Series on Celtic religion

Celtic mythology Celtic deities Celtic polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Celts. ... Image File history File links Hope-coventina01a. ... Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. ... The gods and goddesses of Celtic mythology are known from a variety of sources. ...

Ancient Celtic religion

Druids · Bards · Vates Gallo-Roman religion British Iron Age religion Romano-British religion Two druids, from an 1845 publication, based on a bas-relief found at Autun, France. ... A bard is a poet or singer, in religious or feudal contexts. ... Vates - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Gallo-Roman religion was a fusion of Roman religious forms and modes of worship with Gaulish deities from Celtic polytheism. ... In the British Isles, the Iron Age lasted from about the 7th century BC until the Roman conquest and until the 5th century in non-Romanised parts. ... Principal sites in Roman Britain Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between 43 and 410. ...

Irish mythology

Tuatha Dé Danann Mythological Cycle Ulster Cycle Fenian Cycle Immrama · Echtrae The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ... The Tuatha Dé Danann (peoples of the goddess Danu) were the fifth group of inhabitants of Ireland, according to the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions) tradition. ... The Ulster Cycle, formerly the Red Branch Cycle, is a large body of prose and verse centering around the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster. ... The Fenian Cycle also known as the Fionn Cycle, Finn Cycle, Fianna Cycle, Finnian Tales, Fian Tales, Féinne Cycle, Feinné Cycle, Ossianic Cycle and Fianaigecht, is a body of prose and verse centering on the exploits of the mythic hero Fionn mac Cumhaill and his warriors the Fianna Éireann. ... An Immram (pl. ... An Echtra or Echtrae (pl. ...

Welsh mythology

Mabinogion · Taliesin Cad Goddeu Trioedd Ynys Prydein Welsh mythology, the remnants of the mythology of the pre-Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts such as the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin. ... The Mabinogion is a collection of prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts. ... For the studio established by Frank Lloyd Wright, see Taliesin (studio) Taliesin or Taliessin (c. ... Cad Goddeu (Welsh: The Battle of the Trees) is a sixth-century Welsh poem from the Book of Taliesin. ... The Welsh Triads (Welsh, Trioedd Ynys Prydein) is used to describe any of the related Medieval collection of groupings of three that preserve a major portion of Welsh folklore and Welsh literature. ...

See also

Celt · Gaul Galatia · Celtiberians Early history of Ireland Prehistoric Scotland Prehistoric Wales A Celtic cross. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Celtiberians (or Celt-Iberians) were a Celtic people living in the Iberian Peninsula, chiefly in what is now north central Spain and northern Portugal, before and during the Roman Empire. ... Newgrange, a famous Irish passage tomb built c3,200 BC // What little is known of pre-Christian Ireland comes from a few references in Roman writings, Irish poetry and myth, and archaeology. ... Archaeology and geology continue to reveal the secrets of prehistoric Scotland, uncovering a complex and dramatic past before the Romans brought Scotland into the scope of recorded history. ... Prehistoric Wales in terms of human settlements covers the period from about 225,000 years ago, the date attributed to the earliest human remains found in what is now Wales, to the year 48 when the Roman army began a campaign against one of the Welsh tribes. ... Index of related articles This box: view • talk • edit

The Mythological Cycle is one of the four major cycles of Irish mythology, and is so called because it represents the remains of the pagan mythology of pre-Christian Ireland, although the gods and supernatural beings have been euhemerised by their Christian redactors into historical kings and heroes. Occasionally though, the mask slips. The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ... Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning a country dweller or civilian) is a term which, from a western perspective, has come to connote a broad set of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices of natural or polytheistic religions. ... // The word mythology (Greek: μυθολογία, from μυθος mythos, a story or legend, and λογος logos, an account or speech) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use supernatural events or characters to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as the Christ. ...

