In short: the best-known Irish Celtic gods are the Tuatha Dé Danann: the Dagda, the father god; Brigid, goddess of poetry and healing; Lugh, master of every art; the Morrígan, goddess of war and fate; Manannán mac Lir, god of the sea; and Nuada of the silver hand. Most of what we know about them comes from medieval Irish manuscripts written by Christian monks.
Irish mythology is full of gods and goddesses, though you won’t always find them called gods. When monks wrote down the old stories in the Middle Ages, they turned the ancient deities into the Tuatha Dé Danann, a magical race who ruled Ireland before humans arrived and then retreated into the hills and fairy mounds. Those stories, in books such as the Lebor Gabála Érenn (the Book of Invasions), are our main source.
Here are 15 of the most important Celtic gods and goddesses, mostly Irish, with what they stood for and the stories behind them.
The Celtic gods and goddesses at a glance
| God or goddess | Known for |
|---|---|
| The Dagda | The father of the gods |
| Danu | The mother goddess |
| Brigid | Poetry, healing and smithcraft |
| Lugh | Master of every art |
| The Morrígan | War, fate and prophecy |
| Manannán mac Lir | God of the sea |
| Nuada | The king with the silver hand |
| Aengus Óg | Love and youth |
| Ogma | Eloquence and writing |
| Dian Cécht | The healer |
| Goibniu | The smith |
| Ériu, Banba and Fódla | The goddesses of Ireland |
| Áine | Summer, love and sovereignty |
| Balor | The villain |
| Cernunnos | The horned god (not Irish) |
1. The Dagda: the father of the gods
The “good god”, a huge, earthy father figure and chief of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He carried a club that could kill with one end and bring the dead back to life with the other, a cauldron that never ran empty, and a harp that could change the seasons. He is closely linked with Brú na Bóinne, the great tombs at Newgrange.
2. Danu: the mother goddess
The Tuatha Dé Danann are “the people of the goddess Danu”. She is often described as their mother goddess, though she appears very little in the actual stories, and scholars still debate how important she was. The Paps of Anu, two rounded hills in Co. Kerry, are linked with a goddess called Anu, who may be the same figure.
3. Brigid: poetry, healing and smithcraft
One of the best-loved Irish goddesses, linked with poetry, healing and metalwork. Her feast, Imbolc on 1 February, marked the start of spring, and over time much of her story merged with St Brigid of Kildare. Read about the St Brigid’s cross.
4. Lugh: master of every art
Lugh was skilled in every craft, which earned him the name Samildánach, “skilled in many arts”. In the great Battle of Mag Tuired he killed his grandfather Balor of the Evil Eye with a stone from his sling. The harvest festival of Lughnasa, around 1 August, is named after him.
5. The Morrígan: war, fate and prophecy
“The Great Queen”, a goddess of war and fate who could appear as a crow over the battlefield. She is often linked with Badb and Macha as a trio of war goddesses, and she plays a famous part in the story of Cú Chulainn, warning of his death.
6. Manannán mac Lir: god of the sea
Lord of the sea and the Otherworld, who rode the waves on his horse Enbarr and hid the land with his cloak of mist. The Isle of Man is traditionally said to take its name from him.
7. Nuada: the king with the silver hand
The first king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He lost his hand in battle, and since a king had to be whole, he gave up the throne until the healer Dian Cécht made him a working hand of silver. That gave him his name, Nuada Airgetlám, “of the silver hand”.
8. Aengus Óg: love and youth
The god of love and youth, son of the Dagda and Boann, goddess of the River Boyne. In the famous story he falls in love with a girl he sees in a dream, Caer Ibormeith, and finds her in the form of a swan. He becomes a swan too, and they fly away together. More in our post on Aengus and Áine.
9. Ogma: eloquence and writing
A champion and a god of eloquence. Tradition credits him with inventing Ogham, the early Irish alphabet carved on standing stones.
10. Dian Cécht: the healer
The god of healing, who made Nuada’s silver hand. In one story his son Miach outdid him by growing Nuada a new hand of flesh, and the jealous father killed him.
11. Goibniu: the smith
The divine smith, who forged weapons that never missed, and brewed an ale that kept the gods from ageing.
12. Ériu, Banba and Fódla: the goddesses of Ireland
Three sister goddesses of sovereignty who each asked the invading Milesians to name the island after them. Ériu won, and her name lives on in Éire. See what does Ireland mean.
13. Áine: summer, love and sovereignty
A goddess of summer, wealth and sovereignty, linked with Cnoc Áine (Knockainey) in Co. Limerick, where midsummer fires were once lit in her honour.
14. Balor: the villain
Not a god of the Tuatha Dé but their great enemy: king of the Fomorians, whose single eye killed anyone it looked upon. He was finally defeated by his own grandson, Lugh.
15. Cernunnos: the horned god (not Irish)
Often included in lists of Celtic gods, but he belongs to Gaul, not Ireland. His name is known from a Roman-era carving in Paris, and a famous horned figure on the Gundestrup Cauldron, found in Denmark, is usually identified with him.
The gods and the Celtic festivals
The old Irish year turned on four great festivals, and several are tied to the gods: Samhain on 1 November (the root of Halloween), Imbolc on 1 February (Brigid), Bealtaine on 1 May, and Lughnasa on 1 August (Lugh). Read how the Irish invented Halloween from Samhain.
FAQ
Who is the most powerful Celtic god?
In Irish mythology, the Dagda is usually seen as the chief of the gods, though Lugh, Nuada and the Morrígan are just as important in the great battles.
Who is the Celtic goddess of love?
Áine is often called the Irish goddess of love and summer, and Aengus Óg is the god of love and youth.
Were the Tuatha Dé Danann gods?
Most scholars think they began as gods, and the medieval writers recast them as a supernatural race so they could fit them into Christian history.
Keep exploring Irish mythology
- Irish mythological creatures
- Irish myths you probably believe
- The High Kings of Ireland
- Celtic symbols and their meanings
- The Dullahan
Featured photo: Newgrange passage tomb by Jimmy Harris, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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Read next: Croagh Patrick: Ireland’s Holy Mountain, Where Pilgrims Still Climb Barefoot
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