Celtic

Brighid - 'Mother of the Irish Gods'
by Jessica Galbreth.

View more of her beautiful artwork on her site www.enchanted-art.com/
Ainé
Daughter of the Danaan Owel, she inspires mortals with passion, and is said to be worshipped on Midsummer Eve in the province of Munster, in Ireland. Torches were (and may still be) carried around the Hill of Ainé on Midsummer Eve in worship of the Goddess. On one occasion Ainé appeared to those who'd stayed late on the hill and thanked them for their worship, but asked them to please go home, as she and her people wanted the Hill to themselves.

Aoife (pronounced Eefa)
The second of two sisters to marry Lir. His former wife had left him four children, three boys and a girl, and Lir loved them so dearly that Aoife was murderously jealous. She took the children with her to visit King Bov the Red, but stopped on the way at Lake Derryvaragh. There she ordered her attendants to kill the children. The attendants refused, and she didn't have the heart to do the deed herself, so instead she changed them into swans and laid a curse upon them. (See one of the many versions of The Children of Lir for details). She journeyed on to the King's palace, but Bov discovered her treachery and changed her into a demon of the air.

Badb
An aspect of the Morrigan, she takes the shape of a crow, an omen of death. She appeared in this form to the warrior Cu Chulainn before a battle, predicting his demise. Legends also suggest that she caused his demise by tricking him into breaking one of his oaths.

Banba
One of a triad (the Morrigan) of fertility goddesses, all married to MacCuill, a grandson of the diety Dagda.

Blodeuwedd
Her name means "Flower-face", as she was formed of flowers to be the wife of Llew, who was not allowed a wife of a race that inhabited the earth. She fell in love with a lord named Gronw Pebyr, and they plotted Lew's death. It was a complicated death, for Llew could only be killed with a spear that had been made for a year, and even then only while he was standing with one foot on a dead buck and the other on a cauldron. The spear struck him, but the shaft broke, and so he turned into an eagle. On his return, he turned Blodeuwedd into an owl, bidding her to shun the light of day. He killed his rival, going so far as to drive his spear through a rock to get to him.

Boanna
The river Boyne, who was the mother of the love god Angus Og.

Brigit (Brighid, Brigindo, Brigantia)
Probably the same as Dana, mother of the People of Dana, or the Tuatha De Danann. Much of her mythology was transferred to St. Brigit. The daughter of Dagda, she had three sons, one of whom was named Ecne (knowledge, or poetry). She is associated with fertility and blessing.

Caitlin
The tall woman of Kilcummin, she was feared by those in her village, and by the local faeries as well. When her mother, on her deathbed, revealed that she had been a foundling child, Caitlin went on a voyage to find a place to belong. She performed good deeds for Daghda, Lugh and Oengus along the way, and was welcomed home at last in the land of Tirnanog, where she married Oengus, and lived happily ever after.

Epona
Goddess of horses, she was worshipped by Romans as well as Celts, with a festival celebrated on December 18th. She is occasionally depicted as a harvest or fertility goddess as well.
Eriu
One of a triad (the Morrigan) of fertility goddesses, all married to MacCuill, a grandson of the diety Dagda.

Fodla
One of a triad (the Morrigan) of fertility goddesses, all married to MacCuill, a grandson of the diety Dagda.

Her shrines were found everywhere, for everywhere is her abode - near the hearth, at the sacred well or spring that provides water for drink and healing, in the ancient grove of trees forming Nature's cathedral, in the deepest cave, on the highest mountain. The plants and animals, the moon, sun and stars, the river that flows to the sea and the ocean itself; all were her domain. All were sacred to the Goddess. All were recognized as forming part of the Great Mother and therefore as kin.

Adele Getty, Goddess

Macha
A fertility goddess, and also a goddess of war, she is an aspect of the Morrigan. In one story, she calls herself the daughter of Sainreth mac in Botha, and becomes wife to Crunnchu mac Agnoman. When her husband bragged to the king of Ulster that his wife could run faster than the king's horses, she was brought forth to back up his claim. She begged for a delay because she was pregnant and very close to delivery, but the king refused, and forced her to run anyway. She won the race, and went into early labor, but gave birth to twins, a son and a daughter. Because the king had shown no mercy, and none of the other men stood up for her when she pleaded her case, she cursed them for nine generations. In times of trouble, the men would become as weak as a woman in labor for five days and four nights. Macha can change shape from girl to hag, and is usually depicted as a girl with red hair, dressed in red.

Modron
A mother goddess, she gave birth to Mabon, who was kidnapped when he was still a baby. She may have been an aspect of the Morrigan, and may have become the Christian St. Madrun.

Mor
A sun goddess who gave birth to the royal line of Munster.

The Morrigan
A goddess of war, fertility and vegetation, she could assume many forms, each with its own name. She is often described as a triad of goddesses known individually as Macha, Nemain (or sometimes Anann) and Badb. As Queen Maeve, she married Ailill, and became the sovereign of Ireland.

Nemain
A name which means panic, she is one of the aspects of the Morrigan.

Rhiannon
The daughter of Hefaidd Hen and wife of Pwyll, she is a goddess of horses, fertility and of the underworld.
The Morrigan - 'Celtic Goddess of War and Death'
by Jessica Galbreth.

View more of her beautiful artwork on her site www.enchanted-art.com/

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