Some More on Gods of the Gaelic Pantheon

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Aibheall/Aoibhell/Aoibheall

by Kathleen Ní Bhriain

A Lady of the Mound, or Bean Sidhe (banshee), residing in Graig Liath (grey rock) in County Clare. Her name has been translated as "bright", "sparkling", and "beautiful", all things which are generally attributed to goddessess. Aibheall is said to have a harp which was only heard by those of Clann UíBriain just before they died. For this reason she has been referred to as "banfháidh O mBriain", meaning "prophetress of Clann UíBriain".

One source qoutes a 12th century text in which Aibheall appears to Brian Boru on the eve of his death, to tell him not only of his death, but which of his sons will succeed him as Rí.

The meaning of her name, as well as her history of appearing to members of Clann UíBriain just prior to their death, place Aoibhell in the realm of Goddess of sovereignity, and protector of both Clann UíBriain and County Clare.

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Sources:

Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, Peter Berresford Ellis,
  Oxford University Press, 1992 ISBN: 0-19-508961-8

Myth, Legend and Romance: An Encyclopedia of Irish Folk Tradition_, D/aith/i OhOg/ain Prentice Hall Press, 1991, ISBN: 0-13-275959-4

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Áine

by Dubhaill Heath

The name originally meant 'brightness'. And in archaic times the designation 'Áine' was apparently used for male as well as female deities. In mediaval literature She is said to be the daughter of Manannan mac Lir.

In Her main association with the province of Munster in Co. Limerick, She is referred to as the daughter of oghabhal, who is said to be the King of the Sidhe in that territory. AAccording to Daithi OhOgáin, Eoghabhal's mention as Áine's father is due to Her being adopted as the Patron of Sovereignty and Land Goddess by the Eoghanacht sept. The significance of this is that it was among the Eoghanachts that the Kingship of Munster was held. There is a story in an 8th century text, according to OhOgáin, where Áine is shown to be the ancestress of the Eoghanachts:

Ailill Olum, son of Eoghan Mor went to Cnoc Áine (Knockaney; the hill of Áine) to tend to his horses at Samhain. There on the hillside he lay down and fell asleep. When he awoke he saw that the entire hill had been stripped of it's grass. Not knowing what to make of it he went to Fearchas mac Comain, a seer-poet who was in Leinster. Ailill asked who had done the thing and Fearchas advised that they both go and investigate the following Samhain. When the time came Ailill again fell asleep on the hillside. Then Eoghabhal came accompanied by Áine, His daughter, who was playing an instrument made of bronze. Fearchas slew Eoghabhal and Ailill raped Áine. She then cursed them both for the horrible treatment.

This not only represents a tradition of Ailill being Áine's mate, but in fact reflects an even older tradition. There is in this the significance of the mortal King becomming married to the Goddess of Sovereignty. The statement that Ailill raped Áine recalls older myths of land taking where a battle was fought to win Sovereignty, so that the word 'rape' can be seen more as a metaphor describing the manner in which Sovereignty is often gÁined. Though this story casts quite an unfavorable light on Ailill, OhOgáin points it out as an older radition showing Ailill to be Áine's mate.

In another account given by mediaval scholars, we here a much earlier story of Áine in the time of the Tuatha De Danann where Eoghabhal and His family were seeking territory and went to Nechtain. By His advice they went to take the hill known as Drom Collchoille. At first Eoghabhal and his men were being pushed back by the tribe already inhabiting the territory, but Áine promised to help them win the battle on the condition that the hill be named after Her. As this was promised, She used Her magic to defeat their enemies. The promise was fulfilled and thereafter the hill was call Cnoc Áine. The hill was then divided into four parts. Uainidhe's portion to the North, that of Fear Fi to the South, Eoghabhal's to the West, and Áine's tothe East.

The name Cnoc Áine literally translates as Áine's hill. Dr. Daithi OhOgáin points out that the full name is Cnoc Áine Cliach, the latter part of the name being the ancient name of the territory. Another version of Cliach is Cliu. She is called Áine Chliar, which has been explÁined as meaning 'cliar' (a wisp). OhOgáin's statement is that cliar is actually derived from the afforementioned Cliach.

