The Tale of Danu: Part 1

Early Celtic scholars- we need a coherent genealogy for the Tuatha De

Medieval Irish texts: Ha ha! That’s not gonna happen

Early Celtic scholars- We need a mother goddess. A mother of the whole tribe of gods.

Medieval Irish texts: Eh, that’s not really there…lots of ladies of sovereignty, river goddesses

Some scholars be all “Vedic everything! Indo-European studies! Everything Celtic must have a Vedic connection!” So Danu, the Vedic river goddess- her name is linguistically connected to the Danube river, and the Welsh Don

Medieval Welsh texts: Don, who’s also an abstract motherly figurehead?

Early scholars- Shutup, texts! We get to decide how to interpret you. So we’re going with it, Tuatha De Danann, people of the goddess Danu. We also need a daddy figure- this Bile guy will do.

Other scholars- Or is that People of Skill/Arts- as in the Aes Dana, the skilled class? Bile who?

Revival & Neo-Pagan Druids- Eh, we’ll go with it! We need, like a Celtic Gaia.

Goddess-worshippers- All Hail the Great Mother Danu! Who is also Brighid, the Morrigan and any other strong female character in myth we think is cool.

Later scholars- There’s a mother of the three sons of Tuireann- Brian, Iuchar & Iucharba, the Gods of Skill- Danann.

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