The cycle consists of numerous prose tales and poems found in medieval manuscripts, as well as pseudohistorical chronicles such as Lebor Gabála Érenn and the early parts of the Annals of the Four Masters and Seathrún Céitinn's History of Ireland. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... A manuscript (Latin manu scriptus written by hand), strictly speaking, is any written document that is put down by hand, in contrast to being printed or reproduced some other way. ... Generally a chronicle (Latin chronica) is historical account of facts and events in chronological order. ... Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland) is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of poems and prose narratives recounting the mythical origins and history of the Irish race from the creation of the world down to the Middle Ages. ... Signature page from the Annals of the Four Masters Entry for A.D. 432 The Annals of the Four Masters or the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history. ... Seathrún Céitinn, known in English as Geoffrey Keating, was a 17th century Irish clergyman, poet and historian. ...

The invasions tradition

The Mythological Cycle traces the supposed history of Ireland from its earliest inhabitants before the Biblical flood, through a series of invasions to the arrival of the Goidelic-speaking Milesians or Gaels. Some of these invaders probably represent genuine historical migrations; others, like the Tuatha Dé Danann with their magical powers, are unquestionably degraded gods. The word Bible refers to the canonical collections of sacred writings of Judaism and Christianity. ... Goidelic is one of two major divisions of modern-day Celtic languages (the other being Brythonic). ... In Irish mythology the Milesians or Sons of Míl Espáine were the final inhabitants of Ireland, representing the Goidelic Celts. ... The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, whose language is of the Gaelic (Goidelic) family, a division of Insular Celtic languages. ... The Tuatha Dé Danann (peoples of the goddess Danu) were the fifth group of inhabitants of Ireland, according to the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions) tradition. ...

Before the flood

The first inhabitants of Ireland were led by Cessair, a granddaughter of Noah for whom there was no room on the Ark. She and her followers arrived only 40 days before the deluge and were wiped out, all except Fintan, who transformed into a salmon. Through a series of transformations he survived into historical times and told the tale of his people. In Irish mythology, Cessair (or Ceasair) was the leader of the first inhabitants of Ireland before the Biblical Flood, in what may be a Christianisation of a legend that pre-dates the conversion, but may alternatively be the product of post-conversion pseudohistory. ... Noahs Ark, Französischer Meister (The French Master), Magyar Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, Budapest. ... A painting by the American Edward Hicks (1780–1849), showing the animals boarding Noahs Ark two by two. ... Fintan is known in Goidelic mythology as the Wise. ...

Partholon

Three hundred years after the flood a new wave of invaders arrived, led by Partholon, a Scythian who had been exiled after killing his parents. In those days in Ireland there were only three lakes, nine rivers and one plain. During his time seven lakes burst from the ground, and he cleared four plains. He brought the first cattle to Ireland. In Irish mythology Partholon was the leader of the second group of people to settle in Ireland, the first to arrive after the biblical Flood. ... Scythia was an area in Eurasia inhabited in ancient times by an Indo-Aryans known as the Scythians. ...

Three years after he arrived Partholon won a battle against the Fomorians, led by Cichol Gricenchos. The Fomorians, who appear to be the Irish gods of chaos, are unique among the peoples of the Mythological Cycle in that they have no origin - they're just there. However, Céitinn records a tradition that they arrived in Ireland two hundred years before and lived by fishing and fowling - it's possible that this is a memory of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers giving way to Neolithic farmers. In Irish mythology, the Fomorians, Fomors, or Fomori (Irish Fomóiri, Fomóraig) were a semi-divine race who inhabited Ireland in ancient times. ... In Irish mythology Cichol or Cíocal Gricenchos is the earliest-mentioned leader of the Fomorians. ... The Mesolithic (Greek mesos=middle and lithos=stone or the Middle Stone Age) was a period in the development of human technology between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods of the Stone Age. ... In anthropology, the hunter-gatherer way of life is that led by certain societies of the Neolithic Era based on the exploitation of wild plants and animals. ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools Excavated dwellings at Skara Brae Scotland, Europes most complete Neolithic village. ...

