Celtic Gods

Major Deities

• Dagda

  The Dagda was chief of the Irish Tuatha dé Danann, god of life and death, agriculture and fertility. A learned advisor and master of druidic magic, he possessed a cauldron that provided plenty, a massive club that granted life or death, and an enchanted harp that ordered the seasons.

• Morrigan

  The fearful Phantom Queen known as the Morrígan was the Irish goddess of death, discord, and war. She was portrayed both as a single entity and as three sisters who could issue terrifying prophecy and foretell the deaths of warriors and kings.

• Lugh

  Lugh of the Long Arm was a young Irish god who sought revenge for his father’s unjust death. A master of all skills, he lead the Tuatha dé Danann to victory against the Fomorians. His death marked the decline of his tribe’s presence in Ireland.

• Cu Chulainn

  The great hero of the Ulster Cycle, Cú Chulainn was a man of great passions whose skills were rarely matched in battle. A proud warrior, he could fight back hordes of enemies with unmatched rage.

• Danu

  Danu was the mysterious Celtic mother goddess and ancestor of the Irish Tuatha dé Danann. It was from her that the tribe took its name. Little is known about Danu, though she may have some connection to the Danube River. Other theories hold that she was a wind or earth goddess that looked after her nomadic tribe.

• Cernunnos

  The Horned God Cernunnos was a mysterious Gaelic deity associated with the woodlands. Though little is known about Cernunnos’ role in Celtic mythology, folklorists and neopagans have constructed a new mythic tradition around his image.

• Brigid

  Brigid, the Exalted One, was the Irish goddess of spring, fertility, and life. She reigned over Imbolc, a winter holiday that marked the beginning of the Irish year. Tales of Brigid were told in every corner of Ireland, and aspects of her lived on in the figure of St. Brigid of Kildare.

• Aengus

  Aengus was the chief poet of the Tuatha dé Danann and son of the Dagda. His music and poetry charmed women, inspired kings, and won his enemies’ property from under their noses. He was later charmed himself by Caer Ibormeith, the woman of his dreams.

• Ceridwen

• Arawn

• Cailleach

  The Cailleach was a mysterious ancient figure in Scottish and Irish lore. In addition to being the goddess of winter and old age, she was a trickster who assisted those dwelling in the harsh winters of the north.

• Gwydion

  Gwydion fab Dôn was a magician in the Mabinogi, an advisor and father figure to his nephew Lleu whose magic often helped those around him but frequently had unintended consequences in the long-term.

• Medb

  Medb was the Queen of Connacht in the Ulster Cycle, whose passions and ambition put her well above most men in Ireland. She clashed with King Conchobar of Ulster, grandfather of Cúchulain.

• Badb

  Badb Battle-Crow was one of the three sisters of the Morrígan, Irish goddess of war and death, who sowed fear and discord in combat and could turn the tide of battle.

• Nuada

  Nuada of the Silver-Hand was the first King of the Tuatha dé Danann, well liked and wise, yet he was forced to give up the throne after he lost his hand. His successor, however, was so unjust that a silver hand was made for him, so he could retake the throne.

Minor Deities

• Herne the Hunter

  A fearful figure in British folklore, Herne the Hunter was a phantom who first appeared in William Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. He may have represented a long-forgotten Celtic or Anglo-Saxon deity.

• Taranis

  Taranis was the pan-Celtic god of thunder, a booming deity whose club represented his strength and whose other symbol, the wheel, represented not just the speed of storms but the speed of his warriors in battle.

• Taliesin

  Known as the great Chief of Bards, Taliesin was a poet, historian, and strategist of the British Isles. Famed for his beauty, as well as his powers of poetry and prophecy, the mythic Taliesin was based on a 6th century historical figure of the same name. He served many kings, including the legendary king Arthur.

• Neit

  Neit was the Irish god of war, a discerning deity who joined the Tuatha dé Danann to fight his own kin, the Fomorian, at the ferocious Second Battle of Moytura.