Glossary in SR (Celtic)

Here is a glossary of mythology Celtic : Rhiannon (Rigantona), Rosmerta, Ruadan, Rucht, Samain, Samonios (feast), boar (symbol), Scáthach, Semias (and the Dagda Cauldron), Setanta, Sidh, Smartellos (Smertios), Sualtam, Sucellos

Celtic Glossary

Rhiannon belongs to the Welsh tradition, her name from Rigantona, means "Great Queen"; it is an avatar of the female Celtic deity (see Brigit, Brigantia). She appears in two of the four Mabinogion: Pwyll, prince of Dyved and Manawydan son of Llyr. In the first tale, she becomes the wife of Pwyll, after he eliminates many rivals. From this union will be born Pryderi, a boy who is kidnapped at birth, which is worth to the mother to be accused of infanticide. As a penance, she is condemned to remain seated at the gates of the city, she must tell her story to visitors and bring them in carrying them on her back. The punishment ends seven years later, when she finds her son.

In the second tale, after Pwyll's death, she marries Manawyddan Fab Llyr. During a walk, a magical fog descends on the region and devastates it. With her husband, her son Pryderi and Kigva, the wife of the latter, they are forced to leave for England, where they will practice different trades, in order to survive.

For Pwyll's kingship over the Dyved to be recognized, he must have a queen who legitimizes his power, for among the Celts, Sovereignty is a feminine concept. The penance she endures, following the kidnapping of her son, is an addition due to the Christianization of the story, this notion being unknown to Celtic civilization. The exercise of different trades is an illustration of the third functional class of society, in accordance with the tripartite ideology of the Indo-Europeans studied by Georges Dumézil. Some associate Rhiannon with the Gallic goddess Epona, but this idea is not unanimous.

Rosmerta was a goddess of fertility and abundance.

His worship has been attested by the discovery of statues and inscriptions bearing his name. Among its attributes we find the famous Cornucopia or Cornucopia. His cult was sometimes associated with the god Mercury in Gallo-Roman mythology, but evidence of an isolated cult has also been found.

Ruadan is the son of the goddess Brigit and King Bres, so he is also related to the gods of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomorians. During the "Second Battle of Mag Tured" (Cath Maighe Tuireadh), which opposes these two peoples, for the occupation of Ireland, he is sent by his father into the enemy camp, to spy on Goibniu the god-blacksmith. This one, thanks to his magic hammer, makes a perfect sword or javelin, in three blows. Ruadan steals a weapon, tries to slay the blacksmith, but the latter, although wounded, succeeds in killing his assailant.

According to legend, Brigit, learning of the death of her son, began to cry, her tears would be the first in the history of the island. Gobniu will be cured by a bath in the Fountain of Health.

Samhain (sometimes spelled Samhain) is the religious festival that celebrates the beginning of the "dark" season of the Celtic year (for the Celts, the year was made up of two seasons: a dark season and a light season) . It is a celebration of transition – the passage from one year to another – and of opening to the Other World, that of the gods. She is mentioned in many epic tales Irish because, by definition, it is conducive to magical and mythical events. Its importance among the Celts is indisputable, since it is found in Gaul under the name of Samonios, notably in a mention in the Coligny Calendar, which designates the month which approximately corresponds to November.

Irish monks who wrote down Celtic customs, beginning in the 8th century, specified that Samhain's day is (according to our modern calendar) November 1st. The party itself actually lasts a full week, three days before, and three days after. For the Celts, this period is between parentheses in the year: it belongs neither to the one that is ending nor to the one that is about to begin; it is an autonomous duration, outside of time. It is the transition from the clear season to the dark season, which marks a break in daily life: the end of conquests and raids for warriors and the end of agricultural work for farmers-breeders, for example.

