Druid Deities
The Gods and Goddesses
Aine - (AN-yuh) Goddess of love, summer, sovreignty. Some said she was the daughter of Manannan, some said she was the Morrigan herself. Aine is very vengeful, and offending her is not wise.
Amaethon - God of agriculture, animal husbandry. Enemy of Arawn. Brother of Gwydion and Arianrhod.
Arawn - God of the dead, hunting, revenge. King of the underworld. Enemy of Amaethon. Possessed a magical cauldron of regeneration. Possesses many hounds who hunt for the souls of the dead.
Arianrhod - Goddess of beauty, fertility, reincarnation, the sky, weaving, enchantment. Keeper of the circling "silver wheel" of stars, a symbol of time and karma. Sister of Amaethon and Gwyddion.
Blodeuwedd - Goddess of flowers, lunar mysteries, wisdom. She was created from flowers by Math and Gwydion as a wife for the god Lleu. Gwydion later turned her into an owl for killing her husband.
Brigit - Goddess of fire, healing, motherhood, agriculture, inspiration, learning, divination, poetry, prophecy, the forge. An ever-burning fire is kept in her honor by nineteen priestesses. Imbolc is sacred to her. Sometimes considered a triple goddess: the Three Mothers. Also known as Brighid.
Cailleach - Goddess of disease, plague, sorcery. A hag, strongly associated with the crone aspect of triple godesses. The goddess of winter, she brings snow until Brigit (spring) turns her to stone each year. Name means "veiled one."
Cernunnos - God of the hunt, animals, fertility, warriors, nature, commerce, love, the underworld. Known as "the Horned God." Stags are sacred to him.
Cerridwen - Goddess of enchantment, death, initiation, wisdom, inspiration, regeneration, dark propehecy. Moon Goddess, Great Mother and Grain Goddess. She brewed a magical potion of wisdom in her cauldron and forced the young Taliesin to stir it for a year and a day. When he accidentally swallowed the last three drops, he was transformed into a bard and grew very wise. Welsh bards once called themselves Cerddorion "sons of Cerridwen."
Dagda, The - God of the arts, knowledge, magic, music, prophecy, prosperity, regeneration, fatherhood, protection. Known as the "Good God" and "Lord of the Heavens," he succeeded Nuada as high king of the Tuatha De Danann.
Danu - Goddess of the elements (particularly water), magic, wisdom, the earth, cattle. Mother of the Tuatha De Danann, she is the most prominent mother goddess.
Diancecht- God of healing. Crafted a magical well which would ressurect to life anyone thrown into it, although the Fomorians filled it with stones. Had a son named Miach and a daughter named Airmed. See "Herbalism, the Legend."
Druantia - Goddess of fir trees, passion, protection, knowledge, creativity. Queen of the Druids and creator of the moon calendar. Often associated with motherhood.
Elen Of The Ways - Goddess of the trees and forest, probably the most ancient female Deity that we have on the mainland of what is called Britain today. Elen probably began her reign back in Palaeolithic times. One of her titles is that of Horned Goddess, and thus Lady of the Beasts, the Green Lady and a female equivalent of Herne or Cernunnos. But how can a Goddess be horned, when it's the male animals with the antlers? A little known fact is that it is the female reindeer that keeps her antlers during the winter. Elen appears in the Mabinogion. She is seen as the guardian of the astral trackways - the leylines and physical trackways of the migrating Reindeer from over 8,000 years ago. Found amongst the shadows of the trees, she watches you and You may catch a brief glimpse of her.
Epona - Goddess of healing, prosperity, maternity. Protector of horses. Strongly associated with fertility.
Gaia - Greek personification of the Earth as the Mother goddess. Gaia was the great mother of all creation and is often depicted as a 'full bodied' woman reclining on the earth, often clothed in green.
Goibniu - God of the forge, brewing, thunder. Smith of the Tuatha De Danann, his weapons could not miss and were always fatal. His brew made the Tuatha De Danann invincible and healed all illness.
Gwyddion - God of enchantment, illusion, magic, music, shapeshifting, learning. Sometimes called the Druid of the Gods due to his interests. Brother of Amaethon and Arianrhod.
Gwynn ap Nudd - God of war, death, fallen warriors, the hunt. King of the Sidhe and the Otherworld.
Llyr - God of sea, water, the underworld. Father of Mannanan, who is generally considered more prominent. Also known as Lir.
Lugh - (Loo) Sun god of all crafts, the arts, healing, journeys, prophecy. His skills were without end, and they won him a spot in the Tuatha De Danann. He had a magic spear and otherworldly hounds. Lughnasadh is held in his honor. There are many tales about Lugh's exploits.
Manannan - God of the sea, weather, underworld. Son of Llyr. Shapeshifter. Separated the worlds of humans and faeries.
Morrigan, The - A shapeshifting goddess of magic, prophecy, revenge, war, death. Known as "Great Queen" and "Specter Queen," she often takes the form of a crow. Sometimes considered to be a Triple Goddess, her aspects are listed below.
Nemain - Maiden. Known as "venomous" or "havoc," she can
create hatred where there was none.
Macha - Mother. Known as "battle," associated with horses,
cunning, and protectors.
Badb (Bibe) - Crone. Known as "fury," "battle crow," and
"boiling," she confused warriors to increase slaughter.
Niamh - (Nee-av) Name means "radiance" or "brightness." Daughter of the sea god Manannan, she rode a white horse which could walk across the seas. See "Niamh's Story" for more information.
Nuada - (Noo-ada) God of harpers, healing, historians, magic, poets, warfare, writing. King of the Tuatha De Danann at one time, he had to step down when he lost his hand in battle; it was replaced by a silver one by Diancecht then one made of flesh by Diancecht's son Miach.
Ogma - God of eloquence, inspiration, language, magic, music, physical strength, poets, writers. Invented the Ogham rune alphabet and carried a huge club.
Taliesin - God of magic, music, poetry, wisdom, writing. Known as Prince of Song, Chief of the Bards of the West, and Patron of Druids, he was a great magician, bard, and shapeshifter who gained his wisdom from a potion brewed by Cerridwen.