GOIBNIU

Real Name: Goibniu

Occupation: God of smithing, patron god of blacksmiths

Legal Status: Citizen of Otherworld

Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Goibniu except as a mythological deity.

Other Aliases: Goibhnet, Goibhniu (alternate spellings), Gofannon, Govannon, Goban, Gobban, Gavida, Gaibhde, (alternate Welsh names)

Place of Birth: possibly Avalon

Marital Status: Married

Known Relatives: Turbe (father, deceased), Brigid (mother), Creidhne, Luchtaine (brothers), wife (name unrevealed), Braciaca (daughter), Net (paternal grandfather), The Dagda (maternal grandfather), Morrigan (mother), Andraste, Epona (aunts), Bodb, Oenghus, Oghma, Mider (uncles), Arawn (cousin),

Group Affiliations: The Tuatha de Danaan

Base of Operations: Avalon

First Appearance: Thor #398 (behind the scenes)

History: Goibniu is a member of an other-dimensional realm of beings known as the Tuatha de Danaan, a race of beings who were worshipped as gods by the Ancient Celts and Gaels of Western Europe. The Tuatha de Danaan are eternal enemies of the Fomore, the ancestral spirits of Ireland. During the war with the Fomore, Goibniu, the divine smith of the Danaans, created all their weapons with the help of his brothers Creidhne, the god of bronze, and Luchtaine, the carpenter-god, sons of Brigid, the goddess of crafts, and her first husband, Turbe, slain by the Fomore. During the war with the Fomore, Giobniu was approached by Ruadan, son of Bres, one of the Fomore. Pierced by a spear, Giobniu retreated back to Diancecht, their healer, to be cured of his injury. Diancecht used a combination of magic and sacred springs to restore Goibniu, but in turning to Diancecht for help, Goibniu unwittingly lead Ruadan and Octriallach, son of the Fomore chief, Indech, to their secret healing springs. They dammed the springs to keep the Danaans from using them, but Goibniu and Diancecht slew the two Fomore. Mortally injured, Ruadan crawled back to Bres to reveal the success of his mission, but Bres allowed his son to die at his feet. 

Eventually, the Danaans defeated the Fomore after two attempts and seized Ireland for themselves. They were worshipped as gods throughout Ireland, Britain and Western Europe with Brigid's father, the Dagda as King of Eire following the rule of Lugh who had led the Danaans the victory. During the Milesian invasion, the Danaans departed Earth for the realm of Otherworld connected to the Earth's dimension by way of countless sidhs or faerie mounds throughout Eire. 

Goibniu was also known as a great host who created the parties attended by the Tuatha de Danaan. He eventually created a mystical, highly intoxicating ale which kept the Danaans youthful for eternity, much as the Olympian gods imbibed nectar from from the Garden of the Hesperides for immortality. The secrets of this divine ale was shared with his daughter, Braciaca, the goddess of ale.

In recent years, Goibniu was among the Tuatha de Danaan rallied by Llyr, the sea-god, to help defend Asgard, home of the Norse gods, from the armies of Seth, the Egyptian god of evil. For centuries before, the Danaans and the Asgardians had been at odds since the Vikings and Saxons once invaded Ireland in Britain, but Llyr owed Thor, the Norse god of thunder, a debt by coming to the defense of a Danaan family attacked by a griffin dispatched by Seth. Goibniu and his brothers came to the defense of Asgard by once again creating the weapons used against Seth's armies of animated dead. 

Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 440 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown

Strength Level: Goibniu possesses superhuman strength enabling her to lift (press) 40 tons under optimal conditions.

Known Superhuman Powers: Goibniu possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Tuatha de Danaan or Celtic gods. Like all of the Danaans, he is exceptionally long-lived, but he is not  immortal like the Olympian gods: he has aged at an exceptionally slow rate since reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional means. He is immune to all Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If he were somehow wounded, her godly life force would enable her to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his bodily molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of significant power, such as the Dagda, Gwydion or Llyr or for a number of Celtic gods of equal power working together to revive him. Goibniu also possesses superhuman strength and his Danaan metabolism provides him with far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. (Danaan flesh and bone is about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the superhuman strength and weight of the Celtic gods.)

Goibniu has limited abilities to practice magic; his skills are mostly contained to imbuing the physical characteristics of objects such as metal in order to create enchanted weapons incapable of being destroyed or damaged. He can animate molten metal, control the characteristics of metal in its forms and add enchantments to metal objects and reunited shattered swords by rejoining their pieces. He can also create objects at such a speed that he seems to be able to conjure them at will. Goibniu is possibly equal to such gods as Hephaestus in prowess.

Abilities: Goibniu is a highly creative and inventive prodigy capable of creating almost any object. His inventive genius also seems to extend to the culinary arts, enabling to create ales to stave off the exterior effects of aging among the Tuatha de Danaan.

Pets: Goibniu owns an enchanted milk-giving cow named Ghaibhleann, who was once stolen by Balor, but it has since been returned to him.

Comments: Goibniu has yet to appear in Marvel or DC Comics.

Clarifications: Goibniu is not to be confused with: