Danu (Irish goddess)

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In Irish mythology, Danu or Dana was the mother goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann (peoples of the goddess Danu), although little is recorded about her as a character. Her Welsh equivalent is Dôn.

Antiquity of her Recognition

Based on the evidence of place-names, such as the river Danube (Latin: Danuvius), Dniestr, Dneipr and Don, she may have been worshipped throughout the Celtic and possibly Indo-European world. Indeed, the presence of a goddess named Danu in Hindu mythology, associated with water and mother of a race of Asuras called the Danavas, may indicate a very ancient Indo-European origin for this figure. The name *dhanu seems to have originally meant "swift".

In Irish celt lore, Danu is the supreme mother goddess. She is depicted, usually, with long flowing raven black hair, emerald green eyes with fair skin and fine features. Accompanied by a fairy, usually a phooka, she was the one that created the plans for invasion of Ireland. Her son Dagda is considered the great, all father, of the Irish Gods. Lir is another one of her sons, fathered by Beli. Though her mythos has been lost over the years she still takes precedence in many modern Celtic Wiccan circles.

Etymology of the name

The reconstructed lexis of the Proto-Celtic language as collated by the University of Wales (http://www.wales.ac.uk/documents/external/cawcs/pcl-moe.pdf ) suggests that the name is likely to be ultimately derived from the Proto-Celtic *Danoā. This Proto-Celtic word connotes the semantics of ‘Giving,’ ‘Bountiful’ and ‘Flow.’ This apparent semantic connotation has led Dr. John Koch at the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies to propose that the original nature of this deity may well have been a personification of ‘overflowing abundance’ If this theory is correct, it would account for the deity’s associations with the a motherly ideal, the fertility of the earth and with rivers whose overflowing water surpluses may have been seen as a materialization of her presence. Equally, this would imply that she is not identical to Anann, but bears greater resemblance to the Roman Ops, the Greek Rhea and the Anatolian Cybele, all of whom are great mother goddesses symbolising abundance.

Danú is an Irish group.

Other names

• Dana
• Anu
• Ana
• Dôn (Welsh)

External links

• Associations between the Welsh Dôn and the Irish Danaca:Dana

de:Danu es:Dana fr:Dana gd:Danu ja:ダヌ nl:Danu (Keltische mythologie) pl:Danu pt:Danu ro:Dana (zeiţă celtică) sv:Danann