In regard to some of the customs surroundong Áine, there were Midsummer festivals celebrated upon Croc Áine as recent as the 19th century. There the locals would gather straw (cliara), light them and carry them to the summit of the hill. They would then go to scatter them among the crops and the cattle to insure prosperity. She was sometimes claimed to have been seen on the hill that very night.

The people's feelings about Áine come through when we hear of the different ways she is described by the people, such as "the best hearted Woman who ever lived". OhOgáin recounts a legend he says is still current in Ireland. It tells of how She appeared to a local family in the form of a beggar woman. The family showed Her hospitality, and after She left they discovered a new sheep in their field. All their affairs are said to have prospered as long as they kept the sheep, but that they returned to poverty after selling it.

Although Áine is primarily associated with Cnoc Áine in Munster, there traditions regarding Her in other areas of Ireland as well. At Dun Áine (Dunany in Co. Louth), people refrained from going on the sea during the weekend directly following Lughnasadh, as this time was seen as sacred to Her. In Co. Derry in the parish of Lissan (Lios Áine) there is another hill called Cnoc Áine. Here is another legend about Her which shows Her to be concerned with the wellfare of the people.

The story goes that once, when a cowheard was sleeping, She awakened him to inform him that the cattle had strayed into an oat field. She touched his head, leaving five grey finger marks on his fair hair. According to legend here, she was supposedly once a mortal woman who was abducted into the hill. The local family Corr were reputed to be Her descendants. According to this, She was their bean sidhe, whose wailing presaged the death of family members.

In Co. Donegal, in the parish of Teelin, is yet another hill named Cnoc Áine. Here too She is said to have once been a mortal girl, who having grown weary of her father's harsh orders went into the hill. There She lives in a beautiful palace where She passes Her time 'spinning sunbeams and making gold cloth from the thread'.

Sources:

Myth, Legend and Romance: An Encyclopedia of Irish Folk Tradition, - Dáithí OhOgáin Prentice Hall Press, 1991, ISBN: 0-13-275959-4

Contributed by Seoirse Ó Cearbhaill

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Airmid

by Dawn O'Laoghaire

In the Irish Book of Invasions, Airmid appears as a goddess of healing, particularly of herbal healing. She is the daughter and sister of Dian Cecht and Miach, two gods of healing and like Dian Cécht, her skills reflect a combination of practical knowledge and magic. She plays a central role in the story of how Nuadu's arm was restored and is also strongly associated with healing wells.

Nuadu, king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, lost his arm at the First Battle of Magh Tuiredh and had to relinquish the kingship because he was no longer physically perfect. Dian Cécht made a silver arm to replace the one that Nuadu has lost. His arm replaced, Nuadu became king again.[1] Not content with the silver arm, Dian Cécht's son Miach set about creating a flesh and blood arm for Nuadu. When Miach succeeded in providing a real arm for Nuadu, Dian Cécht became angry and struck his son three blows on the head with a sword. He then struck him a fourth blow which damaged his brain and killed him.[2] Three hundred and sixty five herbs grew from the grave of Miach, each one a cure for any illiness of the three hundred and sixty-five nerves of the human body.[4] The herbs were gathered by Airmid, [3] Miach's sister, who sorted them into groups by healing property and laid them out on her cloak. Dian Cécht shook the cloak, however, and the secrets of the herbs was lost forever. [5]

Airmid, her father and her brothers are said to stand guard over the Well of Healing. Besides Airmid and Miach, Dian Cécht has three other sons, Cian, Cehthé and Cu. Cian married Ethniu, daughter of Balor the Fomor, and gives birth to Lugh.[6] Thus, Airmid is Lugh's aunt and Dian Cécht is Lugh's grandfather. With the aid of two of his sons and Airmid, Dian Cécht created the Well of Healing, his second great act after the second battle of Magh Tuiredh, when the Tuatha Dé Danannan defeated the Fomorians. Dian Cécht, Airmid and two of her brothers sang incantations over a well. When the injured Tuatha Dé Danannan were immersed in the well they were healed.[7] Although the Book of Invasions associates Airmid with a specific mythological well (which seems to be a counterpoint to the Well of Knowledge guarded by Mannannan mac Lir), numerous sacred wells exist throughout the landscape of Ireland. The sacred nature of the Well of Healing, the Well of Knowledge and more mundane wells may reflect a perception that wells were liminal mechanisms, whereby humans could draw a valuable resource (water) from an underground world. Wells also were perceived to have linked the upper and lower worlds, thus permitting humans to communicate with the underworld.[8] Thus Airmid's and Dian Cécht's act in constructing the Well of Healing created a magickal means by which the Tuatha Dé Danannan could draw on the forces of the underworld and be healed.

