Appendix B : Other Celtic Goddesses and their relation to
Elen
An examination of other goddesses in the Celtic pantheon
reveals both similarities
and differences with Elen
The two main deities of the Celts to be considered will be
Ana and Ceridwen, other
minor deities are also briefly examined.
1. AN – Great Goddess, the original deity of the
Arya, name was the root of the
Celtic words for
brightness, fire, glow, splendour, glory and divine.
A female archetype of radiant
energy and power. A lifeforce bearer.
Variants: Ana/Anna, Ane/Aine,
Ani/Anni, Ano/Anno, Anu/Annu, Ina/Inna,
Ona/Onna, Anon/Annon, Anan/Annan etc
Originally
a Goidelic (later Britonic) deity remembered in surviving myths as:
Anu, an Irish
goddess of ‘plenty’. In Kerry two mountains are called the ‘Paps of Anu’.
Aine, an Irish
goddess of lunar, solar and terrestrial energy. Later represented as a
sorceress,
Queen of Faerie, and a Lady of the Lake. She was associated with Munster.
Also Danu,
D’Anu, The Goddess? Mother (Madron) of the Irish deities the Tuatha
De Dannan
("People of the Goddess Danu", or "Tribe of Danu"). Cattle
associations.
Also closely associated with flowing water and rivers. The Wife/Mother of
Dagda.
Later
also called Dan, Dann or Don elsewhere (and associated
with. Don River, Danube River,
Denmark, etc.)
Possibly
related to the Roman Diana, from Di Ana, a deity of ‘light’
associated
with the Sun, Moon and Open Sky. She was also a fecundity and fertility deity
associated with the wild places in nature. Later she was seen as a bestower of
sovereignty. Christianised as St
Anne, the mother of Mary.
She had
several epithets and aspects which became the deities of various tribes:
Rhiannon
(Rhi
Annon, Ri Ana, and Rigatona or Rigat Ona (Gaulish) or Rigat Ana)
The
‘Divine Regent’, Or ‘Great Queen’ Welsh goddess, consort of Pwyll (lord of
underworld)
and Manawydan (lord of sea). Regarded as a Welsh Persephone.
Also
called the ‘Great Mare’, the White Horse of the Moon. Also has Solar aspect.
In
Celtic lore she was the bestower of sovereignty onto the king.
Epona (Gaulish Epo
Ona, or British Epo Ana)
The
‘Divine Horse’ an aspect of Rhiannon,
later a goddess of horses and horsemen.
Adopted by the Romano-British cavalry and passed back to Rome as horse goddess.
The
Horse symbolised dynamic motion and flowing energy.
She was
represented as a woman riding on a white horse, with foals, dogs or birds
following her.
Sometimes she fed horses or foals out of her basket filled with fruits, corn
and especially apples.
Edain (Etain, Et Aine,
Et Ana)
Obscure
Celtic horse goddess.
Boann
(Irish
Boi, Boand, Boanna, Bo Anna)
"She
of the white cattle". Goddess of fertility. Represented by the sacred
white cow.
Wife of the water god Nechtan (Neptune) Consort of Dagda (identifying her with
Danu).
She was also the deity of the river Boyne. ‘Divine Cow’.
Damona (Dam Ona, Dam
Ana)
Minor
Gaulish goddess known as the "Divine Cow".
Shannon
(Irish
Sha Annon, Sha Ana)
A River
goddess with many names, originally goddess of the Shannon river, later
generalised.
Also associated with springs and wells. Keeper of Well of Knowledge.
Coventina (Scottish Covent
Ina, Covent Ana)
Goddess
of water and springs. She was personified by a holy spring that had healing
powers.
Arduinna (Gaulish Ardu
Inna, Artu Inna, Artu Ana).
An Artemis/Diana-like
figure, the tutelary Goddess of the Ardennes Forest region.
She seems to be a particular protectress of wild boars, and is imaged as riding
upon one at least once.
Often associated with the Roman Diana. Also cave bear association.
Linking
her with Andarta (Gaulish An d Arta?) An obscure continental bear goddess
known from inscriptions
in Berne and in the south of France. Apparently a deity of the Vocontii tribe,
and perhaps a counterpart of
Artio
(Gaulish ‘She Bear’ goddess of Helvetii tribe of Swiss Alps) . She may also
have a connection with Andrasta.
Adopted
by Merovingian Franks.
Andraste (British
Andrasta, An d Rasta?)
Iceni
Moon Goddess connected with the hare, divination, fertility, war, death, and
sacred lands (sanctuaries or sacred woods and forests).
Cliodna (Cliod Na or
Cliod Ana)
Maiden
aspect of the ‘Dark Goddess’. Name means "Shapely One" or ‘Being of
Divine Form’. Faerie Queen associated with beauty,
shape shifting, apples, and birds.