Partholon and his people were wiped out by a plague, all but Tuan mac Cairill, who, like Finntan, survived through a series of transformations and told the story of his people to St Finnian. In Irish mythology Tuan mac Cairill was a follower of Partholon who alone survived the plague that killed the rest of his people. ... St Finnian of Clonard (Cluain Eraird) (470 - 549) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. ...

Nemed

After thirty years another Scythian, Nemed, arrived. He fought four battles against the Fomorians, cleared twelve plains and saw four lakes burst, and dug two royal forts. After he died his people were oppressed by Conand and Morc of the Fomorians, having to pay a heavy tribute in produce and children. They rose up against them and destroyed Conand's Tower on Tory Island, off the coast of County Donegal, but as they fought a great battle against Morc the sea rose and drowned them all, except for one ship containing thirty warriors, who left Ireland and scattered to the four corners of the world. In Irish mythology, Nemed (holy or privileged) son of Agnoman of Scythia was the leader of the third group of inhabitants of Ireland. ... In Irish mythology Conand (Conann, Conaing) was a leader of the Fomorians who lived in a tower on Tory Island. ... Tory Island (Oileán Toraigh in Irish; translation: tors are hills), is an island 12 km off the north-west coast of County Donegal, in the Republic of Ireland. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Lifford Code: DL Area: 4,841 km² Population (2006) 146,956 Website: www. ...

Fir Bolg

The next invaders were the Fir Bolg, who first established kingship and a system of justice in Ireland. One of their kings, Rinnal, was the first to use iron spear-points. They appear to represent a genuine historical people, the Builg or Belgae. They have also been linked with the Basque or proto-Basque people, in that they were "short and dark" and that common traces exist in the genes of modern Irish people. In Irish mythology the Fir Bolg (Fir Bholg, Firbolg, men of Builg or men of bags, or possibly men with spears, bolg meaning spear - and let us not forget the modern Irish word bolg belly (originally bag)) were one of the races that inhabited the island of Ireland prior to... In Irish mythology, Rinnal (Rindal, Rionnal, Rinnan) son of Genann of the Fir Bolg became High King of Ireland when he overthrew Fiacha Cennfinnán. ... Builg is the name given to a hypothetical ancient people believed by some to have lived in south-eastern Ireland, around the modern city of Cork. ... The Belgae were a group of nations or tribes living in north-eastern Gaul, on the west bank of the Rhine, in the 1st century BC, and later also attested in Britain. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Tuatha Dé Danann

The Fir Bolg were displaced by the Tuatha Dé Danann or "Peoples of the goddess Danu", descendants of Nemed, who either came to Ireland from the north on dark clouds or burnt their ships on the shore to ensure they wouldn't retreat. They defeated the Fir Bolg king, Eochaid mac Eirc, in the first Battle of Magh Tuiredh, but their own king, Nuada, lost an arm in the battle. As he was no longer physically perfect he lost the kingship, and his replacement, the half-Fomorian Bres, became the first Tuatha Dé High King of Ireland. The Tuatha Dé Danann (peoples of the goddess Danu) were the fifth group of inhabitants of Ireland, according to the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions) tradition. ... Statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of the agriculture A goddess is a female deity, in contrast with a male deity known as a god. Many cultures have goddesses, sometimes alone, but more often as part of a larger pantheon that includes both the conventional genders and in some cases... In Irish mythology, Danu or Dana was the mother goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann (peoples of the goddess Danu), although little is recorded about her as a character. ... in Irish mythology and pseudohistory, Eochaid , son of Erc, son of Rinnal, of the Fir Bolg became High King of Ireland when he overthrew Foidbgen. ... In Irish mythology, Magh Tuiredh (Mag Tuired, Magh Tuireadh, anglicised as Moytura) is the name of the locations of two battles said to have been waged by the Tuatha Dé Danann. ... In Irish mythology, Nuada, Nuadu (later Nuadha, Nuadhu, genitive Nuadat), known by the epithet Airgetlám (Silver Hand/Arm), was a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. ... In Irish mythology, Bres, aka Eochaid Bres, Eochu Bres (Eochaid/Eochu the Beautiful), was a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Bres turned out to be a tyrant and brought the Tuatha Dé under the oppression of the Fomorians. Eventually Nuada was restored to the kingship, having had his arm replaced by a working one of silver, and the Tuatha Dé rose against the Fomorians in the second Battle of Magh Tuiredh. Nuada was killed by the Fomorian king, Balor, but Balor met his prophesied end at the hands of his grandson, Lug, who became king of the Tuatha Dé. In Irish mythology, Balor (Balar, Bolar) of the Evil Eye was a king of the Fomorians, a race of giants. ... Lugh (earlier Lug, modern Irish Lú, pronounced loo) is an Irish deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant past. ...

