Celtic dieties and mythology

[Thorn]

A place to discuss Celtic myth and dieties.

The Celtic tribes were actually several different cultures:

Irish/Scottish/Manx
Welsh/Cornish
Brythonic (as in Brittany, France - not British)
Possibly others (f'ex I've no idea where the Brits and lowland Scots fit in?)

So their dieties and myths are quite varied. (I liken it to the various indigenous tribes of North America - different languages, different faiths but with some commonality. Yet they all tend to get called "Indian.")

So anyway, it might be helpful to distinguish what Celts we're talking about on a given subject.

[Thorn]

Aqua mentioned the Mabinogion, a wonderful collection of Welsh stories.

A quick scan of Wikipedia give us these sources of Irish myth:
The Metrical Dindshenchas or Lore of Places
The Lebor Gabála Érenn or Book of Invasions
Cath Maige Tuireadh, The (second) Battle of Magh Tuireadh
Táin Bó Cúailnge (Cattle Raid of Cualinge) - Ulster cycle
Acallamh na Senórach (Colloquy of the Old Men) - Fenian cycle

These are were all written in medieval times by Christian monks, so are technically not primary sources, but are the closest we can get, since the Celts transmitted the legends orally and didn't write anything down.

I haven't actually read any of the Irish stuff yet, but I've downloaded the Book of Invasions and Maige Tuireadh from the net, so it's out there for those who are interested.

[Thorn]

I've been most interested in Brighid lately. I would be immensly grateful to anyone who can tell me where to find more good information about her. This is what I can tell you:

Brighid, Brigit, Bride (pronounced "Breed") is an Irish Celtic triple goddess of poety, healing, and smithcraft. She is a goddess of fire and is sometimes associated with the sun. Also a goddess of mountain tops and high places. Her name means "bright arrow."

There are goddesses with similar names and characteristics among other Celts, such as the British Brigantia, who may or may not be the same person. If this is the case, there's a good chance that Britain itself was named after her.

She is a triple goddess, but not in the common pattern of maid/mother/crone. Brighid and her two sisters, also named Brighid, appear of an age - all mother-goddesses. She is associated with the Cauldron of Inspiration, and is often confused with the Welsh Cerridwen because of this. (These two goddesses have very different personalities, so this confusion confuses me!)

Brigid's "nine gifts of the cauldron" are mentioned in Amergin's "Song of the Three Cauldrons": poetry, reflection, meditation, lore, research, great knowledge, intelligence, understanding and wisdom.

The Catholic St. Brigit, much loved in Ireland, is believe to be this goddess in Christian disguise. Until very recently a sacred flame was kept burning for her in Kildare, tended by virgin women. She also has a sacred well in Kildare, as well as in other sites in Ireland.

I have found very little actual myth regarding her, but I will post what I have found when I have more time.

[Creator]

Try here:

www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/celtic/articles.html

And this link is very good:

www.shee-eire.com/Magic&Mythology/Gods&Goddess/Celtic/Goddess/Brigit/Factsheet1.htm

[Thorn]

I already knew about Encyclopedia Mythica (the first link) - it's a good site.

I'll have to check out the other one. Thanks!

[Aquamarine]

I'll be back to this great thread when I have more time!

I'm so glad to see the definition of Celtic, anyway (usually I've read there are seven different divisions, but I think that's rather flexible)--for some reason people seem to use Celtic as a synonym for Irish, and as I'm of Welsh origin ( and interested in Welsh mythology and folklore, etc.) I like to see them get their props. I suppose it's because when the Celts were driven West, Ireland was where they made their last stand, so it ended up having the highest concentration after they'd been wiped out elsewhere.

[Thorn]

. I suppose it's because when the Celts were driven West, Ireland was where they made their last stand, so it ended up having the highest concentration after they'd been wiped out elsewhere.

Also because there were fewer outside influences in Ireland maybe? I know the Irish had Viking troubles, and their surviving mythology shows that influence, but the Saxons and the Romans never got that far. Of course, they didn't get very far into Scotland either. Don't know about Wales...

Anyway, I agree with you. This is why the Brighid/Cerridwen confusion I mentioned earlier drives me nutters. I want to scream "Aren't you people paying attention?!?!?!"

Then again, if you think the Welsh get the short end, think about the poor Britons!

[Aquamarine]

That's true too. It would be one of life's little ironies if Britain and/or the Britons were named after Brighid, wouldn't it.

[Summer]

I am learning a lot from this thread. I don't know much about the Celtic deities or the Celtic myths, but am interested in learning about them.

[Aquamarine]

Back with some thoughts on Brighid, from The Celts by Jean Markale, who has written dozens of books about them, though he's a bit of an eccentric (keeps flying off at tangents about cuurent events, etc.). Doesn't have a lot to add to what you found, Thorn, but--

" Saint Bridget or Brigitte poses something of a problem. There is evidence to suggest that there actually was a Brigit who founded a convent at Kildare at the beginning of the 6th century. Her biographer Cogitosus even claims Brigit ran a bisexual establishment [remember this is translated from the French!] unique in the history of the Church. Certainly the abbess of Kildare became well-known and iti s quite likely that people began to confuse her with another Brigit, the daughter of the Dagda, one of the Tuatha de Danann, who was still remembered in Ireland. This kind of confusion was not infrequent in Celtic countries: Saint Brendan became muddled with Bran, Daint Corneille with Cerunnos, Saint Anne with Ana."

Then in the chapter on Celtic Mythology:

"There is no fire god among the Celts. The only figure we can place in this category is the technical goddess whom Caesar equates with Minerva and who was probably called Brigantia. In Ireland she became the three-faced Brigit, worshiped by poets, smiths, and musicians, before being Christianized into the Saint Brigitte who is patron of present-day Erin."

Btw, one of Markale's other books is King of the Celts, where he argues that King Arthur was originally a Celtic chieftain.