Books:
Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore
Celtic Myth and Mythology Edain Mccoy
Celtic Magic dj conway
I know there are a lot of links. I’m not writing a research paper but I need to give credit…Mother Danu Does Not Approve of plagiarism! Hope this is useful, as there is some good info even if it isn’t a lot.
I have a book Celtic Gods & Goddesses that makes mention of Danu also. I can’t remember off hand who wrote it, but I will find out & add the information for you! I am (when my life isn’t so chaotic) learning about Celtic Paganism & I regularly work with Brigid. That’s how I was led to this book. I have a couple of others & once I am able to go through my witchy library, I will see if I have any other resources for you to explore.
Undomeher
I’ve done minimal research about the Goddess Danu. At best the information is murky and or theory, no solid proof, no written records unless you consider the Danu in Hindu religion one and the same, but that seems to be a stretch to me.
Still, Danu is a very ancient god. Although she’s considered the mother of the Tuatha De Dannan, she didn’t sail to Ireland with them.
The theorists are trying to tie Danu of Ireland with Danu of India. Both would have been considered water Goddesses. The mythology has some small similarity. I guess I’d have to look into it further.
Thanks so much for bringing this compelling subject to us.
blessed be.
Garnet.
Most of my understanding of her comes from the websites above, but I am reading the book Siofra mentioned above, as well as DJ Conway’s Celtic Magic, which has some interesting info. I know from the start that there is not a lot known about her. That’s ok. I’m not looking for her social security number, I just want to learn all I can.
As McColman and Hinds say in the book, “Anyone who wishes to honor the old gods and goddesses in a meaningful way today will have to adapt what little we know to the demands of modern life—and fill in the many gaps, as best we can, with our 21st century sensibilities, hoping to steer our spirituality in a direction that is both meaningful for us and pleasing to the deities.”
Excerpt From: “The Spirit of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses: Their History, Magical Power, and Healing Energies” by Carl McColman. Scribd.
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I have been reading the book from the beginning and I am only at Chaptre 4 but this book is fascinating! I’m currently leaning towards owning a copy. Thank you, this book really aligns with my own thoughts!
She sounds like a really interesting goddess, @anon87969570- thanks for sharing your wisdom about Her (and the helpful source links- you’re awesome)!
Any Goddess of Seagulls has my attention- everywhere I go in the world, there seems to be seagulls (no matter how far from the ocean lol). I wonder if Danu is associated with travel in some way? Looking forward to learning more about Her!
@BryWisteria I did a little digging to see what I could do to help @anon87969570 with his dossier on Danu and according to Danu | Celtic goddess She is believed to be a goddess of fertility, wisdom and wind. Personally I would associate wind with travel as it is known to carry seeds and intentions and other various items to other locations. Perhaps the appearance of seagulls wherever you go is Danu trying to connect with you
Well honestly @Garnet while researching Frigg last night (after I found her to be my deity) the similarities between Frigg and Freya are so great that they are believed to be one in the same until Christianity separated them letting Frigg absorb into the virgin Mary’s figure while Freya was demonized for her use of seidr and feminine eroticism giving them the heaven/hell persona with Freya taking on the figure if a witch with her cat. But compare the two and the differences are slim to none so it’s not surprising to me that the stories on Danu of Ireland and Danu of India would appear as 2 separate yet very similar deities. There is a lot more information on Freya than there is on Frigg as well which could be the same instance with Danu/Danu and the reason why @anon87969570 has found very little on his Celtic goddess.
In many mythologies, there are different names for different aspects of the same goddess. Just as crystals or gems have many facets, so does the Goddess. We see this in the Maiden, Mother, Crone of the Triple Goddess and others as well. Danu of Ireland and Danu of India may well be the same goddess, with regional aspects.
Further, from my reading of this book and other sources, it seems that as Danu she is the Mother of the Gods, a river goddess, and the goddess of things that flow. But there is also a strong connection to the Irish goddess Anu, goddess of the land. In this we might be seeing another aspect of Danu. Further, in some readings Danu is the grandmother of Brigid/Brigit/Brid, and in others, Brigid is suggested as another name for Danu,that the connection is stronger, perhaps another aspect.
My proximity to the Shenandoah River makes it no surprise that I connected with her.
It’s my understanding from the book, that Danu (Anu, Dana) is the earliest Celtic Goddess (“The Flowing One”) who gave her name not only to the great Danube River also to the Tribe of Irish Deities & magical heroes, the Tuatha De Danann (Tribes of the Goddess Dana). Variants of her name include Danu & Anu the name of an Irish Goddess from the southwest part of the country who, in the Middle Ages, was identified as the mother of the Gods. In Wales, the goddess Don, as an unseen mother of deities, appears to play a role similar to Danu’s. In this book she is related to as a sort of River Goddess as are others from the same time.
The Spirit of the Celtic Gods & Goddesses
Their History, Magical Power, & Healing Energies
Page 37 -39
Carl McColman, Kathryn Hinds, forward by Courtney Weber
Funny you should mention Brigid, she is my main deity that I work with & she is wonderful for me. The whole reason I got this book & started really reading & learning about Celtic Paganism. Ah, I wish I could find the other book I got! Maybe I have it in at least my order history. MeganB may have some information too as she is more versed than I in Celtic Paganism.
I started to go through the book a little bit more. My bookmark is right before information regarding Danu so for me it was an easy part of the book to find & very interesting. I’m going to have to restart the book from the beginning though, so much has happened that my recall is waning regarding this book right now.
