I'm from Ireland and my second name is MacAonghus, it translates to son of Aonghus and I am one of the few lucky people to still have it. Incredible video, best I've seen of the topic of Celtic mythology aswell, hard topic to understand let alone write about.
As someone who is getting into Celtic culture, this is a great educational video! I hope your channel continues to grow. Also, love the Skyrim background music!
I knew my grandpa and while he was huge celtaboo, I'm pretty sure he didn't worship those gods. I don't think he had any religion unless you consider religious hate of communists a religion. Great video anyway and I believe he would enjoy it too.
Outside of scholarly analysis, there were no "God of X". They were stories of powerful beings who could do magical things in order to explain the worshipper's world.
That’s definitely one of the things I found so interesting about these deities, they weren’t like Greek or Egyptian gods who’s origins are mostly fantastical, but they were essentially hyped up historical hero’s whose supernatural powers were tacked on by their descendants.
@@FutileFacts4u That’s because these myths were written down long after Christianization. We are clearly heavy Christian redaction of these tales had already occurred for a few centuries.
@@FutileFacts4uHellenic gods were not exactly "god of x" in the way modern culturally Christian observers tend to think. For example, Artemis was not exclusively the goddess of the moon- She was a goddess of the moon, but also a goddess of hunters, of archery, of virgins, of midwifery or childbirth, of magic, of pain relief, of hanging, of bears (Ark Temis means "sanctuary for bears" and was an eponym for Hekate, three-faced goddess of night, crossroads, witchcraft, archery, womanhood and probably other stuff that was lost when she ceased to be a major god in her own right, as later in history Artemis was considered the daughter of Zeus while Hekate was considered an Anatolian god who was a sister of Zeus, rather than being the same deity), of vengeance, and on and on. Artemis was Artemis, and all of these spheres of influence were based on stories about her or duties she fulfilled; Some are perhaps stronger than others, as apart from beig supported by myth, they were supported by practice (eg she is a goddess of hunters and midwivery because hunters and midwives would worship her to improve their fortune at their professions; she is a goddess of virgins because young girls would be taught life skills at her temples, where men were not allowed, until they reached marriageable age). The same was true of other gods in the Greek pantheon- Zeus for example was not the sky god because of something in his makeup but because it was his fate (he drew lots with his brothers, and won dominion over the sky), and was also a god of war, fatherhood, lust, virgin birth (multiple of his children had no other parent), lightning (but it was actually Poseidon who gave him this gift according to one myth!), physical strength, etc. The gods of whom this was least true were those who had a single name and personified a concept, sometimes called the Principes or Princes (direct inspiration for the Daedra in Elder Scrolls btw, not just in this but in that most represent blind natural forces that seem negative to mortals, with but a few being generally positive or neutral to mortals, but the "evil" ones arguably being misunderstood), like Nyx, Eris, Thanatos and Harmonia. However, from what has survived of ancient myth and religion, these served more as plot devices for myths than as objects of worship that could properly be called "gods."
Yes indeed, due to her relation to the Dagda, she is thought to be “the great queen” to “the great god”. It’s the Mor- that some argue makes her more monstrous
I'm currently working on a project about the fae, and bringing up Gwyn ao Nudd here gives me an for it. Most of the story is very Shakespearian inspired, projecting Oberon's influence as this all consuming cult of personality. But what if there was this hidden backstory where Oberon, himself, is simply a usurper to Gwyn, who returns towards the end of the story to reclaim his rule over the fae realm?
That’s a cool use of lore in my opinion. Is this for a story or like a dnd campaign? I’d definitely incorporate the “wild hunt” as a foreshadowed option if the wrong person takes power 👍
@@FutileFacts4u Its for the story behind a game design document I'm doing as part of an art project. Dunno if I'll ever actually code it up, though. I do like the idea of the Wild Hunt being a thing that happens leading up to the reveal. Especially since one of the other factions in the story is a Hunters guild, so it'd be fun to have people accuse them of being behind all the weird stuff only for that faction leader to go "uhhh this ain't us, we dunno whats going on either."
Nice catch! I meant to say Dis Pater (not to be confused with Dies Pater) instead, the god of agriculture and mineral wealth whose connection to the underground eventually saw him become the god of the underworld, Pluto
The Irish have "The Good God," not in the sense of "just" but "proficient." Now you see where generations of Irish politicians in many countries are coming from . . . .