Sources:

1. Green Miranda J., Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend. IBSN 0-500-27975-6. London:Thames and Hudson, 1992. p. 89.

2. OhOgain Dáithí, Myth, Legend and Romance: an Encyclopedia of Irish Folk Tradition. IBSN 01322759594. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 156

3. Or ‘Airmeith' see OgOgáin, p. 156.

4. Ellis, Peter Berresford, An Encyclopedia of Irish Mythology. IBSN 0874365538. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio, 1987. p. 161.

5. Squire, Charles, Celtic Myths and Legends. Gramercy Books, New York, 1994. p. 82. IBSN 0-517-10157-2. Originally published as Celtic Myth, Poetry and Romance. London: The Gresham Publishing Company, 191?.

6. Squire, Charles, Celtic Myth, Poetry and Romance. London: The Gresham Publishing Company, 191?. p. 62.

7. Green, supra, p. 80.

8. Green supra, p. 224

Contributed by: Dawn O'Laoghaire

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Aithechda

Son of Magog, He is acclaimed as progenitor of all the races which inhabited Ireland after the Deluge. - Ellis, Irish Mythology, p.29

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Aonghus Óg (alt Mac Óg)

God of love; son of the Dagda and Boann. His palace was Brugh na Boinne by the River Boyne at New Grange.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Badb

Goddess of battles; regarded as one of a triune: Badb, Macha (Nemain), and the Mórrígán; her name symbolizes a crow, which is a constant of the war goddesses.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Boann

Laoise Jenkins

There are many legends about Boann, some of them even contradictory to others. But central to all the stories, is that Boann was a water goddess of the Tuatha dé Danaan, connected with rivers in general and the river Boyne in particular. She is represented in animal form as a white cow, and her name means "she of the white cattle."

Boann was the wife of Nechtan, keeper of the sacred Well of Segais, which was a source of knowledge. Only Nechtan and his cupbearers were permitted to approach the well. Anyone else who gazed into the waters of inspiration would be blinded. But Boann ignored this geis, or taboo, and went up to the sacred well. The waters of the well rose up after her. Some stories report that she was drowned, others tell that she scaped. Still other stories state that she escaped but suffered injuries as a consequence of her disobedience. The waters that chased after Boann did not return to the well, however. They continued flowing out to the sea, thus creating a river, which was named after the daring goddess, namely the river Boyne in Ireland.

Boann was also the mother of Aonghus Óg, a god representing love and youth. In these stories, Boann is the wife of Elcmar. The Dagda desires to be with Boann, and he sends Elcmar away on some sort of errand. By magic, he causes Elcmar to believe that he has been gone only a day, but it has truly been 9 months. In that time, the Dagda had his affair with Boann, and she bore him a love-child, Aonghus Óg. Variations of this story, as written by some Christian scribes, told that Boann and the Dagda were married, not lovers, to make the story more agreeable to Christian ideals of morality.

Boann's name translates literally to "she of the white cattle." An earlier Irish form of her name is Bóu-vinda, meaning "illuminated cow." The first part of the name refers to a goddess in bovine form, or that of a cow. Cows are a sacred animal to the Celts. The second part of the name comes from the Celtic word "vind" which covers a range of meaning from the color white, to brightness, to wisdom. Thus Boann is the goddess represented as a sacred cow, who gives illumination or inspiration as associated with the wisdom of the Well of Segais.

