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Post by sistergoldenhair on Feb 28, 2004 12:59:54 GMT -5
Ambisagrus
A Continental Celtic god. The Romans with equated him with Jupiter.
(http://www.geocities.com/cas111jd/celts/minordeities/celts3.htm) (http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/celtic/articles.html)
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Feb 28, 2004 13:04:35 GMT -5
Annociticus and Antenociticus
Annociticus - This god known on an inscription at a temple at Benwell on Hadrian's Wall along with Antenociticus, who may be the same or and associated god. He/ they may also found as Antocidicus at Chesters also on the Wall.
Antenociticus - Youthful god of uncertain characteristics found near Hadrian’s Wall.
(http://enchantedtempleofisis.com/roman.htm) (http://www.geocities.com/cas111jd/celts/minordeities/celts3.htm)
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Post by jadedsage on Feb 28, 2004 22:00:27 GMT -5
these are great. Thank you for the posts
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Feb 29, 2004 1:02:20 GMT -5
you're welcome.
i'm going to do more hopefully.
bb, sgh
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Feb 29, 2004 1:40:31 GMT -5
Arvernus
God of the Arverni; invoked on the Rhine banks as Mercury Arvernus, though no dedications to him are known in Arverni territory. (http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/celtic/articles.html) (http://www.geocities.com/cas111jd/celts/minordeities/celts5.htm)
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Feb 29, 2004 1:42:09 GMT -5
Avalloc
Found in Welsh genealogy as the father of the goddess Modron. He is occasionally mentioned as the king of the otherworld kingdom of Avalon.
(http://www.geocities.com/cas111jd/celts/minordeities/celts5.htm)
Found in Welsh pedigrees as the father of the goddess Modron. His own status is unclear. He is occasionally mentioned as the king of the otherworldly kingdom of Avalon. (http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/celtic/articles.html)
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Mar 1, 2004 12:27:14 GMT -5
There is also a deity, Barciaecus (*balki-aiki?) recorded on a Roman era inscription at the site of the Roman gold-mine at Naraval, Asturias.
(http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:
pInmv5nAvt8J:www.chez.com/zezena/Angus_J_Huck/Ascoli_Bronze_Plate.htm+Barciaecus+god&hl=en&ie=UTF-8)
put those two pieces together to get the url...
Iberian god from an inscription on an altar at Naraval in N. Spain; probably a local god and tutelary deity.
(http://www.geocities.com/cas111jd/celts/minordeities/celts6.htm)
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Mar 1, 2004 12:39:06 GMT -5
Welsh ancestor deity. Son of Manogan and husband of Don. He could be derived from the Gaulish god Belisamaros.
(http://www.geocities.com/cas111jd/celts/minordeities/celts6.htm)
Written By: Kytheriea of House Shadow Drake
In Welsh, Beli means "big" or "bright." (MacKillop, 1998: 39) He is often referred to as Beli Mawr or Beli the Great. (ibid.) Both Geoffrey of Monmouth and Nennius refer to Beli as a legendary ruler of the island of Britain. (Grooms: 130) Often, the word mawr or hir is appended to the name Beli and means "great" or "tall." (ibid.)