The
Morrigan (Irish and Welsh Morrigana, or Mor Rig Ana)
Name
derived from Celtic Mawr "great " + Rig "queen" + Ana
“divine one”, giving
Divine
Great Queen . A goddess associated with Fertility, Energy, Shapeshifting,
Water, Magic,
Death and War. Wife of Dagda and Nuada (i.e. Danu).
Mor also
sometimes translated as ‘phantom’ giving ‘Divine Phantom Queen’ etc
A name in keeping with her sinister associations as sorceress and seducer, as
well as
destructive tendencies. Generally considered to be the ‘darkside’ of Ana, her
death and disruption aspect.
Had
three aspects: Badb (the Raven
or Crow), Macha (the Horse or Cow) and Neman (or Nem An,
the Frenzied Divine One, sometimes referred to as simply Anu). These were
perhaps the dark aspects of Branwen,
Epona/Boann and Anu respectively.
Closely
related to Scottish goddess Scatbach (the Shadowy One).
2. CERIDWEN
(aka Kerridwen, Cerridwyn, Ceridwyn, Ceri Dwyn)
‘The
White Grain’ or ‘White One’. Grave’s ‘The White Goddess’.
Welsh
initiatory goddess. Deity of Knowledge and Wisdom.
Later an
Enchantress and Mistress of Fate or ‘Karma’.
Set
Taboos and Prohibitions. Patron of Druidic Mystery School.
Initially
probably a fertility goddess associated with sprouting seeds,
and so
has close associations with Britonic Bride. Like her also linked
to
inspiration and psychic energy. Owner of Cauldron of Inspiration.
Some
think dates to Neolithic times others regard as Belgic origin.
Shrine allegedly first thing at St Paul’s / Artemis site.
3.
Minor Goddesses
Albina
(British)
The
totemic goddess of Albion. The ‘White Goddess’. Preceltic?
Ceridwen
connections.
Maree (Scottish)
A
Goddess of northern Britain associated with wells, trees, and certain standing
stones.
Inasmuch as there is a similar mother-Goddess with the same name in Minoan
culture,
it has been suggested that there is a remote connection. Probably Preceltic.
Banbha,
Fotla and Eriu (Irish)
A
triplicity of Goddesses who are patronesses of all Ireland (see Eriu
and Fotla).
Banbha derives from the same root as "sow", or "pig and may be
pre Celtic.
Branwen (Welsh)
Celtic
Goddess of love called Venus of the Northern Sea. Her name means White Raven.
Aobh (Abnoba)
Goddess
of the hunt. Forest and River Goddess. Dianic.
Belisama (British)
Goddess
of light and fire, the forge and crafts. The wife of Belenus.
A Bride
analog.
Rosemerta
(Latin
name, original unknown)
Continental
Celtic goddess of Fire, Fertility and Abundance
In myth
resented marriage, and also associated with Death.
Arianrhod
(Welsh
name for Ariadne, literally meaning ‘silverwheel’)
Goddess
of Moon and Stars, whose home was Caer Arianrhod, an ever
spinning castle (or prison) associated with the Corona Borealis.
Also
associated with Night, and with the star Polaris, she was a goddess
of Death and Rebirth. She was also regarded as a daughter of Don (Danu)
but only appears in the Mabinogion. A
very late period deity.
Almost
certainly an adaptation of the Hellenic deity Ariadne, who was also
associated with the Corona in late myth. But she shares many features with
Ceridwen and so was probably merged with her.
Said to
be connected with time and karma. Considered a goddess of re-incarnation,
she is also associated with having power over childbirth, the moon, fertility,
and fate.
All probably due to her ‘stellar associations’.
Maeve (Also Medb,
Queen Maeve)
Celtic
(Irish) Queen of Connacht who personifies the heights of feminine power.
She was no doubt once a powerful Goddess who merged with a later historical
figure.
Her name means "intoxicated woman" and she was known for her long
golden hair fiery
temperament and iron will. Of the many legends surrounding her the most famous
is
the Cattle Raid of Cooley. In this myth her coveting of a famous Ulster bull
began a
war with Ulster. As an archetypal sovereign her aging husband the ineffectual
King
Ailill seems as if he would be replaced by Cuchulain who resists the
sacrificial role
and battles her instead. She wins the battle and Cuchulain's blood is spilled
on earth
in the manner of all sacrificial Gods. Her sexual images are also strong and
she often
boasted that she could sexually exhaust thirty men each night. As evidence of
her
feminine power battles would pause while she menstruated. Ancient peoples
believed
this time to be the peak of a woman's power. Maeve was not only a powerful
leader
but also an expert warrior huntress and horsewoman.