Celtic mythology

Celtic mythology is a rich collection of legends and beliefs that shaped the spirituality of the ancient Celts. Within it, we encounter a variety of deities, both male and female, who reflect diverse aspects of life, nature, and religion. This article will present lesser-known and prominent mythological figures, such as Amaethon, the god of agriculture, and Cernunnos, the god of virility and fertility. We will also explore the role of goddesses, such as Brigit and Morrigan, who played key roles in Celtic cults and rituals, revealing the complexity and diversity of the Celtic pantheon.

Gods

Amaethon - a little-known Gallic deity, probably originally the god of agriculture.

Anextiomarus - a deity, known in Gaul and Britain, with unspecified characteristics and attributes.

Aponus - a god worshipped at a water source in the town of Abano, in northern Italy.

Arar - a Gallic god associated with the cult of water. A river was named after him.

Artaisos, Artaios - a Gallic god worshiped in what is now Beaucroissant. In Roman times, he was identified with Mercury. He was probably associated with the bear cult.

Avgentlan - god of light and development in Ireland.

Baginatis - oak god.

Balor – a one-eyed god belonging to an older generation of deities in Irish mythology, called the Fomoraig. The gaze of his single eye could destroy everything, and it took the strength of four men to lift his eyelid. Dziadeg Luga. Belenos, Belenus, Grannos, Borvo, Bormo – the Gallic sun god, protector of the sick and god of death. In Roman times, he was identified with Apollo. The festival of Beltaine, combined with the lighting of fires, was associated with his cult. Depicted with a wheel (the symbol of the sun).

Beli - a god from Irish mythology, most likely Belenos. God of the Sun and protector of the sick.

Borvo, Bormo – a deity from Gallic mythology, with characteristics similar to Belenos, and in Roman times also identified with Apollo. Like Apollo Borvo, worshiped in today's Bourbonne-les-Bains, formerly known as Aqua Borvis.

Bran - a benevolent god, son of Llyr, nicknamed Bendigeit (the Blessed One), a Gaulish god.

Brennus - Gallic benevolent god.

Bres - a god of the older generation in Irish mythology, Fomóraig; for a time he reigns over the gods of the younger generation. A god of fertility and agriculture, he was the son of Elath and the goddess Eriu.

Brian - one of the three sons of the goddess Danu, the chief deity of the younger generation in Irish mythology. Brother of Iuchair and Iucharbair; all brothers were considered gods of knowledge and wisdom.

Bron - Irish benevolent god.

Caswallan - son of the god Bela, king and god of war in the Welsh mythological cycle.

Cenn - a god to whom every third son was sacrificed.

Cernunnos – the Gallic god of masculinity with stag antlers. Cernunnos wears a torc (a neck ring) and is always accompanied by a ram-headed serpent and a stag. He was very popular among the Celts, and the Druids encouraged his worship, replacing local pantheons of deities and spirits and creating a national religion. In Roman times, he appears on altars found in Reims, under the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, and on a bas-relief from Vendéeuvres.

Cimbrianos - a Gallic god, worshiped on Mount Don near Heidelberg.

Connan - Irish ruler of the older generation of gods.

Cromm Cruaich - "Head of the Tomb" or "Head of the Bloody One"; an Irish god to whom a sacrifice of all firstborn was made on the feast of Samhain, October 31, at the place called Mag Slecht.

Cumhal - an Irian deity with unknown characteristics.

Dagda - "Good God" or "Good Hand," Cera - "Creator," Ruaidh Rofhessa - "Red Hair of Perfect Knowledge," Eochaid Ollathair - "Father of All"; a druid god, a good Irish god from the Tuatha De Danann, possessed a cauldron of abundance and a hammer whose blow severed the thread of life. He governs the seasons through the sounds of his harp. With his staff, he can kill nine men with a single blow, and with its thinner end, he can bring them back to life. On New Year's Day, the Dagda makes love to the raven goddess Morrigan, who then stands astride a river, resting her feet on both banks. The leading deity of the Irish generation of Tuatha De Danann gods, endowed with great strength, power, and voracity, capable of killing and resurrecting those he kills. The god of abundance, the earth, the possessor of perfect secret knowledge, the guardian of magical knowledge, was also the patron of agriculture.

Dis Pater - initially the god of death and the underworld, later the most important god of the Gauls, who believed that he was their ancestor.