The Tuatha Dé are undoubtedly degraded gods, and have many parallels across the Celtic world. Nuada is cognate with the British god Nodens; Lug is a reflex of the pan-Celtic deity Lugus; the name of Lug's successor, the Dagda, is explained by the Irish texts as "the good god"; Tuireann is related to the Gaulish Taranis; Ogma to Ogmios; the Badb to Catubodua. Even after they are displaced as the rulers of Ireland, characters such as Lug, the Mórrígan, Aengus and Manannan appear in stories set centuries later, showing all the signs of immortality. A Celtic cross. ... In Irish mythology, Nuada, Nuadu (later Nuadha, Nuadhu, genitive Nuadat), known by the epithet Airgetlám (Silver Hand/Arm), was a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. ... Nodens, or Nodons, was a Celtic deity worshipped in Britain. ... Lugh (earlier Lug, modern Irish Lú, pronounced loo) is an Irish deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant past. ... Celtic polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Celts. ... Lugus was a deity widely hypothesized to have been worshipped in Gaul, Britain, Ireland, Spain and other ancient Celtic regions. ... The Dagda is an important god of Irish mythology. ... In Celtic mythology, Tuireann was the father of Creidhne, Luchtaine and Giobhniu by Brigid. ... Gaulish is name given to the now-extinct Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Romans, the Franks and the British Celts invaded. ... In Celtic mythology Taranis was a god of thunder worshipped in Gaul and Britain and mentioned, along with Esus and Toutatis, by the Roman poet Lucan in his epic poem Pharsalia. ... OGMA-Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal, S.A., founded in 1918, is a major representative of the Portuguese Aviation Industry, dedicated to aircraft and aircraft component maintenance, repair and manufacturing. ... Ogmios was a Gaulish deity, usually depicted as a bald old man with a bow and club who leads an apparently happy band of men with chains attached to their ears and tongues. ... In Irish mythology, the Badb ( crow in Old Irish; modern Irish Badhbh means vulture or carrion-crow) was a goddess of war who took the form of a crow, and was thus sometimes known as Badb Catha (battle crow). ... Catubodua (battle-crow) is a Gaulish goddess known from a single inscription in Haute Savoie, eastern France. ... The Mórrígan (great queen) or Morrígan (terror or phantom queen) (aka Morrígu, Mórríghan, Mór-Ríogain) is a figure from Irish mythology widely considered to be a goddess or former goddess. ... In Irish mythology, Aengus (Áengus, Óengus, Angus, Aonghus, Anghus) aka Aengus Óg (Aengus the Young), Mac ind Óg (son of the young), Maccan or Mac Óg (young son) was a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably a god of love, youth and poetic inspiration. ... In Irish mythology, Manannan mac Lir was a sea and weather god. ...