The name of Samain means "meeting", it is an obligatory festival of all Celtic society which gives rise to druidic rites, assemblies, drinking parties and ritual banquets; its religious character places it under the authority of the priestly class of druids and the presidency of the king, any absence is punishable by death. It should be emphasized that, according to the tripartite ideology of the Indo-Europeans defined by Georges Dumézil, the three classes of society (priestly, warrior and craftsman) are associated with the ceremonies. This religious and social assembly gradually disappeared with Christianization, and in order to recover the popularity of this holiday during the evangelization of Ireland in the 8th century, the Catholic monks established the feast of All Saints (feast of all saints ) and, the next day, the feast of the dead.

The notion of passage is also found at this time, between the human world and the Other World of the gods (the Sidh). The adventures of heroes, or exceptional men, who go to Sidh (usually at the invitation of a Bansidh), and spend a few pleasant hours there, have been told. The time of the gods not being the same, their stay is, in fact, several centuries and, when they return to their homes, they cannot live since they have been dead for a long time.

It should be noted that the folkloric festival of Halloween is Anglo-Saxon with an Irish origin, with no relation to Celtic mythology (see bibliography, Les fêtes celtiques de Guyonvarc'h & Le Roux).

The wild boar is a sacred animal for the Celts. It is possible that it first represents intelligence and cunning, so it is associated with knowledge; but it is also linked to the other world, the Sidh. It is therefore naturally the emblematic animal of the priestly class, the druids whose word means: "the very learned" and who are responsible for the relationship with the other world, the sacred and the gods. It seems that some called themselves "wild boar", in Gallic "torcos", where we recognize the root of the word "torque" which designates the necklace worn by the gods or deified dignitaries. We can see a relationship with the cult of the head of the Celts. Moreover, the boar's head, a rare case for animals, bears a specific name: the head (which could have the same root as aurochs). She is represented on shields, on the pommels of swords and she very frequently forms the pavilion of the carnyxes, these trumpets of war intended perhaps to impress the enemy and to give courage to the combatants by their horrible "cries" but which most certainly have a symbolic, ritual, even magical function, at least originally.

Scathach, in Irish Celtic mythology, is a powerful and fearsome magician who dwells in Scotland, some texts refer to the Isle of Skye. She is daughter of Buanuinne, King of Scotia and mother of Lasair, Inghean Bhuidhe, Latiaran and Uathach.

One reaches his residence by the Pont-des-Sauts which narrows and becomes slippery or stretches and recovers to crush the reckless visitor. Herself initiator of the most valiant warriors, expert in magic, in the art of war and sex, she commands a band of women who educate the heroes.

His most prestigious students are Noise, Ferdiad, Cúchulainn, only the latter has the privilege of knowing how to handle and possess the gae bolga. They must not become enemies of each other. This oath will not be respected since Cúchulainn will kill Ferdiad in a single combat, during the Raid of the cows of Cooley (see the story Táin Bó Cúailnge).

Semias, whose name would mean "subtle" was the druid who ruled the island of Murias (the meaning of the toponym is the sea). This is where the Cauldron and Club of Dagda talismans come from. The Cauldron which never empties, represents abundance is found in the form of the Grail in the legendary Arthurian; it is inseparable from the Spear of Lug, a deadly weapon with every blow but which is also used for royal dubbing. The Club kills by one end and resuscitates by the other, it is the right of life and death.

Setanta is Cúchulainn's first name until he reaches the age of five; it has the meaning of "path", "guide". He was brought up in the castle of Breth, in the plain of Muirthemné. His guardian (and grandfather) the druid Cathbad renames him on the occasion of his first exploit, when he kills the guardian dog of the herds of the blacksmith Culann. He is the incestuous son of King Conchobar Mac Nessa and his sister Deichtire, conceived during a trip to Sidh. He also has divine parents: Lug and Eithne.

Conchobar was invited to Culann's house for an annual banquet, and Setanta, not having finished his games, was to join him later. When the king arrives, he is asked if someone else should come, and when he replies in the negative, the hound is released who guards the residence every evening. When Setanta arrives, he is attacked by the beast, he kills him by thrusting a silver bullet into his throat to strangle him, and smashes his skull against a stone pillar. To repair the loss of the animal, Setanta offers to replace it and keep the house and the herds until another animal is found and trained.

