of Cashel), she is also called Ana and Anu. She is the mother of Dagda and Lir. She would be at the origin of the settlement of her people in Ireland, while they lived in the four islands in the north of the World. Its equivalent in Welsh Celtic mythology is Dôn.
She is a pan-Celtic goddess. The root of the theonym is very present in European topography, especially rivers such as the Danube (in Latin Danavius), the Dniester, the Dnieper, etc. this indicates that this goddess was worshiped throughout the Celtic world and probably by all Indo-Europeans. There is in Brahmanic mythology a deity named Danu who spawned a race of giants, the Danavas.
The meaning of the name could be "donor", "benefactor" (in India, the Dânapati are the donors of Buddhist monasteries and dâna means the gift), which makes her a goddess of fertility and prosperity. Among the Celts, the redistribution of wealth was the first quality of the royal function.
In Irish typonymy, its name is associated with two hills "the Paps", located not far from Killarney, which are shaped like a pair of breasts, in Gaelic they are Dé Chich Anann (Ana's breasts).
Deichtire (sometimes spelled Dechtine), in Irish Celtic mythology, is the sister of King Conchobar Mac Nessa, she also serves as his coachman. His parents are Maga, daughter of Oengus, and Cathbad, the druid, advisor to his brother. His name means “righteousness”. She married Fergus Mac Roeg, king of Ulster dethroned by Ness in favor of Conchobar.
According to the story Compert ConCulaind (Conception of Cúchulainn), during a trip to the sidh, she had incestuous relations with the king. She gives birth three times to a child, who is called Setanta. The child's divine parents are the god Lug and Eithne, at the age of five he will be renamed Cúchulainn.
Finn mac Cumaill (formerly Finn or Find mac Cumail or mac Umaill, sometimes pronounced "Finn mac Cool"; see footer for all variations) is a legendary warrior from Irish Celtic mythology, also known as Scotland and in the Isle of Man. The stories of Finn and his companions, the Fianna, fit into the Fenian Cycle. It would be mainly narrated by Finn's son, the warrior and poet Oisín. The Fenian Brotherhood, an Irish organization based in the United States in the 19th century, takes its name from this myth.
The name Fionn or Finn is actually a pseudonym which means "fair" (referring to the color of his hair), "white, handsome, gold and of good breeding". Her childhood name was Deimne, and several legends happy how he changes his name when his hair turns gray early.
It is possible that he is linked to the figure from Welsh Celtic mythology, Gwynn ap Nudd.
Deirdre ("Pain") is a tragically beautiful girl from Celtic mythology.
Deirdré is the child of the bard Fedelmid, who lives at the court of King Conchobar Mac Nessa. Strange facts surround his birth. During a feast, all the warriors hear a heartbreaking cry which makes them rush into arms: it was the baby still in his mother's womb who pushed him. The Druid Cathbad prophesies the arrival of an adorable little girl, so beautiful that much blood will be shed because of her. When he was born, he repeated his predictions.
Everyone wants to kill the child, but Conchobar is against it because he plans to marry her when she grows up.
Indeed, she becomes as beautiful as the druid had announced, but she has very little attraction for the old king. She probably prefers Noise, a young cow herder. Helped by his two brothers, Noise flees with his girlfriend to Alba. They live by hunting, isolated in a forest and then place themselves under the protection of the king of the country. The steward notices Deirdré and his king charges him to court her in secret, in his name. And the coquette enjoys the game until she discovers that the king is going to have her husband assassinated.
New flight, new wandering. Conchobar sends Fergus to fetch Deirdré, Noisé and his brothers, but their romance has touched the hearts of many Irish people. Only Cathbad's cunning and magical power will triumph. All of Deirdré's supporters are exterminated, her husband has his head cut off, civil war tears Ireland apart, but Conchobar can finally enjoy his betrothed, for a year.
At the end of this year, he gave it to Noisé's executioner, Eogan Duntracht. It's too much for Deirdré, and she throws herself into the void as the chariot takes her to her new husband.
A pine tree grew on each of Noisé's and Deirdre's graves and the two trees eventually intertwined to form one.
In Irish Celtic mythology Diancecht is the god-medicine of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Its name, which means "quick hold", evokes the precision of its magic and the effectiveness of its medicine. Its function comes under the three classes of the Indo-European scheme (priestly, warrior, craftsman), as studied by Georges Dumézil.
He is the father of Cian and therefore the grandfather of Lug, he also has a daughter Airmed (“the Measure”), and two other sons Miach (“the bushel”) and Ormiach (twin of the previous one).
In the story of “Cath Maighe Tuireadh” (Battle of the Plain of Pillars) he heals and restores the wounded, he resurrects the dead by immersing them in the Fountain of Health while chanting ritual and magical incantations; Airmed collects medicinal plants intended for the Fountain. When Nuada Airgetlam's arm was severed in the first battle, he made him a silver prosthesis to erase the infirmity and restore him to Sovereignty. Subsequently, out of jealousy, he killed his son Miach who had grafted Nuada's severed arm. He is a vindictive and warlike god.
We find it at Wales under the name of Mabon and in Gaul under that of Maponos.
Dobar is a king of Sicily from Irish Celtic mythology, who appears in the quest for the Sons of Tuireann.
For having killed Cian, Lug's father, the three sons of Tuireann are condemned to particularly difficult work. King Dobar has enchanted horses that pull a chariot, but he keeps them in a secret place.
After six weeks, the three heroes, who signed up as mercenaries, failed to unravel the mystery. They end up going to the king and telling him that they are leaving, disappointed by the sovereign's lack of confidence.
To please them, he moves the chariot harnessed to the two marvelous horses. Brian jumps on the chariot, pushes the driver aside and takes his brothers with him. They rush away to their boat.
Don is a mother goddess in Welsh Celtic mythology. Her god children are the four brothers Gwydyon, Hyveidd, Gofannon and Gilvaethwy and the goddess Arianrhod, the "silver wheel". She is the companion of Beli Mawr (Beli the Great), the mythical ancestor of certain Welsh dynasties.
In mythological literature, she appears in particular in the tale Math son of Mathonwy, which is the fourth branch of the Mabinogi and in Kulhwch and Olwen. She is the equivalent of Dana, the great Irish goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann