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Sources:

Celtic Myth And Legend Poetry And Romance, Charles Squire copyright 1979 Crown Publishers Inc, Bell 1979 editionISBN 0-517-30490-2

A Dictionary of Irish Mythology, Peter Berresford Ellis Oxford University Press 1991 ISBN 0-19-282871-1

Myth, Legend and Romance: An Encyclopedia of Irish Folk Tradition, - Dáithí OhOgáin Prentice Hall Press, 1991, ISBN: 0-13-275959-4

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Bodb Dearg

Son of the Dagda, who succeeded him as ruler of the gods

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Breg

A goddess who was the wife of the Dagda; seems to be a triune goddess: Breg, Meng, and Meabal. - Ellis, Irish Mythology, p.47.

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Bres

Laoise Jenkins

Bres was of the Fomorii, a race of giants of the Otherworld. His name means "Beautiful." He was the son of Elatha, a Fomorii king, and Eriu, a Tuatha dé Danaan goddess.

When Nuada, of the Tuatha dé Danaan, lost his hand in battle, he could no longer serve as king because of the Celtic law that no one could rule, who had a physical blemish. A king's body was thought to be representative of his kingdom. If the king's body was not whole and unblemished, then that might well be reflected in the state of the kingdom. When considering the replacement for their ruler, the Tuatha dé Danaan decided to make an alliance between themselves and the Fomorii. Bres of the Fomorii was married to Brigit of Tuatha dé Danaan, declared King, and given land and a palace. In return, Bres gave assurances that he would abdicate if his rule ever became unpleasant to those who elected him.

Regardless of all his promises, beautiful Bres proved to be a greedy oppressor. He levelled high taxes against the Tuatha dé Danaan of Ireland. By trickery, he also obtained the milk of all their cattle. He asked at first only for the produce of any cows which were brown and hairless, which the Tuatha dé Danaan granted him cheerfully. But then Bres passed all the cattle in Ireland between two fires, so that their hair was singed off, and thus obtained the monopoly of the main source of food. He made virtual slaves of Oghma and the Dagda. He refused to offer proper hospitality and entertainment to his guests, as was expected of the king.

His oppressive tyranny soon caused Bres to lose the throne. One day a guest, a poet of the Tuatha dé Danaan named Cairbre mac Eádaoine, was so insulted by his poor treatment that he delivered the first satire against Bres. This magical satire was so strong it caused Bres to break out with red blotches all over his face. Now that he carried a blemish, the Tuatha dé Danaan called for him to abdicate. Nuada was prepared to take up rule again, because during the time of Bres's rule, Miach the physician had restored Nuada's hand.

Bres fled with Eriu to seek aid from his father, Elatha, to regain rulership over Ireland. Elatha refused to help Bres, however, because he had not ruled with justice. Elatha did, however refer him to other Formorii kings, who assembled their forces and joined Bres in his attempt to regain Ireland. The Fomorii planned to take Ireland by force, and put it under the sea, where the Tuatha dé Danaanwould never find it again.

The Tuatha dé Danaan defeated the Fomorii, though, in the great Battle of Magh Tuireadh. Bres was captured during battle, and in return for his life he promised the Tuatha dé Danaan that he would advise them about agriculture, planting and sowing and thus seems to have become an agricultural divinity.

In Myth Legend and Romance, Dr. Dáithí OhOgáin asserts that the character, Bres, does not appear to be a very ancient one. The text of the 2nd battle of Moytirra states that the name Bres, is actually a sobriquet, and that his real name was Eochu Bres. The name may provide evidence that some early medieval writer borrowed from the stories of Eochaidh to suit his purposes in the Fomorrii context.

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Sources:

The Ancient Celts, Barry Cunliffe, © 1997 Oxford University Press Inc, New York ISBN 0-19-815010-5

A Dictionary of Irish Mythology, Peter Berresford Ellis, Oxford University Press © 1991 ISBN 0-19-282871-1

Celtic Myth And Legend Poetry And Romance, Charles Squire, © 1979 Crown Publishers Inc, Bell 1979 editionISBN 0-517-30490-2

Myth, Legend and Romance, Dr. Dáithí OhOgáin Prentiss Hall Press 1991 ISBN 0-13-275959-4

The World of The Druids, Miranda Green ©1997 Thames & Hudson Ltd, London ISBN 0-500-05083-X

Death, War and Sacrifice - Studies In Ideology and Practice, Dr. Bruce Lincoln © 1991, University of Chicago, ISBN 0-226-48200-6

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Bride

by Ailig MacAnTsaoir

The Goddess Brigit (also known as Brighid, Bride, Brigindo and Brigantia), called by Caesar the equal of Minerva and was seen by some as a close parallel of Artemis, was in reality a typical Celtic triple Goddess, a concept which Peter Berresford Ellis postulates has roots in Indo-European expression. A very much loved Pan-Celtic Goddess whose has recognizable equivalents in all Celtic lands, in Britain and in Gaul, she is known as the Goddess of smiths, of poets and of healers. Her name means Exalted One or High One and many of her appellations such as Bright One, Bright Arrow and Fiery Arrow, signify her aspect as a Solar Goddess. She is daughter of the Dagda and her consort was Bres, son of Elatha, a Formorii King and a woman of the Dé Danaan. She also had three sons by Tuireann. Legend has it that she has two faces one young and beautiful and one old and terrible.

The oral traditions, lore and rituals surrounding this Goddess and folk practices attributable to her worship continue to this day in Celtic lands and wherever Celts are found. Many are the wells and springs in the old Celtic lands which bear Brigit’s name and are the site of votive offerings even unto this day. Brigit’s festival called Imbolc or Lá Fhéile Bréde takes place February 1 at the time that the sheep are beginning to lactate. Her feast marks the hope for spring and it is thus that she takes on an aspect of a fertility figure as well. She is said to preside over fire and the inspiration of the poets who look to her has been called her fire in their heads.

Beloved of Celts, she was carried by them into Christianity and many of her attributes have been linked to St. Brigit. St. Brigit according to Rennes Dinnsenchus was born in County Down in 455 C.E. She founded the Abbey at Kildare, the church of the oak where she died in 525 C.E. At Kildare, there was a perpetual flame tended by ninteen virgins. Dr. Dáithí OhOgáin in Myth, Legend and Romance noted that the Church at Kildare was a converted pagan site and felt that thereby the cult of that place, that of the Goddess Brigit was attached to St. Brigit. It was also noted that there may indeed have been many women who carried the name Brigit which was quite possibly the title of the chief Druidess of that place.

Legends that surround St. Brigit are many. She is said to have been the daughter of a druid and magic from the womb, a ban-droi before her Christian conversion. She was said to have been born as her mother brought milk into the house at sunrise when her other had one foot on the threshold and one foot outside, neither in or outside the house. This legend supported the notion of her being magic from birth. She is said to have been midwife to the Virgin Mary and foster mother to Jesus who is called the Christ. In the southern Hebrides, he is known as Dalta Bride, the foster son of Bride. The church accepted her feast day which coincided with the feast day marking the purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Traditions that can be traced to the reverence of this Goddess/Saint have been observed even unto the present day. Traditions that are still extant in include: ritual lighting of hearth fires including searching ashes for a sign that she has been to that house, parades where images of this saint who is also a goddess adorned with greenery, flowers, shells and stones are carried in a procession around homes, a special bannock known as bonnach Bride which is consumed at a feast in her honor (Scotland), a special churn-staff fashioned into a woman’s figure and dressed as a woman called Brideog or Little Bride (Ireland). Every Irish import store I have ever been in still has the straw crosses called Brigit’s crosses and these are often put in the eves of houses to protect from fire.

Sources:

The Celts - Nora Chadwick Penguin Books, 1971. ISBN 0-14-013607-X

A Dictionary of Irish Mythology- Peter Berresford Ellis Oxford University Press, 1987. ISBN 0-19-282871-1

The Druids - Peter Berresford Ellis, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994. ISBN 0-8028-3798-0

Gods and Fighting Men - Lady Gregory Colin Smythe Ltd., 1904. ISBN 0-901072-37-0

The Celtic World - Miranda J. Green (editor) Routledge, ©1995. ISBN 0-415-05764-7

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Donn, The Lord of the Dead

by Iain MacAnTsaoir

Donn, whose very name means 'dusky one, dark one' [16] is the Lord of the Dead in the Gaelic pantheon [17]. He should not be confused with the Don of Welsh myth, who is the counterpart of Danu in Gaelic mythology.

