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Who are Celts?
The Celts were/are a linguistic group in the
Indo-European language family. Their
unifying language was known as old Celtic
and was the closest cousin to Italic- Latin’s
precursor. The best-known Celtic language
remaining is Gaelic.
Historically, Celtic tribes inhabited most of
the European continent, and Celtic
languages were spoken from Spain to
Austria, from Belgium to Turkey.
 Celtic Mythology
Celtic religion relied Celtic myths tend to Romance and love The story of the
on the gods and follow the same sort affairs are likely to creation of fire is
goddesses known to of format. Romance be a tale of two that the mythical
worshippers in one gentlemen, one hero Aidne rubbed
localized area. and love affairs are
likely to be a tale of young and his hands together
References have
been found that two gentlemen, one handsome and the creating flashes of
identify more than young and other an light, some the size
400 Celtic gods and handsome and the oppressive of apples, which
goddesses, some of other an oppressive guardian, trying to was the first flame
whom were guardian, trying to win the love of a in existence.
recognized only by win the love of a fair maiden .
small cults.
fair maiden .
 Celtic Religion
The Celts typically did not Nonetheless, scholars generally agree
depict their divinities in human that the Celts did not have an
organized, hierarchical pantheon.
form. Because divinities had the
Rather than a court arranged in
power of shape-shifting— descending order under a king of
assuming multiple forms, gods, they saw divinities as arranged
including those of humans and in families, as for example the
animals—there was no native descendants of Danu or Don, both
tradition of sculpting or mother goddesses. These gods did not
live in the sky but in mountains and
painting them in physical form.
the sea, in trees and in running
streams.
 Celtic Religion
This form of religious vision, seeing the divine within
the physical world, is known as pantheism and is distinct
from those religionsthat see divinity as separate from or
transcendent over nature. Although all Celts did not share
the same gods and goddesses, each group having its own
divinities associated with features of their land, there are
some commonalities among the tribes.
 Celtic Deities
ANA/DANU/DANA
Counted among the oldest of the
ancient Celtic gods in Ireland.
Ana (also known as Anu, Dana,
Danu, and Annan) possibly
embodied the primordial scope,
with her epithets describing her
The Primordial Goddess of Nature
as a mother goddess.
 Celtic Deities
DAGDA
father-figure among the Celtic gods
(especially in Gaelic Ireland).
Dagda was often represented as a
rustic tunic.
And in spite of his seemingly oafish
physical characteristics, the Dagda took
numerous lovers, including Morrigan –
the Celtic goddess of war and fate The Cheerful Chief of Gods
(discussed later).
 Celtic Deities
AENGUS (ANGUS) /AONGHUS
The son of the Dagda and river goddess
Bionn.
Aengus (or Aonghus) – meaning ‘true vigor’,
was the Celtic deity of love, youth, and even
poetic inspiration.
In any case, Aengus turned out to be a lively
man with a charming (if somewhat whimsical)
character who always had four birds
hovering and chirping around his head.
The Youthful God of Love
 Celtic Deities
LUGUS
Often revered as the resplendent sun
god.
Lugus or Lugh was also perceived as a
dashing (and often youthful) warrior
responsible for slaying Balor – the
one-eyed chief of the Formorii, the old
adversaries of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
The Courageous Warrior God
 Celtic Deities
MORRIGAN
(also known as Morrígu) was perceived as a
mysterious and rather ominous female deity among
the Irish Celtic gods and goddesses, associated
with both war and fate.
Morrigan was capable of shapeshifting (who usually
transformed into a crow – the badb) and foretelling
doom, while also inciting men into a war frenzy.
Morrigan was possibly also venerated as a Celtic
goddess of sovereignty who acted as the symbolic
guardian of the land and its people. The Mysterious Goddess of Fate
 Celtic Deities
BRIGID
Brigid, in pre-Christianity Ireland,
was regarded as the Celtic
goddess of healing, spring season,
and even smithcraft.
In the mythical narrative, she is
the daughter of the Dagda and
thus a member of the Tuatha Dé
The ‘Triple’ Goddess of Healing
Danann
 Celtic Deities
BELENUS
One of the most ancient and most widely
worshiped of Celtic gods – who was
venerated in Continental Europe, Britain
and Ireland, Belenus (also known as
Belenos, Bel, and Beli Mawr) was the
quintessential sun god in the Celtic
mythology.
Known by his epithet ‘Fair Shining One’.
Belenus was also associated with the horse
and the wheel . The Effulgent Sun God
 Celtic Deities
TOUTATIS
was probably quite an important Celtic
deity, with his very name roughly translating
to ‘God of the People’.
he was possibly perceived as a crucial
guardian entity who took up the role of the
tribe protector, and thus his inscribed name
(TOT – as pictured above) has been found
in quite a few ancient artifacts in both
The Guardian God of Gauls
Roman-Britain and Gaul.
 Celtic Deities
CAMULOS

