The Dagda

Last updated

The Dagda
Chief/leader of the Gods.
Member of the Tuatha Dé Danann
Abode Brú na Bóinne
Weapons
Battles Magh Tuiredh
Artefacts
Personal information
Parents
Siblings Ogma
Consorts
Children

The Dagda (Old Irish: In Dagda [daɣða] , Irish : An Daghdha) is an important god in Irish mythology. One of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Dagda is portrayed as a father-figure, king, and druid. [1] [2] [3] He is associated with fertility, agriculture, manliness and strength, as well as magic, druidry and wisdom. [1] [2] [4] [5] He can control life and death, the weather and crops, as well as time and the seasons.

Contents

He is often described as a large bearded man or giant [4] wearing a hooded cloak. [6] He owns a magic staff, club, or mace (the lorg mór or lorg anfaid), of dual nature: it kills with one end and brings to life with the other. He also owns a cauldron (the coire ansic ) which never runs empty, and a magic harp ( uaithne ) which can control men's emotions and change the seasons. He is said to dwell in Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange). Other places associated with or named after him include Uisneach, Grianan of Aileach, Lough Neagh and Knock Iveagh. The Dagda is said to be husband or lover of the Morrígan and Boann. [4] His children include Aengus, Brigit, Bodb Derg, Cermait, Aed, and Midir. [1]

The Dagda's name is thought to mean "the good god" or "the great god". His other names include Eochu or Eochaid Ollathair ("horseman, great father"), and Ruad Rofhessa ("mighty one/lord of great knowledge"). There are indications Dáire was another name for him. [4] The death and ancestral god Donn may originally have been a form of the Dagda, [7] and he also has similarities with the later harvest figure Crom Dubh. [8] Several tribal groupings saw the Dagda as an ancestor and were named after him, such as the Uí Echach and the Dáirine.

The Dagda has been likened to the Germanic god Odin, the Gaulish god Sucellos, [1] and the Roman god Dīs Pater. [4]

Name

Etymology

The Old Irish name Dagda is generally believed to stem from Proto-Celtic : *Dago-dēwos, meaning "the good god" or "the great god". [9] [10] [11]

Epithets

The Dagda has several other names or epithets which reflect aspects of his character. [12]

The name Eochu is a diminutive form of Eochaid, which also has spelling variants of Eochaidh and Echuid. [19] The death and ancestral god Donn may originally have been a form of the Dagda, who is sometimes called Dagda Donn. [7]

Description

Tales depict the Dagda as a figure of immense power. He is said to own a magic staff, club or mace which could kill nine men with one blow; but with the handle he could return the slain to life. It was called the lorg mór ("the great staff/club/mace") or the lorg anfaid ("the staff/club/mace of wrath"). His magic cauldron was known as the coire ansic ("the un-dry cauldron") and was said to be bottomless, from which no man left unsatisfied. [20] It was said to have a ladle so big that two people could fit in it. [21] Uaithne, also known as "the Four Angled Music", was a richly ornamented magic harp made of oak which, when the Dagda played it, put the seasons in their correct order; other accounts tell of it being used to command the order of battle. He possessed two pigs, one of which was always growing whilst the other was always roasting, and ever-laden fruit trees. He also described as being the owner of a black-maned heifer that was given to him for his labours prior to the Second Battle of Moytura. When the heifer calls her calf, all the cattle of Ireland taken by the Fomorians as tribute graze. [22]

The Dagda was one of the kings of the Tuatha De Danann. The Tuatha Dé Danann are the race of supernatural beings who conquered the Fomorians, who inhabited Ireland previously, prior to the coming of the Milesians. The Mórrígan is often described as his wife, his daughter was Brigit, [23] and his lover was Boann, after whom the River Boyne is named, though she was married to Elcmar. Prior to the battle with the Fomorians, he coupled with the goddess of war, the Mórrígan, on Samhain in exchange for a plan of battle. [24] [25]

