Irish mythology-- Help me!?

Question

I'm doing research on irish mythology, and I'm lost. So, Ireland was invaded by 5 waves of different Gods? What does that mean? Were the fomorians and the firbolg and the tautha de dannaan all Gods? Like, were they all different races, not humans? Were they like animals or something? And How does Morrigan fit in there? And lastly, what is Irish mythology? Its obviously not like Greek, within which it was clearly established and there were temples and such. Was it just a series of legends passed on by word of mouth? Or more like Greek in that it was an established system of belief?

Answer 1

If you want the best of information find a copy of Myth,Legend & Romance, An Encyclopædia Of The Irish Folk Tradition.ISBN 0-13-2759-4

Answer 2

The Book of Invasions was about the five various tribes that invaded Ireland over the years. The characters were not necessarily gods, and in fact are often not god-like at all, other than certain members having supernatural attributes/ The Tuatha were the closest to gods, as many of them had magic weaponry and some powers, but they are nowhere near omnipotent like Greek gods, and you don't hear much about worship of any sort. The Fomhoire were sometimes said to be monstrous looking but at the same time intermarried with the Tuatha.

It is sometimes thought that these legends may in fact have a grain of truth and be twisted folk memories of ancient migrations of people in prehistoric times. As the Irish passed information on only orally back then, and did sso until fairly modern times,there is a greater chance of some elements surviving, though not intact. It is interesting that at one time it was thought 'celts' came to Ireland about 500 BC from central Europe...but there was no mention of anything like that in any of their mythologies. Dna showed a much earlier tie to the Atlantic seaboard, from Iberia to northern France. And where does the legends in the book of Invasions mention as a source of some of the Invasions--Spain & the Mediterranean!

The morrighan is a war goddess, who has three aspects. Her name means something like Great Spirit Queen. She probably has something to do with the much later Morgan La Fay. Some Arthurian scholars have tried to distance her from Morgan, as Morgan means 'sea' in Welsh (althogh this is a male name), but they share many attributes and actually many of the Arthurian names do have an Irish root-- Exclabur-Caldbolg, Guinevere-Findhabhair. The Gawain and the Green Knight episode is lifted almost wholesale from Irith myth (Curoi the druid)

Answer 3

The Celts were a large grouping of peoples spread across Europe.

Consisting of many tribes and settlements, renowned for their guerilla warfare, they appeared in eastern Europe in the 2nd millenium BCE and moved west and south, dominating cultures in northern Europe.

One of the few civilizations to resist against Roman rule, their mythology is diverse, and fascinating in its obscurity.

A rich of myth, fable and legend is part of the legacy of the Celtic past, many of its deities have survived in modern art.

In Celtic myth, Ceridwen was a witch, renowned as the mother of the great Welsh hero Taliesin.

Merlin was the famous magician of Arthurian legend , who some sources say created the supernatural construction of Stonehenge. He was also responsible for creating the Round Table and the layout of Camelot.

The Lady of the Lake gave Arthur the sword Excalibur, but she was also known as Nimue.



The first supernatural race of the people of Ireland , the Tuatha De Danann fought many battles against the Formori or demons, but they were not immortals and so gradually vanished from the world, their mythic status also diminishing to that of fairies, elves or spirits in nature.



Danu was one of most important early Celtic goddesses worshipped Europe, and was based on her association with place names such as the Danube, Driept and Don.

Danu was the mother goddess of the Tuathe De Danann.

( In Hindu mythology a goddess named Danus was associated with water and mothered a race of Asuras - ' power seeking deities ' called the Danavas. It seemed that Danu had very ancient roots. )



The Dagda was the original chief of the supernatural inhabitants of Ireland.

Married to Danu, and he was ' good ' in the sense of being all-powerful and the provider of plenty.



Eriu was one of the patron goddess queens of Ireland.

She was the mother of the second ruler of the Tuathe De Danann, Bres, an unpopular, cruel and ultimately unsuccessful king.

With her sisters Banba and Fodla, Eriu formed a triumvirate of goddesses much like that of the Hindu goddesses Devi, Durga and Kali.



The Morrigan was the Irish goddess of war. The Morrigan was part of a trinity of goddesses, along with Badb and Macha.

Morgan Le Fay, a seductive but sinister queen had also been identified as the Morrigan.

In the Arthurian legends, she was known as Nimue or Vivien, but whatever her true role might be, she was certainly a prolific shape-changer like the Morrigan.



Brigit was another triad of goddesses . Brigit or Brigid was the name given to each of the three daughters of Dagda and Danu.

Later on in Christian Ireland , Brigit became identified with St. Brigit, guardian of the holy fire.



Angus was the god of love.

He was the son of the Dagda and Boann - a water nymph.



Cuchulain was the warrior son of the mortal Dechtire and the Sun god Lugh.



Cernunnos was the widely Celtic horned god.

God of nature and animals.

He was associated with stags, fertility animals and corn.

He is still being worshipped today in pagan traditions.



Hope my answers will be of much help to you.



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