Abnoba
Romano-Celtic forest and river goddess in the Black Forest area. Her name
is the source of the English river name "Avon" and its cognates
in continental Europe. Also goddess of the hunt, similar to the Roman
Diana.
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Achall
In Irish legend, Achall was a loving sister who died of sorrow when her
brother was killed in battle.
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Achtan
The Irish heroine who bore Cormac, the king.
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Achtland
In Celtic legend, this mortal queen could not be satisfied with human
men, so she took a giant as her spouse.
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Adsullata
A Continental Celtic goddess of rivers and springs, she may be equated
with Sul.
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Adsagsona
Celtic goddess of the underworld and of magic.
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Aebh
The wife of Lêr.
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Aerfen
A British war goddess, presiding over the fate of wars between the Welsh
and the English. Her shrine was at Glyndyfrdwy on the River Dee. Tradition
says three human sacrifices had to be drowned there every year to ensure
success in battle. |
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Aeval
Among the Celts of Ireland, Aeval was the Fairy Queen of Munster. She
held a midnight court to determine if husbands were satisfying their wives'
sexual needs, or not, as the women charged.
Agrona
("slaughtering") A British warrior Goddess, perhaps a version
of the Irish Morrigan, in that she is associated with rivers as well.
Goddess of strife and slaughter. The river Aeron in Wales is named after
her.
Aibell
An Irish fairy goddess.
Aife
I
("pleasant", "beautiful") Third wife of Ler, the evil
stepmother of Aedh, Conn, Fiachra, and Finnguala, who transforms them
into talking swans in a fit of jealous spite, as she was childless. When
her misdeed was discovered, she herself was transformed into a vulture,
and made to stay eternally in the winds.
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Aife
II
("pleasant", "beautiful"). The Irish lover of Ilbrech,
she is transformed into a crane by a jealous rival. In such form, and
as a water-bird, she becomes a part of Manannan's Realm; and when at length
she dies, he makes of her remains the fabulous Crane Bag, in which he
stores his chief treasures.
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Aimend
An Irish sun-goddess.
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Ain
Along with her sister, she wrote the Brehon Laws, an ancient law code
of Celtic Ireland which protected women's rights.
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Aine
("brightness", "glow", "splendour", "glory")
An Irish Faery Goddess of love and desire, she is also the tutelary Goddess
of Knockany, Munster. Her name derives from the root for "fire",
she may be considered as an aspect of the Brigit. She is sister to Grian;
her father is either Fer Í or Eogabal. Daughter of Eogabail, who
was in turn the foster-son of Manannan mac Lir. Later regarded as a fairy
queen in County Limerick.
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Aine
of Knockaine
An Irish goddess of the moon at Munster, and patroness of crops and cattle.
She is present at the festival of midsummer, and her blessing made the
meadowsweet fragrant. She may be identified with Anu. |
Airmed
A goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann of Ireland.
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Anann
A form of the major Irish mother goddess; overlaps with Danu. Worshipped
in Munster as a goddess of plenty. Gave her name to the Paps of Anu, twin
hills in Co. Kerry. In her dark aspect, she formed a Fate trinity with
Badb and Macha.
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Ancamna
A Gaulish water goddess known from inscriptions in the Moselle valley,
near Trier. Apparently recognized as a Consort to a divinity identified
by the Romans as Mars.
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Andarta
("bear") An obscure continental Gaulish goddess known from inscriptions
in Berne and in the south of France. Apparently a Patroness of the Vocontii
tribe, and perhaps a counterpart or Aspect of Artio. She may also have
a connection with Andrasta
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Andrasta
(Andraste, Adraste) A British warrior Goddess of the Iceni tribe, who
accepted sacrifices of hares and, perhaps humans. She is perhaps best
known as the deity invoked by the Iceni warrior-queen Boudicca in her
rebellion against Rome at King's Cross in 61 CE.
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Anu
An Irish Celtic fertility goddess, venerated as the mother of the gods.
The center of her cult was the fertile Munster in southeast Ireland. The
two rounded hilltops near Killarny are called 'the two breasts of Anu'.
Anu is occasionally confused with Danu.
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Aoifa
An Irish warrior princess, sister of Scathach, who was teacher to Cuchulainn
in the arts of war. Aoifa became Cuchulainn's lover and bore him a son,
Conlai, who fate decreed would be killed by his father.
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Arduinna
The tutelary Goddess of the Gaulish Ardennes Forest region. She seems
to be a particular protectress of wild boars, and is imaged as riding
upon one at least once. Often conflated with the Roman Diana. The Gaulish
(Celtic) goddess of the moon, hunting, and forests. She was very popular
in the Ardennes, to which she gave her name. She is accompanied by a boar,
her sacred animal.
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Argante
The Queen of Avalon in Layamon's Brut who will heal Arthur's wounds and
restore him. Without a doubt, another aspect of Morgan le Fay.
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Arianrhod
("silverwheel") The Inner Peace of Motherhood is expressed by
this holy Lady from Gaulish France, who wears a torc of rank and gazes
quietly while breast-feeding her children. She may be the Welsh Goddess
Arianrhod, associated with the Milky Way and mother of the twin boys Dylan
and Lugh.
The mother goddess of Celtic Aryans, Keeper of the endlessly circling
Silver Wheel of the Stars, symbol of Time. Beautiful and pale of complexion,
She was the most powerful of the mythic children of the Mother Goddess
Don. The willow is her tree.
Arianrhod was the mother of Llew; the tale of how she was guiled into
granting him a name and arms is a mainstay of the Mabinogion.
She is associated with Night, with the star Polaris, and her hall is said
to be the aurora borealis. As her name implies, she may very well be a
late version of a Moon-Goddess. She had two brothers, Gilfaethwy and Gwydion,
and was the sister of Math ap Mathonwy, who required a virgin's lap to
place his feet in, unless he was at war. The word morwyn may mean
either 'virgin' or 'free young woman', but it also indicates her divine
status. When this virgin was raped, Math asked for a replacement, and
Arianrhod volunteered. But when she stepped over his rod, she immediately
gave birth to two children: a young boy and a blob. The boy-child was
named Dylan; he was a sea-being who returned to the waves. The blob was
snatched up by Arianrhod's brother Gwydion, who hid it in a chest until
it became a baby. Arainrhod imposed three geases upon this boy: he would
have no name unless she named him, he would bear no arms unless she armed
him, and he would have no human woman to wife. Thus, Arianrhod denied
him the three essential passages to manhood. Nevertheless, Gwydion raised
the nameless boy, and one day Arianrhod spied a young boy killing a wren
with a single flung stone. She called out that he was a bright lion with
a sure hand, and thus he took that name: Llew Llaw Gyffes. Later, Gwydion
faked an alarm, and tricked her into arming the boy.
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Arnemetia
The British-Celtic water goddess.
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Artio
Artio of Muri, usually depicted in the form of a bear, she was the continental
Celtic goddess of the bear cult. She may have been the consort of Essus,
the agricultural god of the Essuvi. She is depicted sitting by a tree
in front of a huge bear with a basket of fruit by her side, as seen in
the Berne (meaning 'bear') region of Switzerland.
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Aufanie
Continental Celtic deities. They seem to have been matron-like figures.
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