Historically, he is identified with Beli ab Elfin and Beli the Great son of Mynogan. (Gantz, 1976: 129) Beli was said to be the son of a giant by the name of Benlli or Enlli. (Grooms: 132)
Lewis Morris states that Benlli, the father of Beli lived around 450 AD and was a powerful prince. (Grooms: 138) Benlli was described as a tribal king and is mentioned in bardic traditions dating before 1200 AD. (Grooms: 132) Within the medieval Welsh courts, Beli is described as a hero and great champion. (Grooms: 138) The poem `Syr Rhys ap Thomas' by Tudur Aled states the following:
"Coelion Mon a ddel, Calan Mai ddyw Iau, Cawr Ybys Bridain, ceir i fwrw siasau. Cerdda, cwncweria'r caerau, - Beliw Mawr, Cawr dewr, cynyddfawr a da'r cyneddfaq." English Translation: Mon's assurances shall come, May-day will fall on a Thursday. A giant of the Island of Britain; he will be had in an age of visions. A cub of strong Efrog; he will be had to rout armies. A kinsman to great Caesar, he will be had to send chases. He will walk and conquer fortresses, - Beli Mawr, a brave giant, prolific and of great virtue. (trans. Grooms: 131)
Beli is accredited with being the mate of Don and the father of Arianrhod and Caswallan. (MacKillop: 39) However, the Cyfranc Lludd a Llefelys states that his sons were Lludd and Llefelys. (ibid.) Lludd is said to have succeeded his father, and eventually became famous for his skills with architecture. (Squire, 1997: 376) The Mabinogian states that he Beli had four sons: Lludd, Casswallawn, Nynnyaw, and Llevelys. (Gantz: 129) In the Historia Brittonium, Beli is found under his Latinized name of Bellinus filius Minocanni. (Maeir, 1997: 35)
A summary of the works of Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Welsh Chronicles shows that there was a century long civil war between five kings and that Pinner, king of Loegria arose as the victor around 440 BC. Pinner was slain in battle by Dunvallo Molmtius in 430 BC. Dunvallo codified the Molmutine Laws and due to the severity of his punishments, violent crimes were consequently almost unheard of in his kingdom. Belinus the Great, the eldest son of Dunvallo, succeeded him and possessed the areas of Loegria, Cambria, and Cornwall from 380-374 BC while his younger brother Brennius ruled Albany and Northumbria. Eventually, the two brothers clashed in battle and Belinus killed his brother and took his lands. Belinus is attributed by Goeffrey as a great road-builder and constructed Billingsgate in London which was named after him.
In the 'Englynion y Beddau,' the grave of Beli Mawr was described as being on Maes Mawr. In Welsh, maes mawr refers to a large field, or more specificly to the flat land which connects two or more valleys. (Grooms: 132-133) The following records state the locations of the grave of Beli:
"the two stones set up to mark the grave existed till about 1600 at a place of the name on the Nant-y-Meini brook, which rises on the Nerquis mountain." (Baring-Gould: 71) "Mae mann ar y mynyd rung Ial ag Ystrad alun uuc Ryd y gyfartfa a elwir y Maes maur le bu yr vruydyr rung Meiron ap Tybiaun, a Beli ap Benli gaur le las Beli ap Benli, ag y gossodes Meiron dau faen yn eu sefyl un ym m(h)ob penn ir bed: y rain a vuant yno hyd o feun y deugain mlyned yma..." (Gruffydd: 178-179 - Peniarth MS 267 abd Llanstephan MS 18, John Jones, Gellilufydy)
English Translation: There is a place on the mountain-land between Ial and Ystrad Alun above Rhyd y Gyvarthva that is called Y Maes Mawr where the battle was fought between Meiron ap Tybiawn abd Beli ap Benlli the Giant, where Beli ap Benlli was slain, and Meiron placed two standing stones, one at either end of the grave. These were there up till the last 40 years. (trans. Gruffydd: 178-179)
Resource
Grooms, Chris. "The Giants of Wales." Welsh Studies, vol. 10 (Lampeter, Dyfed, Wales: Edwin Mellen Press, 1993.)
Gantz, Jeffrey. trans. "The Mabinogion." (London: Penguin Books, 1976).
Baring-Gould. S. "The Lives of the British Saints." 4 vols. (London: Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 1908).
Gruffydd, W. J. "Math vab Mathonwy." (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1928.)
MacKillop, James. " Dictionary of Celtic Mythology." (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998).
Maier, Bernhard. Cyril Edwards, trans. " Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture." (Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell and Brewer, 1997.)
Squire, Charles. "Celtic Myths and Legends." (New York: Portland Hose, 1997).
(http://www.shadowdrake.com/celtic/belimawr.html)
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Mar 1, 2004 12:45:49 GMT -5
In the Celtic-Irish mythology, Balor is the god of death and the king of the Fomorians, a race of giants. He was the son of Buarainech and the husband of Cethlenn. Balor had only one eye, which he kept closed because anything he looked at would die instantly.
According to some prophesies, Balor would be killed by his own grandson. He locked his daughter Ethlinn in a crystal tower, to prevent her from getting pregnant. With the help of the druidess Birog, Cian of the Tuatha Dé Danann, managed to enter the tower and slept with Ethlinn. She gave birth to a son, but when Balor learned of his existence he threw him in the ocean. Birog saved the boy and gave him to the sea god Manannan mac Lir, where he was raised. The boy, named Lugh Lamhfada (Lugh of the Long Arm), became a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann and led them in the second battle at Mag Tuireadh.
