DRUID LEGENDS OF CATASTROPHE 4
In the Fenian cycle, the latest tradition in literature, Oengus reappears when Finn Mc Coole describes the mound as the house of Oengus, which cannot be burned or destroyed as long as Oengus is alive. The famous love story of Diarmaid and Graine also connect to the Bru when Diarmaid is dying, partly because of Finn McCoole, and Finn says, " Let us leave this tulach for fear that Oengus and the Tuatha De Danann may catch us". Finn then brings Diarmaid to Newgrange in order to " put aerial life into him so that he will talk to me every day".
This story has many of the magical components of the Egyptian story of Isis bringing Osiris back to life in the great pyramid. Many other similar links between the Egyptian magical tales and the older Irish magical tales exist which suggests that the magical and astronomical skills of the Egyptians had their origin in Ireland. The very curious tale of the high King, Conn, and the Ri Raith (Royal Fortress) at Tara entitled "The magical stone of Tara" states; -
One evening Conn of the hundred battles repaired at sunrise to the Ri Raith at Tara, accompanied by his three Druids, Mael, Bloc and Bluicne, and his three poets, Ethain, Cord and Cesare; for he was accustomed every day to repair to this place with the same company, for the purpose of watching the stars, that no hostile aerial beings should descend upon Ireland unknown to him. While standing in the usual place one morning, Conn happened to tread on a stone, and immediately the stone shrieked under his feet so as to be heard all over Tara and throughout all East Meath. Conn then asked the Druids why the stone had shrieked, what its name was and what it said. Fifty three days later they answered; - Fal is the name of the stone, and it comes from the Island of Fal.
This is the Lia Fal, the stone of destiny, which was brought to Ireland by the Tuatha De Dannan, and a stone with this name is still within the Royal Fortress at Tara, although it is no longer beside the passage cairn, it is only 400 yards from its original site (there is a story that the real Lia Fail is now in Scone, Scotland but was once under the coronation seat at Westminster). Here we have a King making astronomical observations, and declaring his interest in " hostile aerial beings" at a temple that was at that time thousands of years old. The cairn at Tara is even today brilliantly illuminated at the time of two important Celtic festivals; Samhain in early November and Imbolc in early February.
Today's Irish Druids can have no illusions about the stability of our planet, or about the other planets in our solar system. We have the old Druids knowledge of actual impending catastrophic happenings - that the earth would be destroyed by fire and water. We have modern ecological and environmental awareness of the global weather patterns collapsing. The fire of the internal combustion engine has consumed nearly all the fossil oxygen in our atmosphere. Commercial deforestation has destroyed the air and water cycles in ways that will take many thousands of years to self-repair. These modern looming catastrophes are denied by the governments of the money lenders but even the dogs in the street know its bad and that it's getting worse. But today's Celtic Druids know that the Universe and the souls of those living in it are indestructible - so we live in the here and now - just as our ancestors did.
2. Dagda
Dagda (or Daghda)
Dagda is the good god of the Earth. Dagda is quite often called the King of the Danann and is the patron of all Druí. He is the son of Dana (Danu) and Bile (Belanus) and the father of Brigid (Brighid) and Aengus mac Og. The Dagda is also a partner of the Morrigan.
He is the possessor of a vast cauldron from Murias and from it "no company ever went from it unthankful". He was also in possession of a club or staff, that could either give or take life. Dagda is associated with Newgrange and the Winter Sun Standing. ‘Lord of knowledge' and Aed, meaning "Fire".
He was a sorcerer, ruler over life and death, god of the earth's fertility, as well as being a near superhuman warrior. The Dagda could change the seasons and control the earth's abundance. He was originally the supreme leader of the Tuatha de Danaan and, as Ollathair (athair translates to, 'father' - Ollathair meaning 'All-Father'), he ruled the world. After the Milesians defeated the Tuatha, the old gods went underground and the Dagda divided up the lands and gave these 'fairy mounds' out to the Tuatha de Danaan. The Irish-Celtic God of the earth and treaties, and ruler over life and death.
