Celtic Britain - Gods and Goddesses

Belatucadrus | god whose name means* "fair shining one"

Cocidius | god associated either with forests and hunting (linked with the Roman god Silvanus), or war (equated with Mars)

Condatis | god who personified the joining of two bodies of water in the Tyne-Tees area of North Britain; also conflated with the Roman god Mars

Coventina | goddess who personified a holy spring (that was reputed to have healing powers)

Cuda | mother goddess

Latis | goddess associated with water (and possibly beer as well)

Matres Domesticae | an aspect of the three mothers, who were considered goddesses of the homeland (Britain)

Mogons | god who was worshipped mainly in North Britain; his name means "great one"

Nodens | god of healing; he is related to the Irish god Nuada

Sulis | goddess of healing, she presided over hot springs in Aquae Sulis (modern Bath); often conflated with the Roman goddess Minerva


Celtic Britain - Heroes and Heroines

Arthur | King of the Britons

Galahad | the son of Launcelot; due to his purity, he completed the Quest for the Holy Grail

Gawain | a hero in Arthur's court; he had strength that increased from morning until noon, then declined thereafter

Guinevere (Gwenhwyfar) | the wife of Arthur

Igraine | mother of Arthur

Iseult | referred to as "la belle Iseult" (which alludes to her great beauty); she fell in in love with the hero Tristram

Launcelot | greatest champion among Arthur's warriors (or knights, if you prefer the Medieval term)

Merlin (Myrddin) | regarded as both seer and sorcerer, Merlin was involved in many of the affairs and intrigues of Arthur's court

Morgan le Fay | according to the Medieval version of the legend, she was a cunning woman who practiced sorcery

Tristram | hero and warrior who was involved in an ill-fated love affair with Iseult

Uther Pendragon | King of the Britons prior to Arthur's reign

Viviane | she was the Lady of the Lake (also known as Nimue or Niniane); her relationship with Merlin was the stuff of legend


Celtic Gaul - Gods and Goddesses

Abnoba | goddess of the hunt, similar to the Roman Diana

Andraste | goddess of victory

Belenus | god of light; his name means "shining one"

Borvo | god of healing; his name is associated with springs

Cernunnos | god of fertility and animals; referred to as the "horned one"

Damona | goddess of fertility and healing; her name translates as "divine cow"

Dispater | Roman god of the underworld; his cult thrived in Gaul also

Epona | goddess of horses

Esus | god equated with the Roman deities Mars and Mercury

Nantosuelta | goddess of nature; the wife of Sucellus

Nehalennia | goddess of the sea

Ogmios | gods of eloquence and knowledge; equated with the Roman hero Hercules

Rosmerta | goddess who was the native consort of the Roman god Mercury; her name signifies "great provider"

Sirona | goddess of healing

Sucellus | god of agriculture and forests; also a hammer god (his name means "good striker")

Taranis | god whose name means "thunderer"; compared to the god Jupiter

Teutates | god of war; roughly equivalent to the Roman god Mars


Celtic Ireland - Gods and Goddesses

Aine | goddess of love

Banbha | one of the trio of goddesses who lent their name to Ireland

Boann | goddess of water and fertility; bore Oenghus to the Daghda

Brigit (Brighid) | goddess of fertility, healing, and poetry

Cian | the father of Lugh

Cliodna | goddess of beauty and the Otherworld

Creidhne | god of metalworking; one of the trio of craft-gods of the Tuatha De Danaan

Daghda | god of the earth; leader of the Tuatha De Danaan

Danu | goddess who is a version of the Great Mother; mother of the Tuatha De Danaan

Dian Cecht | god of crafts and healing

Donn | god of the dead; the "dark one"

Eriu | another of the three goddesses after which Ireland was named

Fodla | third of the trinity of goddesses of Ireland

Goibhniu | god of the smith; one of three craft-gods of the Tuatha De Danaan

Luchta | god of wrights; one of the triad of craft-gods of the Tuatha De Danaan

Lugh | god whose name means "shining one"



Celtic Ireland - Heroes and Heroines

Amairgen | legendary poet and warrior who resembles the Welsh Taliesin

Cathbadh | a druid who appears in various tales of the Ulster Cycle

Conall Cernach | warrior-hero of Ulster; his name suggests his status: Conall means "strong" and Cernach translates roughly as "victorious"

Conchobar | king of Ulster; closely linked with the hero Cu Chulainn

Conn | a High King of Ireland; known as "Conn of the Hundred Battles"

Cu Chulainn | a hero and warrior par excellence; his name means "hound of Culann"

Cu Roi | in the Ulster Cycle, he is a sorcerer who transforms himself into various guises

Deirdre | beautiful woman whose tragic tale is part of the Ulster Cycle

Emer | the wife of Cu Chulainn

Fedelma | poet and prophetess in the service of Queen Medb

Ferghus | the king of Ulster prior to Conchobar

Finn Mac Cool | hero of the Fionn Cycle; he was also the leader of the Fianna

Fintan | the salmon of knowledge

Grainne | in the Fionn Cycle, she is betrothed to Finn, but falls in love with Diarmaid


Celtic Wales - Gods and Heroes

Arianrhod | goddess whose name means "silver wheel" (i.e., the moon)

Blodeuwedd | a maiden of flowers created to be the wife of Lleu Llaw Gyffes

Branwen | the daughter of Llyr

Dewi | god who was represented by the Red Dragon, which has become the emblem of Wales

Don | mother goddess; the Welsh equivalent of the Irish Danu

Govannon | god of smiths & metalworkers

Gwynn ap Nudd | god of the Underworld

Lleu Llaw Gyffes | god who is the Welsh equivalent of the Irish Lugh

Llyr | god of the sea

Mabon | this son of Modron was a warrior

Math ap Mathonwy | god of sorcery

Modron | goddess whose name means "divine mother"

Pryderi | son of Pwyll and Rhiannon

Pwyll | he was the Prince of Dyfed and a hero in the Mabinogion

Rhiannon | the wife of Pwyll

Taliesin | a renown bard whose name means "shining brow"