Despite his great power and prestige, the Dagda is sometimes depicted as oafish and crude, even comical, wearing a short, rough tunic that barely covers his rump, dragging his great penis on the ground. [24] Such features are thought to be the additions of Christian redactors for comedic purposes. The Middle Irish language Coir Anmann (The Fitness of Names) paints a less clownish picture: "He was a beautiful god of the heathens, for the Tuatha Dé Danann worshipped him: for he was an earth-god to them because of the greatness of his (magical) power." [26]

The Dagda has similarities with the later harvest figure Crom Dubh. [8] He also has similarities with the Gaulish god Sucellos, who is depicted with a hammer and a pot, [1] and the Roman god Dīs Pater. [4]

Family

The Dagda is said to be husband of the Morrígan, who is called his "envious wife". [4] [27] His children include Aengus, Cermait, and Aed (often called the three sons of the Dagda), Brigit and Bodb Derg. [1] He is said to have two brothers, Nuada and Ogma, but this may be an instance of the tendency to triplicate deities. [4] Elsewhere the Dagda is linked exclusively with Ogma, and the two are called "the two brothers." [23] In the Dindsenchas, the Dagda is given a daughter named Ainge, for whom he makes a twig basket or tub that always leaks when the tide is in and never leaks when it is going out. [28] The Dagda's father is named Elatha son of Delbeath. [29] Englec, the daughter of Elcmar, is named as a consort of the Dagda and the mother of his "swift son". [30] Echtgi the loathesome is another daughter of the Dagda's named in the Banshenchas. [30]

Mythology

The rising Sun illuminates the inner chamber of Newgrange only at the winter solstice. Newgrange, Ireland 001.jpg
The rising Sun illuminates the inner chamber of Newgrange only at the winter solstice.

Before the Second Battle of Mag Tuired the Dagda builds a fortress for Bres called Dún Brese and is also forced by the Fomorian kings Elatha, Indech, and Tethra to build raths. [23] In the lead up to the Second Battle of Mag Tuired, when Lugh asks Dagda what power he will wield over the Fomorian host, he responds that he "will take the side of the men of Erin both in mutual smiting and destruction and wizardry. Their bones under my club will be as many as hailstones under feet of herds of horses". [23]

The Dagda has an affair with Boann, the goddess of the River Boyne. She lives at Brú na Bóinne with her husband Elcmar. The Dagda impregnates her after sending Elcmar away on a one-day errand. To hide the pregnancy from Elcmar, the Dagda casts a spell on him, making "the sun stand still" so he will not notice the passing of time. Meanwhile, Boann gives birth to Aengus, who is also known as Maccán Óg ('the young son'). Eventually, Aengus learns that the Dagda is his true father and asks him for a portion of land. In some versions of the tale, the Dagda helps Aengus take ownership of the Brú from Elcmar. Aengus asks and is given the Brú for láa ocus aidche; because in Old Irish this could mean either "a day and a night" or "day and night", Aengus claims it forever. Other versions have Aengus taking over the Brú from the Dagda himself by using the same trick. [31] [32]

It has been suggested that this tale represents the winter solstice illumination of Newgrange at Brú na Bóinne, during which the sunbeam (the Dagda) enters the inner chamber (the womb of Boann) when the sun's path stands still. The word solstice (Irish grianstad) means sun-standstill. The conception of Aengus may represent the 'rebirth' of the sun at the winter solstice, him taking over the Brú from an older god representing the growing sun taking over from the waning sun. [33] [32]

The Tochmarc Étaíne , tells the story of how Bóand conceives Aengus by the Dagda. [34] In the Aislinge Oengusso or Dream of Aengus the Dagda and Boand help Aengus to find a mysterious woman who he has fallen in love with in his dreams.