The abode of Donn is called Tech Duinn, which literally means "the House of Donn" [18]. It is at the House of Donn where the spirits of the dead assemble before departing to OtherWorld [19]. According to the 9th century poet Maél Muru of Othan, Tech Duinn is the assembly place of the dead. According to Maél Muru, Donn himself proclaimed:

"A Stone cairn was raised across the broad sea for his people, A long-standing ancient house, which is named the House of Donn after him. And this was his mighty testament for his hundredfold offspring: 'You shall all come to me, to my house, after your death.'"[20]

This would seem to be all that would be necessary for an introduction to Donn, however, I would be remiss if I were to leave things here. The Roman ideas about Dispater being the father of the Celts, as well as the propensity for many in modern 'Celtic' studies to afix everything into the Hindu patterns, dictates a further treatment of Donn. This is because the Gaelic and other reflexes of the basic Indo-European mythos diverged radically from the typical [21]. The following shall not simply be a matter of histrionics, but shall serve to establish traits in the Gaelic worldview that are not understood otherwise.

The typical expression of the basic mythos of the Indo-Europeans is found in the Vedic materials of the Hindu and is fleshed out by comparison with Iranian mythology [22]. In this mythos, there are twins. One is a priest, 'Mano', and the other is assigned the title of 'Yama' (King), by which he is known, and which signifies his status before and after his death. The death of Yama comes at the hands of his brother Manu in an act of sacrifice which Yama accepted freely. It is this sacrifice, through the dismemberment of Yama that established the cosmos [23]. Yama did not however, end his career there, but went himself to establish the Land of the Dead.

This brings us to the Gaelic materials. When the Milesians came to invade Ireland, amongst the sons of Mil were his chief son, Donn, a king, as well as Amairgen the poet [24]. At their first attempt to make landfall they were repulsed by the magic of the Tuatha Dé Danann. At the second attempt, Donn climbed to the top of the mast of His ship. From there he espied Eriu, just before taking the full force another of the magical blasts conjured by the Tuatha Dé Danann (25). He fell dead into the sea, and it was proclaimed by Amairgen that the spot would thereafter be the place where the children of Mil would go when they died [26]. Presumably it was later when Donn Himself made the proclamation quoted by Maél Muru.

Though the creation of the cosmos aspects are missing, in this telling we see the King who certainly became the Lord of the Dead willingly giving himself up. Donn was a veritable sacrifice enacted by His own doing and not through his life being taken by another (Amairgen). We also see Donn as an ancestor deity, the head of the family so to speak, of the Milesians, hence a Dispater-like deity. We also see the place where the dead would go being pointed out. The implications are in this story, that the realm of Donn is underwater. This would denote the House of Donn as "the land beneath the waves" and other euphemisms for OtherWorld. These lands or cities beneath the waves, where lives the spirits of the departed, are known throughout Celtic lands [27].

This would seem to cause there to be a question about the very physical island that lies to the Southwest of Ireland that was called Tech Duinn (now called Bull Rock). This need not cause a question because there still extant vestiges of Donn's veneration and these establish three sites for Tech Duinn. One of these is where Donn fell into the sea (Bull Rock), and the others are Cnoc Fírinne, a hill in Co Limerick, and the great sand-dunes at Dunbeg on the western coast of Ireland [28]. While the Bull Rock site is also in some places referred to as a cairn, so does the hill at Cnoc Fírinne fit the bill as a Si. This is because folklore states that people were brought to the hill to "be with Donn" when they died, as a the entrance to Donn's palace was believed to have been through a cavity near the summit of the hill [29]. This is fully in keeping with the general belief, as reported by Squires, that the cairns and Si (mounds) were portals to OtherWorld [30].