In this second, and final battle, Balor killed King Nuada of the Tuatha Dé Danann with a glance from his eye. But when he opened his eye to kill his grandson Lugh, the latter managed to rip out Balor's eye with a sling and Balor fell dead to the ground. (http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/celtic/articles.html)
For the Celts, who lived in central Europe, Lugh was a Sun god. The underworld god Balor was his grandfather. Balor was the leader of the Fomorii. The Fomorii were evil people that lived in the underworld. According to a prophecy, Balor was to be killed by a grandson. To prevent the happening of the prophecy, Balor tried to kill his grandson, but Lugh miraculously survived. Lugh was secretly raised by the god of the sea, Manannan, and became an expert warrior.
When he reached manhood, he joined the peoples of the goddess Dana, named the Tuatha De Danaan, to help them in their struggle against the Fomorii and Balor. Balor had an evil eye capable of killing whomever looked at it. Lugh threw a magic stone ball into Balor's eye, and killed Balor.
(http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mythology/lugh.html)
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Mar 1, 2004 12:55:24 GMT -5
Belenus is the Gaulish/Celtic god of light, and referred to as 'The Shining One'. His cult spread from northern Italy to southern Gaul and Britain. Belenus is in charge of the welfare of sheep and cattle. His wife is the goddess Belisama. They can be compared with the continental Apollo and Minerva, but Belenus can also be identified with the Irish god Bile. His festival is Beltine ( "Fire of Bel" ), celebrated on May 1. On this day, purifying fires were lit and cattle driven between them before being allowed out onto the open pastures.
Several Latin writers refer to Belenus in connection with Aquitaine, Austria and northern Italy.
(http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/celtic/articles.html)
Symbol(s): Horse, Wheel
Belenus ( "The Shining One" ), later known as Beli Mawr, refers to the Continental Sun-God of the Celts. The term was an epithet or descriptive surname given to the Celtic Apollo in parts of Gaul, North Italy and Noricum (part of Austria). He is also a healer and associated with healing spings and the healing power of the Sun. His cult spread from northern Italy to southern Gaul and Britain. Belenus is in charge of the welfare of sheep and cattle. His wife is the goddess Belisama.
The fire festival Beltene is probably related to Belenus. They can be compared with the continental Apollo and Minerva, but but Belenus can also be identified with the Irish god Bile. His festival is Beltine ( "Fire of Bel" ), celebrated on May 1 and is remembered in our typical "May Day" activities. On this day, purifying fires were lit and cattle driven between them before being allowed out onto the open pastures. The Cult of Belenus possessed a particular status in that it is mentioned in a number of Classical Literary sources. The cult of Belenus was practiced in northern Italy, Noricum in the eastern Alps, southern Gaul and Britain.
The picture above of Belenus comes from a bronze coin dating to the first century of the Common Era. It was minted by Cunobeline, chief of the Trinovantes, one of the Celtic tribes. The reverse side of the coin depicts a boar, an animal which to the Celts symbolized warlike power, sovereignty, hunting, and hospitality.
