Don't Know Much About Mythology - Kenneth C. Davis [137]
A pastoral and agricultural god of both fertility and abundance, Cernunnos is thought to dispense fruit, grain, and wealth. But he is also associated with the small “solar wheels” that the Celts placed in graves, presumably as emblems of the sun to provide light in the underworld.
Epona Known as the “horse goddess,” Epona is also associated with the earth and fertility, and is one of the most popular Celtic goddesses. In a very ancient story, it was said that Epona was born when her father, who hated women, mated with a horse. Epona is one of the few deities to whom stone monuments were erected that still survive, most of them in France. Representations of Epona usually show her with a horse, revered in the Celtic world for its beauty, speed, bravery, and sexual vigor. Sometimes Epona was shown riding sidesaddle or standing between two ponies.
When Roman cavalry officers learned of Epona, they adopted her and held an official Roman festival in her honor each year on December 18. She is the only Celtic deity to be accorded the honor of a Roman festival.
Nantosuelta The goddess whose name meant “wandering river,” Nantosuelta was once thought to be a water goddess, but is now more often viewed as a fertility goddess—water being seen as a powerful symbol of birth. The patron of hearth and home, she is the consort of Sucellus, an agricultural god, and she is usually depicted carrying a basket of apples.
Sucellus Sometimes described as the “king of the gods,” Sucellus is a male fertility deity whose name meant the “good striker.” Always depicted carrying a long-handled hammer, he uses this tool to wake up the plants and herald spring.
Taranis The thunder god, Taranis rides across the sky in his chariot, which emits thunder from its wheels and lightning from the sparks of his horses’ hooves. A powerful Celtic war god, Taranis was equated by the Romans with Jupiter (like Zeus, the god of thunder) and sometimes with their war deity, Mars. (He is also connected to the Norse god Thor; see below.) The Roman writer Lucan singles Taranis out as the god to whom human sacrifices were made, although more recent scholarship shows sacrifices were made to several Celtic gods. Seven altars dedicated to Taranis are known to have existed in the Celtic world, all dating from Roman times.
Part II: The Celtic Gods of Ireland
Brigid Known as the “exalted one,” Brigid is an Irish fertility and war goddess. Supposedly raised by a Druid, she is a divine “multitasker,” responsible for healing, fire, blacksmiths, poetry, wisdom, and protecting the flocks. As the saying goes, a woman’s work is never done.
Her holy day, called Imbolc, is one of the four major Celtic religious festivals of the year, an important springtime event celebrating ewes coming into milk—a powerful symbol of rebirth and fertility for Irish Celts. It was also traditionally a time during which a wife or husband could legitimately walk out of their marriage.
More intriguing than Brigid’s mythical stories are the parallels between this pagan goddess and her sixth-century namesake, St. Brigid (450 CE-523 CE), who blinded herself in order to avoid an arranged marriage and become a nun. The goddess Brigid is known for her generosity, and St. Brigid became one of Ireland’s patron saints, known for her miraculous ability to feed people and perform endless acts of kindness. St. Brigid also tended a fire that was said to burn continuously for hundreds of days, just as the goddess Brigid was associated with the ritual fires of purification. Finally, St. Brigid’s feast day is celebrated on February 1, the same day that Imbolc, the festival of the goddess Brigid, had been celebrated.
Daghda Known as the “good god,” Daghda is viewed by the Irish people as the “father of the gods,” but could never be confused with a deity like Zeus. Think John Goodman: kindly, fat, and