The Tuatha Dé are said to have brought chariots and druidry to Ireland. For the torpedo-shaped underwater vehicle ridden by two frogmen, sometimes referred to as a chariot, see Human torpedo. ... In the Celtic religion, the modern words Druidry or Druidism denote the practices of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ...

The Sons of Míl

The Tuatha Dé Danann were themselves displaced by the Milesians, descendants of Míl Espáine, a warrior who travelled the ancient world before settling in Spain. Míl died without ever seeing Ireland, but his uncle Íth saw the island from a tower and led an advance force to scout it out. The three kings of the Tuatha Dé, Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Gréine, had Íth killed. After his body was returned to Spain, Míl's eight sons led a full-scale invasion. In Irish mythology the Milesians or Sons of Míl Espáine were the final inhabitants of Ireland, representing the Goidelic Celts. ... In Irish mythology Míl Espáine (Latin Miles Hispaniae, Soldier of Hispania, that is Iberia or modern Spain and Portugal) is the ancestor of the final inhabitants of Ireland, the sons of Míl or Milesians, who represent the Goidelic Celts. ... In Irish mythology, Mac Cuill of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was a son of Cermait, son of the Dagda. ... In Irish mythology, Mac Cecht of the Tuatha Dé Danann was a son of Cermait, son of the Dagda. ... In Irish mythology, Mac Gréine of the Tuatha Dé Danann was a son of Cermait, son of the Dagda. ...

After defeating the Tuatha Dé in battle at Slieve Mish, County Kerry, the Milesians met Ériu, Banba and Fodla, the wives of the three kings, each of whom asked them to name the island after her. Ériu is the origin of the modern name Éire, and Banba and Fodla are still used as poetic names for Ireland, much as Albion is for Great Britain. Statistics Province: Munster County Town: Tralee Code: KY Area: 4,746 km² Population (2006) 139,616 Website: www. ... In Irish mythology, Ériu, daughter of Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann (Tribes of the god(ess) Danu), was one of the patron goddesses of Ireland. ... In Irish mythology, Banba, sometimes spelled Banbha, was the patron spirit of Ireland, wife of King MacCuill, and a goddess of war and fertility. ... In Irish mythology, Fodla, daughter of Ernmas, was one of the patron goddesses of Ireland. ... Map of Éire Éire (pronounced ) is the Irish name for Ireland. ... The white cliffs of Dover. ...

Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Gréine asked for a three-day truce in which the Milesians would stay at anchor nine waves' distance from shore, and the Milesians agreed, but the druids of the Tuatha Dé conjured up a storm to drive them away. However Amergin, son of Míl, calmed the sea with his poetry. The Milesians landed and defeated the Tuatha Dé at Tailtiu, but only three of Míl's sons, Eber Finn, Eremon and Amergin, survived. Amergin divided the land between his two brothers. The Tuatha Dé moved underground, into the sídhe mounds, to be ruled by Bodb Dearg. In Irish mythology, Amergin was a bard and judge. ... Tailtiu (Tailltiu, Tailte, Teia Tephi) is the name of a presumed goddess from Irish mythology and the town in County Meath that was named after her. ... In Irish mythology Eber Finn (Heber, Eibhear) was a son of Míl Espáine who participated in the Milesian conquest of Ireland. ... In Irish mythology Eremon or Heremon was a son of Míl Espáine who participated in the Milesian conquest of Ireland, defeating the Tuatha Dé Danann at Tailtiu. ... In Irish mythology, Amergin was a bard and judge. ... Sídhe (IPA , shee, Modern Irish: sí) is an Irish and Scottish Gaelic word referring first to earthen mounds that were thought to be home to a supernatural race related to the fey and elves of other traditions, and later to these inhabitants themselves. ... In Irish mythology, Bodb Dearg mac an Daghda (Bodb the Red) was a son of the Dagda and succeeded him as King of the Tuatha De Danaan. ...

See also

• List of High Kings of Ireland
• Metrical Dindshenchas