Post by Senbecc on Mar 9, 2007 16:53:14 GMT -5
Long before Ireland was Christian, long before Patrick, there were the Irish Celts. The "rules" of how a Celtic god or goddess is viewed by a traditionalist are many and varied, in this post I hope to cover some of those views as well as cover this months Goddess Danu. For example one way the Irish (and other Celtic cultures) would view a god was to make that God or Goddess interchangeable with what ever function or skill a given deity was associated with and the Goddess Danu, while obscure in the texts is no exception. Danu is associated with Smithcraft, craftsmanship, and artistic ability, and is of course further associated with the Tuatha de Danann who are the main thrust of the Irish pantheon.
"It was in ships that the Tuatha de Danann "Tribe of the Goddess Danu" came. They came from the North, and the clouds and mists that concealed them made it easy for them to land in Ireland on Beltane, the first day of May, unseen and unopposed by the Fir Bolg. From where they came to fight their struggle for poetry, truth, and perfect wisdom."
-Lebor Gabala Erin
Theres allot more to this quote, but this is the part that best describes what we're discussing here. Now many sources give that the Tuatha de Danann were known also as "Aes Dana" which means the skilled or gifted people, later it became a name which was sometimes used to sometimes describe the poets and Druids. These skilled people offered the gifts they had developed within themselves freely to the people. These points are driven further home when one looks at the artwork from the Halstat and La Tene eras of Celtic culture. The incredibly intricate works on knot work, shields, swords, and jewelry, as well as the artwork it's self, patients, attention to detail, and pride taken, give us but a small glimpse into how much respect the Irish Celts (as well as the Welsh Don) had for their goddess of art and craftsmanship.
Danu (or Anu) is a goddess who is the personification of the land, and is associated with the smithcraft, craftsmanship, and artistic nature alive and influencing every aspect of creation. She can still be seen influencing the modern world where the ancient Celts once flourished, such as the names Denmark, or the Danube river.
Very little is mentioned about the goddess Danu in the texts, perhaps there doesn't need to be. Perhaps the way we learn about Danu is through her later associations like Mor-Rioghain, and Brighid, who are said to be in many ways later embodiments and associations of the Goddess of the artistic, and of Craftsmen.
Danu is a contact which I would not advise the beginner, nor the faint of heart to try to contact, as her's is a very ancient, very primeval consciousness in my experience. Also the fact that so little is known which is specific to Danu herself makes it difficult to build the proper imagery thus making contact difficult to control or even attempt.
Senbecc
"It was in ships that the Tuatha de Danann "Tribe of the Goddess Danu" came. They came from the North, and the clouds and mists that concealed them made it easy for them to land in Ireland on Beltane, the first day of May, unseen and unopposed by the Fir Bolg. From where they came to fight their struggle for poetry, truth, and perfect wisdom."
-Lebor Gabala Erin
Theres allot more to this quote, but this is the part that best describes what we're discussing here. Now many sources give that the Tuatha de Danann were known also as "Aes Dana" which means the skilled or gifted people, later it became a name which was sometimes used to sometimes describe the poets and Druids. These skilled people offered the gifts they had developed within themselves freely to the people. These points are driven further home when one looks at the artwork from the Halstat and La Tene eras of Celtic culture. The incredibly intricate works on knot work, shields, swords, and jewelry, as well as the artwork it's self, patients, attention to detail, and pride taken, give us but a small glimpse into how much respect the Irish Celts (as well as the Welsh Don) had for their goddess of art and craftsmanship.
Danu (or Anu) is a goddess who is the personification of the land, and is associated with the smithcraft, craftsmanship, and artistic nature alive and influencing every aspect of creation. She can still be seen influencing the modern world where the ancient Celts once flourished, such as the names Denmark, or the Danube river.
Very little is mentioned about the goddess Danu in the texts, perhaps there doesn't need to be. Perhaps the way we learn about Danu is through her later associations like Mor-Rioghain, and Brighid, who are said to be in many ways later embodiments and associations of the Goddess of the artistic, and of Craftsmen.
Danu is a contact which I would not advise the beginner, nor the faint of heart to try to contact, as her's is a very ancient, very primeval consciousness in my experience. Also the fact that so little is known which is specific to Danu herself makes it difficult to build the proper imagery thus making contact difficult to control or even attempt.
Senbecc
