PROTECTION HEKA (English)
I made this protection Heka for a friend and decided to share here: you should write the person’s name inside the Neb basket below the Sa (protection), Ankh (life) and Seneb (health) hieroglyphs. The two snakes represents the four protector goddessess (Aset and Serqet on the left, and Nit and Nebt-het on the right), the two suns represents the day-sun and the night-sun (both the moon and Ra on the Duat). Above the day-sun is the name of Nut, above earth watching for the person.
The two hekau that is written is from the Tutankhamon canopic jars and the Lamentations of Aset and Nebt-het (SIUDA, Tamara. The Ancient Egyptian Prayerbook. Pg. 105,118 ).
HEKA DE PROTEÇÃO (Português)
Eu fiz este Heka para um amigo e decidi compartilhar aqui: você deve escrever o nome da pessoa a ser protegida dentro da cesta Neb, no centro, abaixo dos hieróglifos de Sa (proteção), Ankh (vida) e Seneb (saúde). As duas serpentes representam as quatro deusas protetoras (Aset e Serqet na esquerda, Nit e Nebt-het na direita), os dois sóis representam o sol do dia e o sol da noite (tanto a lua, quanto Rá no Duat). Acima do sol diurno está escrito o nome de Nut sobre a Terra, olhando pela pessoa.
Os dois Hekau escritos são dos jarros canópos de Tutankhamun e das Lamentações de Aset e Nebt-het (SIUDA, Tamara. The Ancient Egyptian Prayerbook. Pg. 105,118 ).
🟤In 1st house: You brighten the day of your partner immediately, your simple presence radiates a lot of joy and energy for you. They perceive you as a person with whom life is better, more positive, more interesting and much more valuable. You fill them with life and happiness, you make them think that you are a great and worthwhile person, someone they really enjoy hanging out with. You are someone whom they deeply admire and appreciate, from the beginning they were able to like you. Without realizing it you are able to motivate them, to make them feel better, no matter how bad their day has gone, they will love having you by their side. You are like their lucky charm, they feel more powerful, more confident with your presence. You make them want to be the best version of themselves and they may have a slight tendency to idealize you. They see you as a very enthusiastic person, someone they trust, have fun with, and someone they really feel that values them. You are able to see a side that they don't show with just anyone, and this is because you really make them feel very comfortable. It may be that from the beginning they treated each other in a very friendly way, and that the relationship would flow quickly and harmoniously.
🟤In 2nd house: You make the person feel that they have everything, that they lack nothing. You give them a security and stability that they have never been able to feel with another person. They feel more generous when they are with them and can show their appreciation through details and gifts. You attract abundance to the life of this person, and not only in the economic sector, but also spiritual and emotional abundance. You are a person who makes them reconsider their moral values. They see you as a great and amazing person, you play a very essential role in developing their self-acceptance and you increase their self-esteem without even meaning to. You'll help them find a way to ground themselves, they might take things seriously a little more often when you spend time with them. Not only do you give them a more focused vision of what to do with their lives, but you can also help them find a balance and not take things so seriously, just what is necessary. They can work together very effectively, plus they will be very inspired by you, your vision of life and your dreams. You can help them materialize their dreams and their happiness. In some way, you will motivate them to be a better person and someone more noble.
🟤In 3rd house: Communication with you flows in a way that had never flowed with another person, you expand their mind and teach them new things, concepts, stories, anecdotes and sensations. There was a very warm beginning in their relationship, and there is and will be in that a sense of friendship and trust to talk about any topic. You are their adviser and they consider you the only person with whom they can be totally transparent about their ideas, they feel accepted by you. You can notice that the smiles and laughter are contagious to each other. You give humor and light to their day to day, you get them out of the routine, you give them unique and memorable experiences. They used to see life with gray tones, and even without much hope, but your entry into their life makes them see things much more positively, you add optimism to their vision of their surroundings. When they feel bad, you will always manage to make them feel better and you have the facility to encourage them. You have a facility to solve any problem that arises, they listen carefully, advise each other and look for solutions since it is a relationship that they do not want to ruin by a meaningless fight. They have an enormous mental and spiritual connection.
🟤In 4th house: From the beginning they will feel a sense of familiarity with you, you will be able to evoke in them all kinds of feelings, especially those that are deep and pure. They will feel like a little child when they are by your side, you give them peace, joy and a lot of satisfaction. They feel and know that they connect with you in such a beautiful way that it seems not to be true. They always remember you and will remember you with a smile on their face. Your words and teachings, or simply the memories with you are something that will stay with them for a long time. They will become close quite quickly, from the beginning you will feel that this is a connection that will mark them and that it will mean a lot to them. Even without them realizing it, you will already be someone very special to them. They can be more emotionally open with you, because they feel that you perfectly understand their emotions, they feel that you are someone attentive and careful of the way they feel, they will see you as someone protective. You can help them understand those emotions that they thought were complex. You will make them see the best of themselves and they will feel more positive emotions when you are around. There will be a lot of love from them to you.
