Wisdom and Archetypes of Celtic Deities

The Celtic Gods and Goddesses were mostly worshiped throughout Western Europe, mostly in Ireland, England, France and Northern Italy. It is said that first settlers of Ireland were the Tuatha de Dannan, the people of Goddess Danu.

Aengus - God of Love

Aengus was a son of the God Daghdha and Goddess Boann. He is a god of unrequited love, portrayed as very handsome and attractive young man of fine physique. He is also a trickster God, known for his wit and charm. He is also associated with funerary rites.

Aine - Goddess of Adaptability

Aine a Celtic Goddess, she is both a sun goddess and the daughter of a faery

king. Her name derives from Gaelic and means "bright" and she is also connected to a Celtic pantheon Tuatha Dé Danann (Children of the Goddess Danu), from where the legends of faeries comes from. Aine is known for her shape-shifting abilities in order to travel between mortal and faery world. She would be celebrated and honored with bonfires during summer Solstice when sun shines longest and brightest. The hill Cnoc Aine in Ireland is renamed after her.

Arianrhod - Goddess of time

Arianrhod is a Celtic Goddess of the divine timing. She has been tricked into giving a birth to a son, but she knew wasn't ready to name and therefore claim him. She waited until she was ready to acknowledge the boy as her own before giving him a name. She didn't give in into threats of her enemies, who rushed her, but waited until the time was right. Because it was she who decided when time was right, she reclaimed her power of choice. Her name means "Silver Wheel" in Welsh, because it evokes an image of the moon. Moon has been the greatest time indicator in the old days, marking time passing as it wanes and waxes. As Arianrhod turns the wheel, the new moon grows full, human intentions or intentions comes into manifesting.

Blodeuwedd - Goddess of Betrayal

Blodeuwedd is a Welsh Earth Goddess who was married to a Sun god Lugh on the Midsummer of Lughnassah (One of the main witches sabbaths). She is associated with betrayal, because she tricked her husband who then got killed by her lover. Legend says Lugh came after a year to revenge his death by killing Blodeuwedd's lover. She fled into woods to escape her husbands wrath, she turned into a owl as a punishment for her betrayal. Blodeuwedd is an archetype of Hungry Earth Goddess hunting for blood to fertilize her soil.

Branwen - Goddess of Forgiveness

Branwen is a Celtic Goddess and a queen who forgave those who caused her own death. She is best known for her deep connection and compassion to the land. She was very beautiful but died of broken heart, as she blamed herself for a destruction of two kingdoms. She married into one in order to keep peace between two kingdoms, but she married into an abusive relationship. Her marriage was challenged by her own brother, destroying the marriage and the two kingdoms in the process. .

Brigid - Goddess of Creative Spark and Inspiration

Brigid is a fiery Celtic Goddess of creativity, her name means "bright". She is also a triple Goddess of fire: inspiration, smith-craft, poetry, healing and divination. She is a member of pantheon Tuatha Dé Danann (Children of Goddess Danu). She inspires the bards or poets, she transforms and heals all where ever she goes. It is said that Brigid was born with a flame reaching out from the top of her head, connecting her to universe. She remained creative even in her grief, after both of her sons died. Around A.D.450 she was merged into St.Brigid. St. Brigid was daughter of a druid, was a goldsmith and a healer. She is celebrated during Imbolc festivities, while making St. Brigid's cross.

Cernunnos - Gods of Prosperity

Cernunnos is a horned God from Gaul region. He is often portrayed wearing antlers of a stag, with long beard and shaggy hair, surrounded by animals, keeper of balance in nature. He is a god of prosperity, male animals, fertility and vegetation. He is a protector of the forests and a guardian of other-world.

Cerridwen - Goddess of Potential, Death and Rebirth

Cerridwen or Cerridwyn is Celtic Welsh Goddess, often portrayed with magical and transformative cauldron of knowledge. She lives on a remote island, now days known as Bala Lake in Wales. She is a triple Goddess - Maid, Mother and Crone, and is often portrayed with great white sow. She is associated with the moon, inspiration, poetry, shape-shifting, life and death and prophecy. One of Cerridwen's son was ugly, so she tried to make him a potion, which took a year and a day to create. Her assistant Gwion drank it instead, so Cerridwen chased him across the land, often shape-shifting into different animals. When she finally got him, she swallowed him, just to give a birth to him again. Gwion fulfilled his prophecy and potential to became Cerridwen's apprentice.

Daghdha - Father of Celtic Gods

Daghdha is considered the father of the Irish gods and one of the three kings of Tuatha Dé Dannan. His names can translate as "the Good God". According the Druids, he was a god of wisdom, a sky and the Earth. He is a father of Goddess Brighid and Gods Ogma and Aengus. He is often portrayed with the Cauldon of Plenty which provides nourishment enough for an army.

