Pagan Deities and Occult Themes
Many cultures have a version of “Death” or a “Grim Reaper,” the entity responsible for guiding the recently dead into the afterlife. Similar but distinct versions of death existed in the folklore of the British Isles, influenced by both Celtic and Christian traditions. Dullahan – Irish Folklore In Irish folklore, Dullahan is a headless rider... Continue Reading →
The Ogham script is an early Medieval alphabet primarily used in Celtic Ireland and Western Britain between the 4th and 6th centuries CE. Around 400 inscriptions survive, most from the Munster area of Ireland and the Pembrokeshire region of Wales. Some scholars believe that the alphabet was created by Druids specifically as a secret script... Continue Reading →
Lugus, also sometimes called Lugh, is a Celtic god that whispers through history. No confirmed images of the god survive, but his name appears in various inscriptions. He was also clearly prevalent enough to show up in Roman and Medieval accounts of the Celts. Most surviving dedications to Lugus survive from Iberia and date to... Continue Reading →
Teutates, or Toutatis, is one of the many names of ancient Celtic gods that has been transmitted down through the millennia. But unlike the Greeks and Romans, who wrote extensively about the gods, the Celts left almost no written records about their deities. Consequently, we have to piece together the character and importance of this... Continue Reading →
Nodens is a Celtic healing god that was worshipped by the Celts of Britain. He is mostly known from the remains of a Romano-Celtic temple at Lydney Park in Gloucestershire. As well as being a healing god, Nodens seems to have had associations with the sea. This would not be unusual in Celtic religions, and... Continue Reading →
Taranis, a god of thunder, was one of the most important gods among the Celts of Iron Age Europe. There is evidence of his worship in Gaul, Hispania, Britain, and Ireland, as well as in the more Germanic Rhineland and Danube regions. Placing a god of thunder at the center of their pantheon seems to... Continue Reading →
The Irish Celtic god Manannan mac Lir was a sea god and the ruler of the otherworld. His name may be derived from the name of the Isle of Man, with the ending “mac Lir” indicating that he is the son of the sea god Ler, whose position he seems to have usurped. Manannan seems... Continue Reading →
While various supernatural beings appear in Irish mythology, the most commonly referenced and important are the Tuath De Danann or the “children of the goddess Danu.” They are often described as old pagan Irish gods, and while they seem god-like in many ways, in other ways they are not. The Tuath De Danann, while enjoying... Continue Reading →
Cernunnos is one of the Celtic gods that was worshipped by the Gauls in France from at least the first century BC. He is a horned god, but just one of many worshipped across Europe. They are often all lumped together under the name Cernunnos. Cernunnos is also considered the proto deity for the Horned... Continue Reading →