I’m not too knowledgeable on those books, aside from the awful Eragon movie I only saw once. Still super cool to find more strands to the web of inspiration, especially one more obvious like this 👌
What are the sources for this pantheon? Is there anything pre-Christian? Or are these deities from Christian era folk lore, and if so, do we know how much they relate to actual pre-Christian belief?
It’s hard to say for sure. The ancient Celts date back to the Iron Age, around 571 BC. Many of their languages are extinct for the most part like Gaulish, while those that have persisted have sparse records, either because they are lost or destroyed. To my knowledge (and I’m no expert I just learn for fun), most records we have are during and after the Roman Empire and death of Christ. Mainly Arthurian legends and other tales, ancient scripts like Ogham, and surviving Druidic texts which are hard to come by
I highly doubt that. My grandpa was Christian. Now, of course he wouldn't worship Celtic gods, we're from the Netherlands, but I highly doubt he would've worshipped any Germanic gods either
My grandpa is in a similar boat religiously. Can’t speak for my great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grandfather tho 🤷♂️
@@slappy8941 Dude, Jesus is a actual Historic person within the Messianic framework of Judaism as a claimant of said Messianic Prophecy. He ain't Baldur nor Horus just Jesus though which truth of the Nazarene stand depends on Christians, Muslims, other Religion interpretation of him even atheist interpretation of him as a preacher and a messianic claimant
the way that gods are described as being humans of the past is just christians writing it down trying to downplay the gods Saxo Grammaticus tried the same with the norse gods
That would make a lot of sense, once pagans were convinced of the insignificance of their gods, it would be easier to turn them towards a different faith. Though I do like the notion of gods stemming from the stories of one’s ancestors. Imagine in battle saying “We are the X tribe, descendants of the gods themselves! We will fight to the last man for (insert afterlife here) awaits us!”
@@FutileFacts4u it easily allows for folkism in modern religions Although, a concept in hindu theism is that practically anything can become a god once wordhipped, including your forefathers
Yes and no, like I said in the beginning of the video “Celtic” is a blanket term for a group of people linguistically and culturally connected but they were not one people. The early Irish were part of the greater Celtic tradition but it’s like the saying “a penny is a coin but a coin is not a penny”. Old Irish is Celtic but Celtic is not always Irish.
Some of them are, like Ogmios as mentioned in the video. Again, it’s like the penny-coin phrase: Gauls were Celtic but Celts were not always Gaulish. 👍
I’ll definitely be covering them here in the near future. I know I spoke at length about a few creatures from Slavic folklore but I have yet to cover gods of the Slavic world. Your wish will be granted, in due time 🤞
i like your style, narration, and music choices :) you are keeping pagan history alive in the digital age of christofascism, so i can assure you that your efforts are well worth it 🫶🏻
There’s definitely a lot of pagan beliefs that were either blotted out or assimilated over the course of European history. I do feel that in our modern age there are significant efforts to rediscover lost lore and thanks to the digital tools at our disposal it’s easier than ever to explore one’s ancestry. I disagree about our modern digital age being one of christofascism, but I appreciate your praise regardless 🙏
I'm from Ireland and my second name is MacAonghus, it translates to son of Aonghus and I am one of the few lucky people to still have it. Incredible video, best I've seen of the topic of Celtic mythology aswell, hard topic to understand let alone write about.
Glad you enjoyed it! That’s a powerful name indeed 👌
I figured this would be a pretty big channel based on the video quality. I hope this reaches more people, it's good stuff.
Glad you liked it 😎
Keep growing & learning friend, peace be with you always from Northern Europe!
As someone who is getting into Celtic culture, this is a great educational video! I hope your channel continues to grow.
Also, love the Skyrim background music!
Glad you enjoyed! And yes, the Skyrim soundtrack is timeless in my book 👌
If she don't call me Dagda, then I don't want her
The Dagda* or you definitely don’t want her
Loved it! Thank you for all your hard work and I wish you luck in your new home!
My favorite CyberPunk 2077 character.
Johnny Celebrimbor
I knew my grandpa and while he was huge celtaboo, I'm pretty sure he didn't worship those gods. I don't think he had any religion unless you consider religious hate of communists a religion. Great video anyway and I believe he would enjoy it too.