Dagda, or The Dagda, ("the good god") is one of the most prominent gods and the great leader. He is a master of magic, a fearsome warrior and a skilled artisan. The Dagda has the Morrigan as his wife, with whom he mates on New Years Day. The Dagda is portrayed as possessing both super- human strength and appetite.
His attributes are -
a cauldron with an inexhaustible supply of food, a magical harp with which he summons the seasons, and an enormous club, with one end of which he could kill nine men, but with the other restore them to life. He also possessed two marvelous swine---one always roasting, the other always growing---and ever-laden fruit trees. The Dagda was the father God of the Celts they called him the Good God because he protected their crops. He was king of the Tuatha Dé Danann and ruled over Uisnech in Co. Meath. He had a cauldron called an Coire Ansic which supplied unlimited food.
He also had a living oak harp called Daur da Bláo and a harper known as Uaithne. When Dagda played Daur da Bláo he caused the seasons to change in their order. Dagda's harp played three types of music; Goltraí / saddness, Gentraí / joy and Suantrí / sleep. He is insulted by church scribes who say - he wears a brown low-necked tunic to his hips with a hooded mantle / cape that only just covered his shoulders and that he wore boots made from horse-hide...
As a druid god king of the Dannan he was well dressed with high status clothing and stylish footwear. He pulled his eight pronged war club on a wheel. It is said that one end of the club killed the living and the other end gave new life to the dead. His main temples are Brú na Boinne (Newgrange) and An Grianan of Aileach and Uisneach. In some texts his father was Elatha, and his mother was Ethlinn. Dagda was the High King of the Tuatha De Danann, who lived in Ireland before the coming of the Celts. His wife was Breg (a main tributary of the Danube) but his lover was Boann – referred to today as the River Boyne. But Dagda also engaged with the Morrigan (the goddess of war) on Samhain in exchange for a battle plan. His affair with Boann caused a great magic to be used – he made the Sun stand still for nine months and their son Angus was begotten, gestated and born in one day.
The known children of Dagda are Angus, Bodh Dearg, Cermait, Midir, Aine and Brigit. He may have been the brother or father of Ogma. Dagda was said to have ruled for 70 or 80 years over the Tuatha De Danann. He died at Brú na Boinne (aka Newgrange) succumbing to poison administered by Ceithlenn (wife of Balor) at the first of the two battles at Magh Tuiredh.
Some say that the Cerne Abbas in Dorset may represent the Dagda.
This story has many of the magical components of the Egyptian story of Isis bringing Osiris back to life in the great pyramid. Many other similar links between the Egyptian magical tales and the older Irish magical tales exist which suggests that the magical and astronomical skills of the Egyptians had their origin in Ireland. The very curious tale of the high King, Conn, and the Ri Raith (Royal Fortress) at Tara entitled "The magical stone of Tara" states; -
One evening Conn of the hundred battles repaired at sunrise to the Ri Raith at Tara, accompanied by his three Druids, Mael, Bloc and Bluicne, and his three poets, Ethain, Cord and Cesare; for he was accustomed every day to repair to this place with the same company, for the purpose of watching the stars, that no hostile aerial beings should descend upon Ireland unknown to him. While standing in the usual place one morning, Conn happened to tread on a stone, and immediately the stone shrieked under his feet so as to be heard all over Tara and throughout all East Meath. Conn then asked the Druids why the stone had shrieked, what its name was and what it said. Fifty three days later they answered; - Fal is the name of the stone, and it comes from the Island of Fal.
This is the Lia Fal, the stone of destiny, which was brought to Ireland by the Tuatha De Dannan, and a stone with this name is still within the Royal Fortress at Tara, although it is no longer beside the passage cairn, it is only 400 yards from its original site (there is a story that the real Lia Fail is now in Scone, Scotland but was once under the coronation seat at Westminster). Here we have a King making astronomical observations, and declaring his interest in " hostile aerial beings" at a temple that was at that time thousands of years old. The cairn at Tara is even today brilliantly illuminated at the time of two important Celtic festivals; Samhain in early November and Imbolc in early February.