(http://www.meta-religion.com/World_Religions/Ancient_religions/Europe/belenus.htm)
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Mar 11, 2004 10:42:30 GMT -5
'Bodb the Red', a son of the Dagda who succeeded him as ruler of the gods. (http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/celtic/articles.html)
But as to the Tuatha de Danaan after they were beaten, they would not go under the sway of the sons of Miled, but they went away by themselves. And because Manannan, son of Lir, understood all enchantments, they left it to him to find places for them where they would be safe from their enemies. So he chose out the most beautiful of the hills and valleys of Ireland for them to settle in; and he put hidden walls about them, that no man could see through, but they themselves could see through them and pass through them. And he made the Feast of Age for them, and what they drank at it was the ale of Goibniu the Smith, that kept whoever tasted it from age and from sickness and from death. And for food at the feast he gave them his own swine, that though they were killed and eaten one day, would be alive and fit for eating again the next day, and that would go on in that way for ever. And after a while they said: "It would be better for us one king to be over us, than to be scattered the way we are through the whole of Ireland." Now the men among them that had the best chance of getting the kingship at that time were Bodb Dearg, son of the Dagda; and Ilbrech of Ess Ruadh; and Lir of Sidhe Fionnachaidh, the Hill of the White Field, on Slieve Fuad; and Midhir the Proud of Bri Leith, and Angus Og, son of the Dagda; but he did not covet the kingship at all, but would sooner be left as he was. Then all the chief men but those five went into council together, and it is what they agreed, to give the kingship to Bodb Dearg, for the sake of his father, for his own sake, and because he was the eldest among the children of the Dagda. It was in Sidhe Femen Bodb Dearg had his house, and he put great enchantments about it. Cliach, the Harper of the King of the Three Rosses in Connacht, went one time to ask one of his daughters in marriage, and he stayed outside the place through the whole length of a year, playing his harp, and able to get no nearer to Bodb or to his daughter. And he went on playing till a lake burst up under his feet, the lake that is on the top of a mountain, Loch Bel Sead. It was Bodb's swineherd went to Da Derga's Inn, and his squealing pig along with him, the night Conaim, the High King of Ireland, met with his death; and it was said that whatever feast that swineherd would go to, there would blood be shed before it was over. And Bodb had three sons, Angus, and Artrach, and Aedh. And they used often to be living among men in the time of the Fianna afterwards. Artrach had a house with seven doors, and a free welcome for all that came, and the king's son of Ireland, and of Alban, used to be coming to Angus to learn the throwing of spears and darts; and troops of poets from Alban and from Ireland used to be with Aedh, that was the comeliest of Bodb's sons, so that his place used to be called "The Rath of Aedh of the Poets." And indeed it was a beautiful rath at that time, with golden-yellow apples in it and crimson-pointed nuts of the wood. But after the passing away of the Fianna, the three brothers went back to the Tuatha de Danaan. And Bodb Dearg was not always in his own place but sometimes he was with Angus at Brugh na Boinn. Three sons of Lugaidh Menn, King of Ireland, Eochaid, and Fiacha, and Ruide, went there one time for their father refused them any land till they would win it for themselves. And when he said that, they rose with the ready rising of one man, and went and sat down on the green of Brugh na Boinn, and fasted there on the Tuatha de Danaan, to see if they could win some good thing from them. And they were not long there till they saw a young man, quiet and with pleasant looks, coming towards them, and he wished them good health, and they answered him the same way. -Where are you come from?" they asked him then. 'From the rath beyond, with the many lights," he said. "And I am Bodb Dearg, son of the Dagda," he said, "and come in with me now to the rath." So they went in, and supper was made ready for them, but they did not use it. Bodb Dearg asked them then why was it they were using nothing. "It is because our father has refused land to us," said they; "and there are in Ireland but two races, the Sons of the Gael and the Men of Dea, and when the one failed us we are come to the other." Then the Men of Dea consulted together. And the chief among them was Midhir of the Yellow Hair, and it is what he said: "Let us give a wife to every one of these three men, for it is from a wife that good or bad fortune comes." So they agreed to that, and Midhies three daughters, Dairenn, and Aife, and Aillbhe, were given to them. Then Midhir asked Bodb to say what marriage portion should be given to them. 'I will tell you that," said Bodb. "We are three times fifty sons of kings in this hill; let every kings son give three times fifty ounces of red gold. And I myself,' he said, "will give them along with that, three times fifty suits of clothing of all colours." 