Very interesting and entertaining!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I am irish American, thank you for teaching me
My pleasure! 😎
Love this video! You have a great teaching style, and I’m glad I found your channel
Glad you enjoy it! 😎
Outside of scholarly analysis, there were no "God of X". They were stories of powerful beings who could do magical things in order to explain the worshipper's world.
That’s definitely one of the things I found so interesting about these deities, they weren’t like Greek or Egyptian gods who’s origins are mostly fantastical, but they were essentially hyped up historical hero’s whose supernatural powers were tacked on by their descendants.
@@FutileFacts4u That’s because these myths were written down long after Christianization. We are clearly heavy Christian redaction of these tales had already occurred for a few centuries.
@@FutileFacts4uHellenic gods were not exactly "god of x" in the way modern culturally Christian observers tend to think. For example, Artemis was not exclusively the goddess of the moon- She was a goddess of the moon, but also a goddess of hunters, of archery, of virgins, of midwifery or childbirth, of magic, of pain relief, of hanging, of bears (Ark Temis means "sanctuary for bears" and was an eponym for Hekate, three-faced goddess of night, crossroads, witchcraft, archery, womanhood and probably other stuff that was lost when she ceased to be a major god in her own right, as later in history Artemis was considered the daughter of Zeus while Hekate was considered an Anatolian god who was a sister of Zeus, rather than being the same deity), of vengeance, and on and on. Artemis was Artemis, and all of these spheres of influence were based on stories about her or duties she fulfilled; Some are perhaps stronger than others, as apart from beig supported by myth, they were supported by practice (eg she is a goddess of hunters and midwivery because hunters and midwives would worship her to improve their fortune at their professions; she is a goddess of virgins because young girls would be taught life skills at her temples, where men were not allowed, until they reached marriageable age).
The same was true of other gods in the Greek pantheon- Zeus for example was not the sky god because of something in his makeup but because it was his fate (he drew lots with his brothers, and won dominion over the sky), and was also a god of war, fatherhood, lust, virgin birth (multiple of his children had no other parent), lightning (but it was actually Poseidon who gave him this gift according to one myth!), physical strength, etc.
The gods of whom this was least true were those who had a single name and personified a concept, sometimes called the Principes or Princes (direct inspiration for the Daedra in Elder Scrolls btw, not just in this but in that most represent blind natural forces that seem negative to mortals, with but a few being generally positive or neutral to mortals, but the "evil" ones arguably being misunderstood), like Nyx, Eris, Thanatos and Harmonia. However, from what has survived of ancient myth and religion, these served more as plot devices for myths than as objects of worship that could properly be called "gods."
Nice to see you posting again I’m in the middle of a move myself and I do not envy your experience😂.
Am I wrong or do some scholars think the morigan can mean great queen
Yes indeed, due to her relation to the Dagda, she is thought to be “the great queen” to “the great god”. It’s the Mor- that some argue makes her more monstrous
Wow, thank you
Isn't airgetlam also used in the inheritance cycle? That's so cool
I'm currently working on a project about the fae, and bringing up Gwyn ao Nudd here gives me an for it. Most of the story is very Shakespearian inspired, projecting Oberon's influence as this all consuming cult of personality. But what if there was this hidden backstory where Oberon, himself, is simply a usurper to Gwyn, who returns towards the end of the story to reclaim his rule over the fae realm?
That’s a cool use of lore in my opinion. Is this for a story or like a dnd campaign? I’d definitely incorporate the “wild hunt” as a foreshadowed option if the wrong person takes power 👍
@@FutileFacts4u Its for the story behind a game design document I'm doing as part of an art project. Dunno if I'll ever actually code it up, though. I do like the idea of the Wild Hunt being a thing that happens leading up to the reveal. Especially since one of the other factions in the story is a Hunters guild, so it'd be fun to have people accuse them of being behind all the weird stuff only for that faction leader to go "uhhh this ain't us, we dunno whats going on either."
Deus pater was actually Jupiter 🖤🖤 @2:50
Nice catch! I meant to say Dis Pater (not to be confused with Dies Pater) instead, the god of agriculture and mineral wealth whose connection to the underground eventually saw him become the god of the underworld, Pluto
The Irish have "The Good God," not in the sense of "just" but "proficient." Now you see where generations of Irish politicians in many countries are coming from . . . .
oh my gosh, this is actually so funny 😂
Makes sense!
cernunnos is my favorite
Well, Talesin Jaffe's age is unknown, so he might've actually been this exact bard.