In a poem about Mag Muirthemne, the Dagda banishes an octopus with his "mace of wrath" using the following words: "Turn thy hollow head! Turn thy ravening body! Turn thy resorbent forehead! Avaunt! Begone!", the sea receded with the creature and the plain of Mag Muirthemne was left behind. [35]

In the Dindsenchas the Dagda is described as swift with a poison draught and as a justly dealing lord. He is also called a King of Erin with hosts of hostages, a noble, slender prince, and the father of Cermait, Aengus, and Aed. [36]

He is credited with a seventy- or eighty-year reign (depending on source) over the Tuatha Dé Danann, before dying at Brú na Bóinne, finally succumbing to a wound inflicted by Cethlenn during the battle of Mag Tuired. [37]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish mythology</span> Pre-Christian mythology of Ireland

Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era. In the early medieval era, some myths were transcribed by Christian monks, who heavily altered and Christianised the myths. Irish mythology is the best-preserved branch of Celtic mythology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lugh</span> Irish god of skills and the arts

Lugh or Lug is a figure in Irish mythology. A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a group of supernatural beings, Lugh is portrayed as a warrior, a king, a master craftsman and a saviour. He is associated with skill and mastery in multiple disciplines, including the arts. Lugh also has associations with oaths, truth and the law, and therefore with rightful kingship. Lugh is linked with the harvest festival of Lughnasadh, which bears his name. His most common epithets are Lámfada and Samildánach. This has sometimes been anglicised as "Lewy of the Long Hand".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Morrígan</span> Irish Celtic deity

The Morrígan or Mórrígan, also known as Morrígu, is a figure from Irish mythology. The name is Mór-ríoghan in modern Irish before the spelling reform, and it has been translated as "great queen" or "phantom queen".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuatha Dé Danann</span> Pantheon of pre-Christian Ireland

The TuathaDé Danann, also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé, are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aengus</span> Irish god of youth, love, and poetic inspiration

In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love, summer and poetic inspiration. The son of The Dagda and Boann, Aengus is also known as Macan Óc, and corresponds to the Welsh mythical figure Mabon and the Celtic god Maponos. He plays a central role in five Irish myths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boann</span> Name list

Boann or Boand is the Irish goddess of the River Boyne (Bóinn), an important river in Ireland's historical province of Meath. According to the Lebor Gabála Érenn and Táin Bó Fraích she was the sister of Befind and daughter of Delbáeth, son of Elada, of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Her husband is variously Nechtan or Elcmar. With her lover the Dagda, she is the mother of Aengus.

In Irish mythology, Elcmar or Ecmar is the husband of Boann and belongs to the divine Tuatha Dé Danann. It has been suggested that he is Nuada under another name, and he is sometimes confused with Nechtan, Boann's usual husband. At first glance he appears to be associated with horses but there is also a school of thought that says his name means The Evil One. In the Dindsenchas, he is called "lord of horses" and is described as a judge. Elcmar is described as having a fork of white hazel, a gold brooch, and a cloak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuada Airgetlám</span> First king of the Tuatha Dé Danann in Irish mythology

In Irish mythology, Nuada or Nuadu, known by the epithet Airgetlám, was the first king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He is also called Nechtan, Nuadu Necht and Elcmar, and is the husband of Boann. He is mostly known from the tale in which he loses his arm or hand in battle, and thus his kingship, but regains it after being magically healed by Dian Cécht. Nuada is thought to have been a god and is related to the British and Gaulish god Nodens, who is associated with hunting and fishing. His Welsh equivalent is Nudd or Lludd Llaw Eraint.

In Irish mythology, Bres was a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He is often referred to by the name Eochaid / Eochu Bres. He was an unpopular king, and favoured his Fomorian kin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nemed</span> Figure of Irish mythology

Nemed or Nimeth is a character in medieval Irish legend. According to the Lebor Gabála Érenn, he was the leader of the third group of people to settle in Ireland: the Muintir Nemid, Clann Nemid or "Nemedians". They arrived thirty years after the Muintir Partholóin, their predecessors, had died out. Nemed eventually dies of plague and his people are oppressed by the Fomorians. They rise up against the Fomorians, attacking their tower out at sea, but most are killed and the survivors leave Ireland. Their descendants become the Fir Bolg.