Today's Irish Druids can have no illusions about the stability of our planet, or about the other planets in our solar system. We have the old Druids knowledge of actual impending catastrophic happenings - that the earth would be destroyed by fire and water. We have modern ecological and environmental awareness of the global weather patterns collapsing. The fire of the internal combustion engine has consumed nearly all the fossil oxygen in our atmosphere. Commercial deforestation has destroyed the air and water cycles in ways that will take many thousands of years to self-repair. These modern looming catastrophes are denied by the governments of the money lenders but even the dogs in the street know its bad and that it's getting worse. But today's Celtic Druids know that the Universe and the souls of those living in it are indestructible - so we live in the here and now - just as our ancestors did.
2. Dagda
Dagda (or Daghda)
Dagda is the good god of the Earth. Dagda is quite often called the King of the Danann and is the patron of all Druí. He is the son of Dana (Danu) and Bile (Belanus) and the father of Brigid (Brighid) and Aengus mac Og. The Dagda is also a partner of the Morrigan.
He is the possessor of a vast cauldron from Murias and from it "no company ever went from it unthankful". He was also in possession of a club or staff, that could either give or take life. Dagda is associated with Newgrange and the Winter Sun Standing. ‘Lord of knowledge' and Aed, meaning "Fire".
He was a sorcerer, ruler over life and death, god of the earth's fertility, as well as being a near superhuman warrior. The Dagda could change the seasons and control the earth's abundance. He was originally the supreme leader of the Tuatha de Danaan and, as Ollathair (athair translates to, 'father' - Ollathair meaning 'All-Father'), he ruled the world. After the Milesians defeated the Tuatha, the old gods went underground and the Dagda divided up the lands and gave these 'fairy mounds' out to the Tuatha de Danaan. The Irish-Celtic God of the earth and treaties, and ruler over life and death.
Dagda, or The Dagda, ("the good god") is one of the most prominent gods and the great leader. He is a master of magic, a fearsome warrior and a skilled artisan. The Dagda has the Morrigan as his wife, with whom he mates on New Years Day. The Dagda is portrayed as possessing both super- human strength and appetite.
His attributes are -
a cauldron with an inexhaustible supply of food, a magical harp with which he summons the seasons, and an enormous club, with one end of which he could kill nine men, but with the other restore them to life. He also possessed two marvelous swine---one always roasting, the other always growing---and ever-laden fruit trees. The Dagda was the father God of the Celts they called him the Good God because he protected their crops. He was king of the Tuatha Dé Danann and ruled over Uisnech in Co. Meath. He had a cauldron called an Coire Ansic which supplied unlimited food.
He also had a living oak harp called Daur da Bláo and a harper known as Uaithne. When Dagda played Daur da Bláo he caused the seasons to change in their order. Dagda's harp played three types of music; Goltraí / saddness, Gentraí / joy and Suantrí / sleep. He is insulted by church scribes who say - he wears a brown low-necked tunic to his hips with a hooded mantle / cape that only just covered his shoulders and that he wore boots made from horse-hide...
As a druid god king of the Dannan he was well dressed with high status clothing and stylish footwear. He pulled his eight pronged war club on a wheel. It is said that one end of the club killed the living and the other end gave new life to the dead. His main temples are Brú na Boinne (Newgrange) and An Grianan of Aileach and Uisneach. In some texts his father was Elatha, and his mother was Ethlinn. Dagda was the High King of the Tuatha De Danann, who lived in Ireland before the coming of the Celts. His wife was Breg (a main tributary of the Danube) but his lover was Boann – referred to today as the River Boyne. But Dagda also engaged with the Morrigan (the goddess of war) on Samhain in exchange for a battle plan. His affair with Boann caused a great magic to be used – he made the Sun stand still for nine months and their son Angus was begotten, gestated and born in one day.
The known children of Dagda are Angus, Bodh Dearg, Cermait, Midir, Aine and Brigit. He may have been the brother or father of Ogma. Dagda was said to have ruled for 70 or 80 years over the Tuatha De Danann. He died at Brú na Boinne (aka Newgrange) succumbing to poison administered by Ceithlenn (wife of Balor) at the first of the two battles at Magh Tuiredh.
Some say that the Cerne Abbas in Dorset may represent the Dagda.
26-30, F