8:08 Argitlam is Eragon's nickname in his book due to the silver mark on his hand
I’m not too knowledgeable on those books, aside from the awful Eragon movie I only saw once. Still super cool to find more strands to the web of inspiration, especially one more obvious like this 👌
What are the sources for this pantheon? Is there anything pre-Christian? Or are these deities from Christian era folk lore, and if so, do we know how much they relate to actual pre-Christian belief?
It’s hard to say for sure. The ancient Celts date back to the Iron Age, around 571 BC. Many of their languages are extinct for the most part like Gaulish, while those that have persisted have sparse records, either because they are lost or destroyed. To my knowledge (and I’m no expert I just learn for fun), most records we have are during and after the Roman Empire and death of Christ. Mainly Arthurian legends and other tales, ancient scripts like Ogham, and surviving Druidic texts which are hard to come by
I count my ancestry as reaching back to Abraham and Noah, men of the One True and Living God!
Biblically speaking, we’re all descended from Noah 🤷♂️
I highly doubt that. My grandpa was Christian. Now, of course he wouldn't worship Celtic gods, we're from the Netherlands, but I highly doubt he would've worshipped any Germanic gods either
My grandpa is in a similar boat religiously. Can’t speak for my great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grandfather tho 🤷♂️
The Christ is basically a compilation of several different older gods from multiple cultures.
@@slappy8941 Dude, Jesus is a actual Historic person within the Messianic framework of Judaism as a claimant of said Messianic Prophecy. He ain't Baldur nor Horus just Jesus though which truth of the Nazarene stand depends on Christians, Muslims, other Religion interpretation of him even atheist interpretation of him as a preacher and a messianic claimant
the way that gods are described as being humans of the past is just christians writing it down trying to downplay the gods
Saxo Grammaticus tried the same with the norse gods
That would make a lot of sense, once pagans were convinced of the insignificance of their gods, it would be easier to turn them towards a different faith. Though I do like the notion of gods stemming from the stories of one’s ancestors. Imagine in battle saying “We are the X tribe, descendants of the gods themselves! We will fight to the last man for (insert afterlife here) awaits us!”
@@FutileFacts4u it easily allows for folkism in modern religions
Although, a concept in hindu theism is that practically anything can become a god once wordhipped, including your forefathers
No Lugh of the Long Hand?
Not this time, I like to leave some for a follow up 👌
is fisean maith e seo!
Celtic and Irish gods are not the same
Yes and no, like I said in the beginning of the video “Celtic” is a blanket term for a group of people linguistically and culturally connected but they were not one people. The early Irish were part of the greater Celtic tradition but it’s like the saying “a penny is a coin but a coin is not a penny”. Old Irish is Celtic but Celtic is not always Irish.
Lot of shite. Caesar said the Celts worshipped one God and believed the soul was immortal. Gaelic speaking Celt from Scotland.
oh, how interesting. could you tell how exactly you got in contact with Caesar?
well Jesus Christ is the true one and only king of this world, The Son of God our creator
Cool, go somewhere else.
This is really poorly researched. Like, a synopsis of some wikipedia article at best.
haven't seen your video on this topic yet.
Get a load of this guy
I’m sorry you feel that way. If you have any suggestions, they are much appreciated
Celtic gods are what is refered as Gaulish
Some of them are, like Ogmios as mentioned in the video. Again, it’s like the penny-coin phrase: Gauls were Celtic but Celts were not always Gaulish. 👍
and please more slavic deities 🙏🏻
I’ll definitely be covering them here in the near future. I know I spoke at length about a few creatures from Slavic folklore but I have yet to cover gods of the Slavic world. Your wish will be granted, in due time 🤞
i like your style, narration, and music choices :) you are keeping pagan history alive in the digital age of christofascism, so i can assure you that your efforts are well worth it 🫶🏻
There’s definitely a lot of pagan beliefs that were either blotted out or assimilated over the course of European history. I do feel that in our modern age there are significant efforts to rediscover lost lore and thanks to the digital tools at our disposal it’s easier than ever to explore one’s ancestry. I disagree about our modern digital age being one of christofascism, but I appreciate your praise regardless 🙏
Wassail!