In Irish mythology, Dian Cécht was the god of healing, the healer for the Tuatha Dé Danann, and son of the Dagda according to the Dindsenchas.

Ogma is a god from Irish and Scottish mythology. A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, he is often considered a deity and may be related to the Gallic god Ogmios. According to the Ogam Tract, he is the inventor of Ogham, the script in which Irish Gaelic was first written.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newgrange</span> Neolithic monument in County Meath, Ireland

Newgrange is a prehistoric monument in County Meath in Ireland, located on a rise overlooking the River Boyne, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) west of the town of Drogheda. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic Period, around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Newgrange is the main monument in the Brú na Bóinne complex, a World Heritage Site that also includes the passage tombs of Knowth and Dowth, as well as other henges, burial mounds and standing stones.

In the Mythological Cycle of early Irish literature, Midir, Midhir or Mider was a son of the Dagda of the Tuatha Dé Danann. After the Tuatha Dé were defeated by the Milesians, he lived in the sidh of Brí Léith. The name Midir may come from the old Irish word for a judge, midithir.

<i>Cath Maige Tuired</i> Either of two texts in the Mythological Cycle of Irish mythology

Cath Maige Tuired is the name of two saga texts of the Mythological Cycle of Irish mythology. It refers to two separate battles in Connacht: the first in the territory of Conmhaícne Cúile Tuireadh near Cong, County Mayo, the second near Lough Arrow in County Sligo. The two texts tell of battles fought by the Tuatha Dé Danann, the first against the Fir Bolg, and the second against the Fomorians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mythological Cycle</span> Conventional division in Irish mythology

The Mythological Cycle is a conventional grouping within Irish mythology. It consists of tales and poems about the god-like Tuatha Dé Danann, who are based on Ireland's pagan deities, and other mythical races such as the Fomorians and Fir Bolg. It is one of the four main story 'cycles' of early Irish myth and legend, along with the Ulster Cycle, the Fianna Cycle and the Cycles of the Kings. The name "Mythological Cycle" seems to have gained currency with Arbois de Jubainville c. 1881–1883. James MacKillop says the term is now "somewhat awkward", and John T. Koch notes it is "potentially misleading, in that the narratives in question represent only a small part of extant Irish mythology". He prefers T Ó Cathasaigh's name, Cycle of the Gods. Important works in the cycle are the Lebor Gabála Érenn, the Cath Maige Tuired, the Aided Chlainne Lir and Tochmarc Étaíne.

Delbáeth or Delbáed was one of several figures from Irish mythology who are often confused due to the repetition of the name in the mythological genealogies.

In Irish mythology, Cermait, also anglicized as or Kermit, of the Tuatha Dé Danann was a son of the Dagda and brother of Aed and Aengus. He was killed by Lugh after he had an affair with Lugh's wife Buach. The Dagda cried tears of blood for his son, and later, while traveling with his son's body in the east revived Cermait with a healing staff. Cermait's three sons, Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Gréine, avenged his death, and went on to become joint High Kings of Ireland. Another figure mentioned in the Dindsenchas, Conan Honey-mouth, is described as the son of the Dagda and may be the same figure as Cermait. Conan was killed with a spear by a son of Conall Cernach named Ferdoman.