These exploits are narrated in the tale Macgnimrada Conculaid (The Childhood Exploits of Cúchulainn), an episode of the Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Raid of the Cows of Cooley), which belongs to the Ulster Cycle.

Sidh is an original spelling of the Irish word sí, which designates the Other World in Celtic mythology. It should be noted that the concept of sin being unknown to the Celts, the notions of "paradise" and "hell" are non-existent in Druidism; just as there can be no assimilation or rapprochement with the Christian beyond. If not explicitly described, it recurs in many Irish texts; the meaning of the word is “peace”.

From this medieval literature, there emerge three distinct locations of Sidh: to the west, beyond the horizon of the sea, in magnificent islands; under the sea, in lakes and rivers where sumptuous crystal palaces with mysterious entrances are located; under the hills and mounds that became the residences of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Water is the preferred means of access.

The Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of the Conquests of Ireland), written by clerics in the 12th century, is a mythological tale which narrates the successive occupations of Ireland since the time of the flood. The Tuatha Dé Danann (people of the goddess Dana) are gods who come from four islands in the north of the world: Falias, Gorias, Finias and Murias, they must eliminate the Fir Bolg during the "First Battle of Mag Tuireadh", to install. The latest arrivals are the Milesiens, the "sons of Mile", originating from Spain, they will defeat the Tuatha Dé Danann who are forced to take refuge in Sidh, each god having his own. However, this mythical place escapes geography, since it is everywhere, parallel to the world of men.

If the gods can come and roam as they please in the world of humans, the reverse is only rarely possible. Only heroes, exceptional beings, such as Cúchulainn, Conle or Bran Mac Febail have the privilege of visiting and staying in Sidh, generally at the invitation of a Bansidh. Eternal in essence, any man who enters it cannot return to the human condition. Thus those men who believe they spend a few hours or a few days in the company of the gods and remain there for several centuries. When they return home, they crumble into dust because they are long dead. The period of Samhain (New Year of the Celts, around November 1) is conducive to the opening of the sidh.

The Other World of the ancient Irish also bears the names of Mag Meld (Plain of Pleasure), Mag Mor (Great Plain), Tir na mBéo (Land of the Living), Tir na mBân (Land of Women), Tir na nOg (Land of Youth), and Tir Tairngire (Land of Promises).

Sualtam or Sualtach in Irish Celtic mythology is one of Cúchulainn's earthly (but not biological) fathers, whom he had with his wife Deichtire. The meaning of its name is “nurturing”.

In the mythical epic “Cooley's Cow Raid” (Táin Bó Cúailnge of the Ulster Cycle), he goes to his son who is dying after having fought many battles against the warriors of Ireland. Cúchulainn asks him to seek help from the Ulates (inhabitants of the kingdom of Ulster). Arrived at Emain Macha, he harangues Conchobar Mac Nessa, but by doing so, he breaks a geis which forbids the Ulates to speak before their king and the king to speak before his druids. Cathbad, using his magic, causes him to die under the blows of his own shield.

Sucellos or Sucellus is the Gallic equivalent of the Irish god-druid Dagda, without being an exact replica. Her consort is Nantosuelta, which is a representation of fertility. He was later assimilated to the Roman gods Sylvain (especially in Narbonne) or Vulcan.

Like the Dagda, he is the god who kills and resuscitates with his mallet, which he holds in his left hand. He is also the holder of prosperity, symbolized by this other attribute which is the cauldron, in his right hand. He stands straight, his foot resting on a barrel, a symbol of survival. He is readily described as old and bearded, wearing the Gallic tunic and breeches, wearing boots. As a dispenser of wealth, protector of crafts and agriculture, he belongs to the third function of producers (the other two being the priestly class of druids, and the class of warriors), whereas the Dagda, in the Irish tradition, comes under the first function.