🟤In 5th house: You make them feel more confident, more flirtatious and more entertaining, they see in you a fun, cheerful and very attractive partner. There is a lot of attraction between the two, a lot of motivation and even inspiration. They see in you a person they admire, to put on a pedestal and one of the most appealing people they have ever met. They can be flirty very fast with you, the atmosphere between you is playful and enjoyable, you make them feel satisfaction of all kinds and they just fascinate you. They see you as charismatic, talented and someone they love to introduce to others. You remind them of that spark they have to maintain to fully enjoy all the pleasures of life, you fill them with energy and desire to live life. With you they feel that they can fully express themselves, they feel that they can be genuine because you inspire them to do so. You are their inspiration, and no matter how serious they are, you will bring out their most expressive and euphoric side. You are a person with whom they either want to have children, or someone who reconnects them with their inner child. You could turn them on easily. The love and affection they feel for you will be very evident to everyone, including you.
🟤In 6th house: You give them unique and unconditional support, they see in you the perfect partner in crime, and they know that you will help them as much as they will. There is a lot of loyalty and devotion on their part towards you, because they respect you very much, admire you and adore your presence in their day to day life. You make their life more joyful, you don't make it routine and you are always able to help them see the best side of what surrounds them. You make them feel strong, vital and full of energy, you are their motivation to leave the job done, because they feel and want to make you feel proud of them. You expand their mind and make them believe that miracles exist, because you have already become the greatest epitome of it, they see you as a very fair person, with admirable values and a heart of gold. They are touched by your empathetic nature, by your ability to understand things beyond the simple, and by your sympathy with other people. You make them feel protected and comfortable, because they feel that you understand perfectly what they want and need, the best thing, that you give it to them without realizing it. It seems tender to them to see how you care about their well-being and to see that it is reciprocal.
🟤In 7th house: They see you as a very radiant person, someone loving with whom they would have a stable relationship. They perceive a lot of charisma from you and that you really know how to commit when the moment requires it. You give them a sense of stability and balance, they admire you for treating people in a way that they see as charming. You are a very independent and capable person from their point of view, you provoke in them the most romantic feelings and the most attentive and protective nature. This overlay guarantees a long-term relationship of any kind. You make them see love with better eyes, you make them think that the dreams or ideals they have regarding love can come true. They love being with you, since you help them get the best of themselves with other people. They dislike meeting new people? Soon you will see them being kinder and nicer to others. You inspire them to give their best in connections such as friendship or family. They love your company, because they see in you a partner who teaches them a lot, who does not bore them and who makes them feel fulfilled. They may want things to get more serious between you somewhat soon in your point of view.
🟤In 8th house: You will cause in them a combination of emotions so intense, fast and lasting that they will not understand them at first. You will be their favorite mystery and from the beginning they will feel very intrigued by you, by what you hide, by what you feel and think and even by what you provoke in them. There is a high degree of attraction between you, they can have a fixation on you, there is something in you that prevents them from taking their eyes off you, they cannot think of anything other than you. You will help them connect with those sides of themselves that they repress or don't show to others. They will feel a lot of trust with you, they will have a lot of loyalty to you and they will always take you into consideration to make an important decision. You will be one of the things that makes them have a great change internally, people can notice that this person will change or has changed a lot since they met you. There will be a great level of intimacy between you that will seem unreal, you will know everything about each other, even what you are not very proud of. You will make them feel powerful and capable of everything, you can even help them overcome a blockage.
🟤In 9th house: Inspiration will come to them quickly as soon as they see you walk into the room, you will be the most radiant person they have ever met and they will see you as someone albeit funny, a person who is very intelligent and capable. There is a high degree of admiration in this relationship and they feel a great intellectual, spiritual and lighthearted connection with you. They will see in you someone with a lot of potential, both on their own and someone with whom they have the possibility of having something lasting, beautiful and almost magical. You become someone who brings them a lot of luck, someone who always enlightens them, who makes them realize things that went unnoticed. "You are my lucky charm." They see you as a charismatic person, who provokes in them the most intense and beautiful euphoria. You will be their main reason for smiles and thinking of you will make them feel good at first. You are someone with whom they feel they can share their most complex points of view, someone who resonates with them in a unique way. You make any topic, no matter how crude, sound interesting to them, just because you're the one talking about it. You will give them the most important lessons of their life.