Aed, or Aodh, is the prince of the Daoine Sidhe and a god of the underworld in Irish mythology. He is known from inscriptions as the eldest son of Lir, High King of the Tuatha de Dannan, and Aoibh, a daughter of Bodb Dearg. Aed is elsewhere described in the Dindsenchas as being the Dagda's son and brother of Cermait and Aengus killed by Corchenn of Cruach for seducing Corchenn's wife.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Koch, John T. Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, 2006. pp. 553–54 [ ISBN missing ]
  2. 1 2 3 An Dagda. Mary Jones's Celtic Encyclopedia. [ ISBN missing ]
  3. ↑ The Irish Version of the Historia Britonum Nennius, "Of the Conquest of Eri as Recorded by Nennius" Historia 8 [ ISBN missing ]
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopaedia of the Irish folk tradition. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. pp. 145–147 [ ISBN missing ]
  5. 1 2 Monaghan, Patricia. The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore. Infobase Publishing, 2004. pp. 113–14 [ ISBN missing ]
  6. 1 2 Ward, Alan (2011). The Myths of the Gods: Structures in Irish Mythology. pp. 9–10 [ ISBN missing ]
  7. 1 2 Ó hÓgáin, pp. 165–66
  8. 1 2 MacNeill, Máire. The Festival of Lughnasa: A Study of the Survival of the Celtic Festival of the Beginning of Harvest. Oxford University Press, 1962. p. 416 [ ISBN missing ]
  9. ↑ Mallory & Adams 1997, p. 231.
  10. ↑ Delamarre, Xavier (2003). Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise: Une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental. Errance. p. 134. ISBN   978-2877723695.
  11. ↑ Martin, Scott A (April 2012). "The Names of the Dagda". hdl:2027.42/138966 . Retrieved 1 March 2023.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. ↑ Ó hÓgáin, p. 245
  13. ↑ Koch, pp. 553, 1632
  14. ↑ Maier, Bernhard. Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture. Boydell & Brewer, 1997. p. 90
  15. ↑ Berresford Ellis, Peter. The Druids. W.B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1994. p. 123
  16. ↑ Smyth, Daragh. A Guide to Irish Mythology. Irish Academic Press, 1996. p. 15
  17. ↑ Monaghan, p. 83
  18. ↑ Monaghan, p. 144
  19. ↑ O'Brien, Kathleen M. "Index of Names in Irish Annals: Eochaid, Echuid / Eochaidh". Index of Names in Irish Annals. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  20. ↑ "Celtic Myths". livingmyths.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  21. ↑ "The Dagda, the Father God of Ireland".
  22. ↑ Stokes, Whitley. "The Second Battle of Moytura". Corpus of Electronic Texts. University College, Cork, Ireland. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Stokes, Whitley. "The Second Battle of Moytura". Corpus of Electronic Texts. University College, Cork. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  24. 1 2 Cath Maige Tuireadh . Trans. Elizabeth A. Gray.
  25. ↑ "Dagda | Celtic deity".
  26. ↑ Coir Anmann . Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  27. ↑ The Metrical Dindsenchas "Odras" Poem 49
  28. ↑ "Dindsenchas "Fid n-Gaible"".
  29. ↑ Borlase, William Copeland (1897). The Dolmens of Ireland. Indiana University: Chapman and Hall. p. 349. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  30. 1 2 "Banshenchus: The Lore of Women". Celtic Literature Collective. Mary Jones. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  31. ↑ Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopaedia of the Irish folk tradition. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p.39
  32. 1 2 Hensey, Robert. Re-discovering the winter solstice alignment at Newgrange, in The Oxford Handbook of Light in Archaeology. Oxford University Press, 2017. pp.11–13
  33. ↑ Anthony Murphy and Richard Moore. "Chapter 8, Newgrange: Womb of the Moon", Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers. Liffey Press, 2008. pp.160–172
  34. ↑ Tochmarc Étaíne . Corpus of Electronic Texts
  35. ↑ The Metrical Dindshenchas poem on Mag Muirthemne. Corpus of Electronic Texts.
  36. ↑ "The Metrical Dindsenchas poem 22 "Ailech I"".
  37. ↑ Macalister, Robert Alexander Stewart (1938–1956). Lebor gabála Érenn : The book of the taking of Ireland. Kelly – University of Toronto. Dublin : Published for the Irish texts Society by the Educational Company of Ireland. pp. 314, 124–125 (Cetlenn), ¶366, pp. 184–185, Poem LV, str. 32 on p. 237.

Bibliography

Further reading

Preceded by
Lug
High King of Ireland
AFM 1830–1750 BC
FFE 1407–1337 BC		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.