'I will give them a gift," said a young man of the Tuatha de Danaan, from Rachlainn in the sea. "A horn I will give them, and a vat. And there is nothing wanting but to fill the vat with pure water, and it will turn into mead, fit to drink, and strong enough to make drunken. And into the horn," he said, "you have but to put salt water from the sea, and it will turn into wine on the moment." "A gift to them from me," said Lir of Sidhe Fionnachaidh, "three times fifty swords, and three times fifty well-riveted long spears." "A gift from me," said Angus Og, son of the Dagda, "a rath and a good town with high walls, and with bright sunny houses, and with wide houses, in whatever place it will please them between Rath Chobtaige and Teamhair." "A gift to them from me," said Aine, daughter of Modham, 'a woman-cook that I.have, and there is geasa on her not to refuse food to any; and according as she serves it out, her store fills up of itself again." "Another gift to them from me," said Bodb Dearg, "a good musician that I have, Fertuinne, son of Trogain; and although there were women in the sharpest pains of chfldbirth, and brave men wounded early in the day, in a place where there were saws going through wood, they would sleep at the sweetness of the music he makes. And whatever house he may be in, the people of the whole country round will hear him." So they stopped in Brugh na Boinne three days and three nights, and when they left it, Angus bade them bring away from the oak-wood three apple-trees, one in full bloom, and one shedding its blossom, and the third covered with ripe fruit. They went then to their own dun that was given them, and it is a good place they had there, and a troop of young men, and great troops of horses and of greyhounds; and they had three sorts of music that comely kings liked to be listening to, the music of harps and of lutes, and the chanting of Trogain's son; and there were three great sounds, the tramping on the green, and the uproar of racing, and the lowing of cattle; and three other sounds, the grunting of good pigs with the fat thick on them, and the voices of the crowd on the green lawn, and the noise of men drinking inside the house. And as to Eochaid, it was said of him that he never took a step backwards in flight, and his house was never without music or drinking of ale. And it was said of Fiacha that there was no man of his time braver than himself, and that he never said a word too much. And as to Ruide, he never refused any one, and never asked anything at all of any man. And when their lifetime was over, they went back to the Tuatha de Danaan, for they belonged to them through their wives, and there they have stopped ever since. And Bodb Dearg had a daughter, Scathniamh, the Flower of Brightness, that gave her love to Caoilte in the time of the Fianna; and they were forced to part from one another, and they never met again tfll the time Caoilte was old and withered, and one of the last that was left of the Fianna. And she came to him out of the cave of Cruachan, and asked him for the bride-price he had promised her, and that she was never able to come and ask for till then. And Caoilte went to a cairn that was near and that was full up of gold, that was wages earned by Conan Maol and hidden there, and he gave the gold to Bodb Dearg's daughter. And the people that were there wondered to see the girl so young and comely, and Caoilte so grey and bent and withered. "There is no wonder in that," said Caoilte, 'for I am of the sons of Miled that wither and fade away, but she is of the Tuatha de Danaan that never change and that never die." From Gods and Fighting Men, by Lady Gregory (originally published 1910). www.mc.maricopa.edu/~tomshoemaker/celtic/BodbDearg.html
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Mar 11, 2004 10:46:24 GMT -5
Name: Bodb Dearg ('The Red')
Race: Tuatha Dé Danann
Profession: King & Warrior, Fairy-King
Properties: God of Livestock & Cattle
Province: Munster & Connaught
Father: The Dagda
Half-Brothers: Cermat Coem, Midhir, Aengus Mac Óg, Aed
Half-Sister: Brigit
Sons: Angus, Artrach, Aedh, Ferdoman
Daughters: Scathniamh (who fell in love with Caoilte Mac Ronan) and Daireann
Foster-Children: Aobh, Aoife, and Ailbhe (the three daughters of Oilell of Aran)
Swineherds: Nar the Squinter of the Left-Eye and Fruich
Associated Sites: The Galtee Mountains, Lough Derg, Sidh-ar-Femhin, Plain of Cashel
Associated Deities: Morrigan, Medb, Anu, Lir, Lugh
Bodb was one of the sons of the Dagda and mainly ruled near Lough Derg (The Red Lake) which is named after him. The Fomorians laid his kingdom to waste but Lugh Lámhfada went to avenge this as King Nuada was not interested.
Bodb became the king of the Sidhe of Munster, Descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann and owned a swineherd that would eventually magically transform himself into a White Bull called Findbennach which would become the property of Ailill husband of Queen Medb of Connaught and thus spark off a rivalry between them causing a war between the men of Connaught and the men of Ulster - known as the Táin Bó Cuailgne or the Cattle Raid of Cooley. He lived under the mound of Sidh-ar-Femhin with his daughters. A famous old harper named Cliach, gained access to the mound of Sidh-ar-Femhin by playing his harp near the site, until the ground opened and admitted him to the fairy realm.
(http://www.shee-eire.com/Magic&Mythology/Kings&Queens/Tuatha-De-Danaan/Kings/Bodb/page%201.htm)
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Mar 11, 2004 10:52:08 GMT -5
Bormanicus is found at two altars at Caldas de Vizela, Galicia. He is also in the upper Marne, Loire and Rhone valleys of Gaul as well as Provence and in the Alps as Bormanus, Bormo, and Borvo. Associated with healing springs, his name may derive from 'boil, bubble', referring to his healing warm mineral springs.