This would seem to be all that would be necessary in the recounting. However, there is another old tale that gives more information on the beliefs surrounding Donn. This is in the well known cattle raid portrayed in Taín Bó Cuailnge. Both Dr. Lincoln and Dr. OhOgain state that the battle between the Brown Bull (Donn) and the White Bull (Findbennach or Find) is another myth in which the ancient IE mythos is being played out [31]. The finale of this tale is when Donn (the Brown Bull) shreds the White Bull (Find), and creates or recreates the Irish landscape. As Lincoln points out there is a shift here from the basic IE mythos, in that the King becomes the sacrificer [32]. Lincoln explains the shift this way:

Such a transformation may be understood, I believe, if we perceive the way in which the Irish reinterpreted the P-I-E cosmogonic materials they inherited. Thus it is crucial to see that what was originally a myth of creation through sacrifice became for them a myth of creation through combat. Within the context of sacrifice, the figure who stands out as most admirable is the victim - he who permits the ritual to be enacted upon his body for the sake of the world that comes into being as a result. Within the context of combat, however, the vanquished attains no such eminence, and it is the victor alone whose stature is noble. if one is to be elevated after death, it must be the conqueror, not the conquered, and the myth is adjusted accordingly. Thus we are told that Donn died shortly after the Findbennach Aí, suffering a broken heart and giving his body to create the Irish landscape. Donn thus comes to play the role of *Yemo as well as of *Manu. With regard to P-I-E myth, he occupies the position of sacrificer and sacrificed alike, while within the Irish myth he is only the victor. Insofar as he assumes *Yemo's role, however, and insofar as he is infinitely more admirable than the fallen Findbennach Ai/, it is he who becomes the lore of the dead." [33]

Through this we have established that Donn is the Lord of the Dead, that His abode is a Tech Duinn, and that Tech Duinn is the place where the spirits of the dead gather before continuing their journey to Tir na Nog. In addition we have presented Him in the worldview of the Gael, as a victor in combat, as well as sacrificer of self for His people. Hopefully, in addition, the errors of simply inserting piecemeal, Gaelic or other Celtic symbols or deities, into Hindu or other Indo-European patterns, has been demonstrated.

Contributed by Iain MacAnTsaoir as part of a larger work on "An Exploration Of Death In The Gaelic Paradigm of the Classical Age"

Sources

16. Myth, Legend and romance, Daithi OhOgain, pg. 165
Death, War and Sacrifice, Bruce Lincoln, pg. 35
Celtic Mythology, Peter Berresford Ellis, pg. 82

17. Myth, Legend and Romance, Daithi OhOgain, pg. 165
Death, War and Sacrifice, Bruce Lincoln, pg. 35
Celtic Mythology, Peter Berresford Ellis, pg. 82
Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend, Green, pg. 85

18. Myth, Legend and Romance, Daithi OhOgain, pg. 165
Death, War and Sacrifice, Bruce Lincoln, pg. 35
Celtic Mythology, Peter Berresford Ellis, pg. 82
Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend, Green, pg. 85

19. The Druids, Peter Berresford Ellis, pg. 120-121

20. Der irische Totengott, Meyer, pg. 538
Death, War and Sacrifice, Bruce Lincoln, pg. 35

21. Death, War and Sacrifice, Bruce Lincoln pg. 34-36
Archaeology & Language, Colin Renfrew, chapter 10

22. Death, War and Sacrifice, Bruce Lincoln pg. 32-33

23. Death, War and Sacrifice, Bruce Lincoln pg. 32-33

24. Lebhar Gebhala Erenn, Book 8, Irish Texts Society

25. Lebhar Gebhala Erenn, Book 8, Irish Texts Society
Meterical Dindsenchas, 4

26. Meterical Dindsenchas, 4:311

27. Celtic Heritage, Alwin and Brinley Rees, Pg. 343

28. Myth, Legend and Romance, Daithi OhOgain, Pg. 166

29. Myth, Legend and Romance, Daithi OhOgain, Pg. 166

30. Celtic Mythos and Legends, Charles Squires

31. Myth, Legend and romance, Daithi OhOgain, Pg. 167
Death, War and Sacrifice, Bruce Lincoln pg. 34-36

32. Death, War and Sacrifice, Bruce Lincoln pg. 35

33. Death, War and Sacrifice, Bruce Lincoln pg. 35

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Édaín / Étain

Wife of Ogma & daughter of Dian Cécht