Camulos was possibly more of

a Romano-Celtic deity, often
associated with Mars (or Greek
Ares).
was perceived as a god of war

The God of War

 Celtic Deities
TARANIS
widely known as one of the major gods of
Gaul during Roman times, the origins of
Taranis probably harked back to far older
(and ancient) Celtic traditions.
he was regarded as the god of thunder,
thus drawing obvious comparisons to
Roman Jupiter (and Greek Zeus).
Taranis was also depicted with a solar
The God of Thunder
wheel –
 Celtic Deities
CERNUNNOS
Cernunnos is actually the
conventional name given to the
deity ‘Horned One’.
As the horned god of Celtic
polytheism, Cernunnos is often
associated with animals, forests,
fertility, and even wealth.
The Lord of the Wild Things

 Celtic Deities
OGMIOS/OGMA
Ogmios, as one of the ancient Celtic gods,
goes against this ‘trend’ since he was
simply considered as the god of eloquence.
Ogmios does one better on the ‘bling’
factor by having long chains (made of
amber and gold) attached to his tongue
(inside his smiling mouth) that connect him
with his group of followers.
The God of Eloquence
 Celtic Deities
GRANNUS
Grannus was perceived as one of the
(originally) Celtic gods of healing, who was
later associated with Apollo and often
venerated as a composite deity of
ApolloGrannus in the Roman world.
Grannus was typically linked to the hot
springs and often worshipped in conjunction
with Sirona – a Celtic goddess of healing.
The God of Hot Springs
 Celtic Deities
EPONA
Epona belonged to the rare second
category. Regarded as the female deity and
protector of horses, donkeys, and mules
(etymologically, the word ‘Epona’ is derived
from Proto-Celtic *ekwos – meaning horse),
the Celtic goddess was also possibly
associated with fertility – given the visual
cues of patera, cornucopia, and foals in
some of her extant sculptures. The Protector Goddess of Horses
 Celtic Deities
ERIU/EIRE
Regarded as one of the Celtic gods
among the Tuatha Dé Danann, Eriu
(modern Irish – Eire) has the distinction
of having an entire nation named after
her.
Her modern name Eire is modified to suit
the current pronunciation of Ireland.
Eriu serves as the modern personification
The Goddess of ‘Ireland’
of Ireland.

Celtic Myths
Tuatha De Danann The Tuatha De Danann said to come from the tribe or
the folk people of the Goddess Danu. They were said to be a
tribe of Celts who took over Ireland and ruled for thousands
of years until the uprising of the Milesian tribe. This uprising
divided Ireland into two parts, the realm of the Lord of Light,
above ground was given to the Milesian tribe to rule over
and the realm of the Lord of the Underworld, underground
was given to the De Danann.

Underground, the De Danann tribe lived with the

Sidhe, mythical creatures who some claim to be fairies, who
gave them a sanctuary privilege to preserve their sacred
arts. In other variants of the story they were with the Sidhe
being held under arrest. The De Danann tribe also possessed
the key to magical doors between the realms and when they
passed over to the Otherworld, the realm that paralleled the
worldly realm, their descendants would then awaken to find
these keys to unlock the door and join them.
Cuchulain Cuchulain was a demigod. His father is said to be the
god Lug, and with his aid, Cuchulain slew the
watchdog of Culann, which is how he gained his
name meaning “Culann’s Hound”. Lug was the Lord of
skills. He was a tribal god who was skilled in the use
of a spear and sling, both of which were blessed with
magical powers. At the young age of seven,
Cuchulain defeated three champions and as he
proceeded to grow in age, he also grew in strength,
wisdom, and skill3. He deemed himself the warrior
protector and willed himself to be a hero and the
champion of Ireland4. He was the champion of Ulster
for over ten years3 and during that time it is said that
he fought the entire army of Maeve, the legendary
queen of Connaught, after she put Ulster into an
enchanted sleep because she wished to have the
finest bull in all of Ireland.
Fionnn Fionn was the hero of Leinsten and a
legend of the people who were hunters,
fishers, and love-makers. In some parts
of the Celtic religion Fionn is also call Finn
MacCool. His most legendary stories are
that of his great army, called the Feinn
who are the defenders of Ireland.

Fionns story begins when he was in

infant because it was then that he was
taken away from his home for his own
safety and raised in the deep woods.
This is where when he was a child he
strangled a polecat with his bare
hands.
 Thank you
for
listening, educators!