Danu - Mother of Tuatha Dé Dannan

Celtic Goddess Danu is the earth mother who gave birth to magic. She carries a grounded promise and assurance of becoming. She is closely connected to Earth and water. She is a namesake of the Celtic pantheon Tuatha Dé Danann, or “Children of the Goddess Danu.” Her children were gods and goddesses of ancient Ireland, who made their home in forests' caves and trees, carrying legends of fairies and leprechauns. Her name may be connected to the Great Danube River, where Tuatha could have lived before they came to Ireland. She is often portrayed with a well with swimming salmon who feeds on hazelnuts that fall from a tree of knowledge. In many legends, Danu is a source of magic which nourishes the life on Earth.

Gwenhwyfar - Goddess of Judgment

Gwenhwyfar is a sovereign Welsh Celtic Goddess of Judgment and the first lady of the islands and seas. It is believed she existed as long as there the sea itself. She was admired for her wisdom and clear judgment. A prophesy says, that no man could rule Wales without her by his side. Many tried to abduct her, believing that possessing her would make them king. They didn't understand that it is Gwenhwyfar's judgment, not her love which was needed to become a king of Wales. Gwenhwyfar is believed to be Queen Guinevere, the unhappy wife of King Arthur in his castle at Camelot.

Elen - Goddess of Patterns

Elen is another Celtic Goddess, she is a goddess of paths and patterns. Her father was a chef in times when Romans ruled Britain. She was married to a roman emperor Magnus Maximus and moved with him to Gaul. When her husband died, she returned to Britain where she ruled on her own. She set up three strongholds to watch over and protect her kingdom and establish roads to connect and make a travel easy throughout their kingdom. The saying "Elen of the Ways" deprives from her. Welsh church has made her a saint.

Epona - Goddess of Wise Leadership

Epona is a Celtic Goddess og leadership and guidance. She improved trade, healing and fertility of horses and cattle in ancient town of Alesia. After Romans defeated Gauls, she continued to offer her wise guidance to Romans as well. To invoke Epona, emperor would place a shrine inside the stables.

Epona is also portrayed as Goddess Rhiannon, another Celtic Horse Goddess. Epona is portrayed as a beautiful woman with a mare on one side and a bundle of grain on the other.

Lugh - The God of Sun

Lugh is God of light, some say he came from the sea, others consider him a son of Daghdha. He is second great king of the Tuatha Dé Dannan. He is associated with one of the main Witch's sabbaths, the harvest celebration of Lughnasadh or Lamas which falls on 1st of August each year. Lugh is the keeper of a great spear and is a god of many skills. He granted magical skills to his army to use it in battle. He was married to Goddess Blodeuwedd, who betrayed him for her lover. Lugh turned Bloduwedd into an owl as a punishment.

Maeve - Goddess of Responsibility

Maeve is another Celtic Goddess associated with Ireland, it represents its magical center, Tara. Her name means "intoxicating". She became a Queen who could outrun horses or bring men to ecstasy with a mere look. She was also a warrioress. She battled with her husband about who has the most wealth, as it meant who was the true ruler. Her husband won, because he owned a magical bull, but Maeve stole the bull. After the battle her and her husband's bulls fought each other to sheds.

Manannan Mac Lir - God of Reincarnation

Morgan la Faye - Goddess of Rhythms

Morgan la Faye is a Celtic triple Goddess of death and rebirth, portrayed as a young maiden, powerful mother and a hag. She is also a sea Goddess, "Mor" in Celtic means sea. La Faye has two meanings, the Fairy and the Fate. Legend says she was also a half-sister of King Arthur, with whom she had a son Mordred. Mordred killed his father, whom Morgan takes to magical island of Avalon to heal him, so that he can again awaken when the time is right.

Rhiannon- Goddess of Doubt and Movement

Rhiannon is a Welsh or British Horse Goddess of the Underworld, whose name means the Great Queen Goddess. She appears to her followers riding on the unearthly horse. She symbolizes the unceasing force of movement that pulls all of life along with it. She wasn't a human, but she married a mortal and bore him a son, who disappeared at birth. Rhiannon was accused by her maids, who smeared the puppy blood at her face, that she ate her son. She doubted herself, if she really wasn't responsible for her baby's death, as she wasn't from Human world. As a punishment she had to play a horse and had to carry all her husbands guests on her back. Her son re-appeared after seven years, after that she lived happily. She is also known as Epona, which is worshiped as another Celtic Horse Goddess during time of Romans.

Sheila Na Gig - Goddess of Opening

Sheila Na Gig is an ancient Irish Goddess of birth and death. She is portrayed as grinning hag (woman of wisdom) holding open her genitalia. She is portrayed in her glory with boned rib cage, dried out breast, with few teeth and almost bold, but still vibrant and in all her beauty of her age. She dares you to look at her, face your deepest fears about yourself and aging, celebrate what must die and what beauty age brings as well.

Sulis - Goddess of Illness and Wellness

Sulis is an ancient British Goddess, supposedly a Sun goddess located in Bath - spa of health and healing. Her waters were miraculous in their ability to cure illnesses. She swims through the healing waters into the light of the sun. She represents the depth which is required for people to dive into when they journey into healing of body, mind and the spirit.

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