The priests of the Celtic Druids did not write their stories about gods and goddesses.
In other words, there is no written evidence of their stories.
They were transmitted, as well as their knowledge, through oral tradition.
Everything we know about their gods comes from such sources, and so they are quite limited.
First-century Romans recorded the Celtic myths, and later, after the introduction of Christianity
to the British Isles, this job was done by the sixth-century Irish monks.
Later, Welsh writers, transcribed these oral traditions.
The gods and mythology of the Celts are very important for the culture, tradition, and
history of today's peoples.
Here are some of the most important gods and goddesses and their roles in Celtic mythology.
Angus Mac Og
Angus Mac Og is the god of youth, love, and beauty.
It is said that his kisses turned into birds that carried messages of love.
Arawn
Arawn is considered the god of death, revenge, war, terror, and he reigns supreme as the
ruler of the spiritual realm of Annwn, which is practically the underworld.
BELENUS
Belenus was a Celtic god of healing revered from Italy to Britain.
Belenus' worship was related to the healing aspect of the god Apollo.
Borvo
Borvo is the god of healing and hot springs.
His name means: "The One who boils".
He was worshiped especially in areas with thermal waters, which were thought to have
the capacity to heal.
BRES
Bres was a Celtic god of fertility, the son of Prince Elatha and the goddess Eriu.
He married the goddess Brigid.
The most well-known story about this god is that He led the Fomorians in the Second Battle
of Magh Tuireadh, but lost.
He was found unprotected on the battlefield by the god Lugh and pleaded for his life.
Lugh spared him because he promised to teach the inhabitants agriculture.
Brigid
Her name comes from the word "brigh" which means power.
Brigid represents fertility and creative inspiration.
She was also revered as a fighter, protector, healer, guardian of children, and killer of
snakes.
She is the goddess of fire and Sun.
Some sources mention her as the goddess of agriculture, medicine, music, and crafts.
Cernunnos
Cernunnos is a horned god associated with fertility, nature, fruits, and grains.
He is also associated with the afterlife, wealth, and especially with horned animals
such as the bull, the deer, and a snake with a ram's head.
He is born at the winter solstice and dies at the summer solstice.
The Christian religion associated him with Satan.
Cerridwen
Cerridwen is the goddess of the Moon or the goddess of the Grains and Nature, and is also
considered to be the goddess of negative prophetic powers.
She is the one who guards the cauldron of the underworld in which inspiration and divine
knowledge are kept.
Coventina
Coventina is a Celtic goddess of water.
She received as offerings money, pearls and needles.
Like any deity of water, she represents abundance, inspiration, and prophecy.
In Scotland, she was also the goddess of featherless flying creatures.
Dagda
Dagda, known also as “The good god”, the god of the heavens, the father of the gods
and men, the Lord of Life and Death, the God of Magic and the Earth.
He had a cauldron named Undry, which was a kind of horn of plenty: offering unlimited
amounts of food.
Dagda also had a harp that decided the succession of the seasons.
Dylan
Dylan was the god of the sea.
His symbol was a silver fish.
It was said that when the sea was angry, he actually wanted to avenge his death, caused
by his uncle Gofannon.
EPONA
Epona is a Celtic goddess of fertility.
She is associated with the horses and oxen that accompanied the souls on their journey
to the afterlife.
This goddess, unique in the Celtic pantheon, was the only one adopted by the Romans.
Even a temple was dedicated to her in Rome.
ESUS
Esus was a Gallic god of vegetation and forests.
It was said that when a tree was too young to be cut down, Esus was hurt, so he demanded
human sacrifice.
The human sacrifice had to be the one who cut down the tree or someone from his family.
LENUS
Lenus was a Gallic god of healing, but at the same time was associated with the Roman
God Mars.
It is not known why, because he was not a god of war.
The Only thing that he had in common with the Roman God was his clothes.
We can spot that from the statues found of this Celtic god.
Lugh
Lugh is the god of the Sun and War and he is associated with crows and his symbol was
a white deer.
Some sources say that he was also revered as the protective god of the weak, the God
of Fire, metallurgy, and crafts.
Many statues and holy places dedicated to him are still preserved today, demonstrating
the importance of this deity in the communities of the island.
MAPONUS
Maponus was a Celtic god of music and poetry in Britain and Gaul.
He was also identified as a god of youth and eternal life.
Morgan Le Fay
Morgan Le Fay was the gallic goddess who could cast curses on any mortal.
The root of her name "mor" means Sea, so she is also the goddess of the Sea.
Morrigan
Morrigan is considered by some the same Goddess as the previous one in this list, Morgan Le
Fay.
But they appear to be revered in different places and they take part in different stories.
She is also known as the Great Queen, Goddess of War, and Queen of Ghosts and Demons, and
she was known to participate indirectly, through magic, in battles.
She is associated with crows and ravens, and her negative aspect makes her the goddess
of war, destiny, and death.
The Celts believed that Moriggan flew over them in the shape of a raven to help them
in battle.
When the battle ended, the soldiers did not remove the dead until after dark so that Morrigan
could pay tribute.
NEHALENNIA
Nehalennia was the goddess of sailors, the sea, fertility, trade, prosperity, and good
fortune during the Iron Age.
It is not well known if this goddess was Celtic or Germanic, opinions are divided.
NUADA
Nuada, also known as Ludd, is the Celtic god of healing.
He was known for some interesting things.
He had an invincible sword that could cut enemies in two.
He lost his hand in battle, which meant he could no longer rule as king until his brother
gave him a silver hand.
Rhiannon
Rhiannon is the goddess of birds and horses.
She is embodied riding a white horse.
Her name seems to have been originally Rigatona, a name meaning "the great queen" indicating
a high status in the Celtic pantheon.
These were the 21 of the most important Celtic gods.
Or at least 21 of the Celtic Gods on which we have enough details.
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