Equated by the Romans with Apollo, he is frequently paired with the goddess(es) Bormana and Divona. At Bourbonne-les-Bains he is found with Damona, the 'Divine Cow' goddess. In one depiction he is holding a goblet, purse, and fruit basket. Thus he was obviously a god of fecundity and prosperity. Green, MJ 1992a, 47-48
(http://www.geocities.com/cas111jd/celts/minordeities/celts8.htm)
"To Boil". The Gallic god of hot (mineral) springs and healing. In the Provence (France) he was known as Bormanus, and in Portugal as Bormanious. He was identified with Apollo by the Romans. (http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/celtic/articles.html)
Healing god of bubbling springs, also associated with plenty. Associated with Apollo, and pictured holding a goblet, purse and plate of fruit. Known from Spain, France, and Gaul.
(http://enchantedtempleofisis.com/roman.htm)
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Mar 11, 2004 10:54:07 GMT -5
"Raven". Son of Llyr and Penarddun, and brother of Branwen and Manawydan, and half brother of Nisien and the evil instigator Efnisien.
In the early story of Branwen, he is the king of Britain. Of enormous size, he owns a giant cauldron of resurrection where warriors brought back to life. This theme recurs in Bron, the Fisher King in the Grail myth, and in Dian Cecht, the Danann god who owns a well of resurrection.
Bran invaded Ireland with his army to rescue his sister Branwen from her abusive husband Matholwch. Terrified, Matholwch sued for peace but war soon erupted. The Irish replenished themselves in the cauldron that Bran had given them and Bran was hit by a poison arrow. Finally, Efnisien broke the cauldron, but only seven Welshmen remained standing. Bran was decapitated in the melee, and his head, still alive, was returned to Wales to be buried. Soon afterwards the brokenhearted Branwen sailed to Aber Alaw and died.
In addition to the cauldron as a key utensil common in IE myth, Bran's mortal wound from the poison arrow and his decapitation recall Balder's death and Mimir's decapitation in Norse myth.
(http://www.geocities.com/cas111jd/celts/minordeities/celts8.htm)
Bran ("raven"), son of Llyr and Penarddun, and brother of Branwen and Manawydan, and half brother Nisien and Efnisien. Bran was too large for ordinary houses. When Bran learned of the slavery imposed upon his sister Branwen by her Irish husband Matholwch, he sailed to rescue her. Matholwch was terrified at the sight of a forest approaching Ireland across the sea: Bran's navy, and Bran himself wading through the water. He sued for peace, they built a house big enough for Bran, and Matholwch agreed to settle the kingdom on Gwern, his son by Branwen. Some Irish lords objected, and hid themselves in flour bags to attack the Welsh. But Efnisien, scenting Irish treachery, cast them into the fire, and then cast Gwern himself in (avoiding the geas against shedding kinsmen's blood thereby).
A war broke out, and the Irish replenished themselves through the cauldron. Efnisien, repenting, sacrificed himself by feigning death and being thrown into the cauldron, which he then broke, dying in the process. Only seven Welshmen survived, and Bran was fatally wounded. His head, which remained alive and talking, was returned to England and buried, and soon afterwards Branwen sailed to Aber Alaw and died.
According to legend, England could never be invaded as long as Bran's head, facing south and buried in a hill near London, was left alone.
(http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/celtic/articles.html)
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Post by sistergoldenhair on Mar 11, 2004 11:18:42 GMT -5
In Celtic mythology, Abarta (performer of feats) was one of the Tuatha De Danaan. He was also known as Giolla Deacair (the hard servant) and was associated with Fion Mac Cumhail.
On tale has Abarta tricking a group of Fianna into mounting a magical gray horse which took them to the underworld until beng rescued by Fionn.
Abarta may have been associated with a servant of Apollo, who was said to have given him a golden arrow (i.e. a sunbeam) which could teleport him, cause him invisibility and give prophecies. In later, more purely Celtic myths, the golden arrow ws changed to a magical horse. Some similarities can be noted between Abaris and Paris (mythology|), who slew Achilles with an arrow and the help of Apollo (a solar deity). Abaris' murder of Diarmait ua Duibne by stabbing his heel with a boar's poisonous bristles has parallels with Achilles' story.
(http://www.yourencyclopedia.net/Abarta.html) (http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/celtic/articles.html?/articles/a/abarta.html)
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