🟤In 10th house: Somehow you make them want to go far, you are that dose of motivation they need. They feel that you are on a higher level, either to others, or even to themselves, which makes them only want to show you the best of themselves. They consider that you are the only person who has been able to see their potential, a person who supports them and believes in them and in return they want to give you their unconditional support. They will be very attracted to you, your knowledge and even your looks, which leave them speechless and stunned, there is something in your appearance that seems radiant to them. You make them want to be in control of the situation so you don't have to worry about a thing. You make them see things with better perspectives, you help them not to be so negative, and in return they give you a certain dose of realism and advice to make your dreams come true. They seem to be very opposite, but that is what unites them and augurs a lot of stability and harmony for them. Many people may think that both are good for the other, they may be delighted by the relationship, not as much as the house person that knows that both are powerful, valuable and can achieve many things together.
🟤In 11th house: You give them new concepts and ideas, you inspire them to believe that they are capable of achieving everything they want and you are a person they love to be with, because with you every day seems to be something unique. There is a lot of attraction on their part to your mind, your personality and the way you see things. Thanks to you they can make great friendships and connect in unique ways with people. They are friends and lovers, in fact, they are the closest company they have and they love that they can go crazy with each other, that you accept them as they are and they will always let you know that they love, admire and find funny that authentic and controversial side of you. Both are fascinated by this rebellious side of the other, you tease them and that is something that they love, you are a mental challenge for them, the most valuable challenge they will ever have. They see you as a very social person or someone who easily charms other people, there is a deep appreciation of them towards you. You give them back that hope that they had given up long ago, you make them want to believe in the potential of things. You have many similar hobbies, views, and aspirations.
🟤In 12th house: There is a strong unconscious bond between you, merely emotional and spiritual, you don't understand it very well but you can't help but have this feeling of happiness, inspiration, satisfaction and happiness every time your eyes meet. You do them such great good that they don't know what words to use to let you know. You fill the gaps that they may have, and they yours, you push them and motivate them to heal, you are someone who does them so much good that they fear losing. They can dream a lot about you, or you simply give them the feeling of being a dream that came true, your presence ignites a spark in them, they cannot believe that a person as bright and kind as you can exist. They feel like sharing everything with you, only with you. They have the trust to show that side or those wounds of which they are not so proud. They feel that they cannot keep any secrets from you, because they know perfectly well that you sense their feelings, and you know that they do too. Many times they feel vulnerable or exposed with you, but they trust you so much that they perceive this feeling as security and as a way for them to get to know each other. They’ll be curious to know all the feelings you feel and understand why.
Jack of all Trades, Master of...All? - A Guide to Lugh
Lugh, Lugus, Lug, of the Long Arm, Master of Skills, he goes by many names. Have you heard about this Celtic God?
Read to find out more!
This is an educational post about Lugh, it will start with history and mythology and at the end I will put modern day correspondences and such. Links provided for more reading!
(Photo Cred: Unkown)
Who is Lugh?
Lugh is an Irish deity who is known to be associated with lightning, craftmanship, as well as many more skills (all of them, actually). He really is a master of all trades.
Lugh is not a Sun God but many people use the sun as a symbol for him or associate him with the sun. This is in part because of his name being translated to "light", though that isn't the only possible translation of his name.
However, the idea that he is a sun god comes from an outdated Victorian-era ideology. The anthropologists of the time were convinced that at the root of all pantheons and mythology there must be a sun god. They were obsessed with a solar system based pattern in mythology.
For the Irish, though, their gods are less transcendent (like above all else) and more human-like than other mythology. Irish deities are more a part of the world rather than above it all.
The author of this post explains it very well, if you have more questions about this please check out their article!
In short: It is not wrong for you to associate him with the sun, but he is not a Sun God.
Etymology
The name Lugh (or Lug) was a popular name in ancient times. Some say the name derives from a Proto-Indo-European root "lewgh-" which means “to bind by oath.” Possibly indicative of the role he plays in oath making and promises. Some say it could mean "Light" though many scholars believe this to be unlikely.
He had many names and titles, however, his most known title was Lámfada, meaning “Of the Long Arm,” which was a reference to the length of his spear and that it was like it was a part of him (like an arm). It could also be translated as "artful hands" which references his abilities and skills in creation, craftmanship, and the arts.
Family
Lugh comes from two bloodlines: his father, Cian, was the son of Dian Cedh, healer of the Tuatha Dé Danann and his mother, Ethniu, was of the Fomorians.
Though his birth parents are known, many argue the identity of his foster parents; The Irish sea god Manannán mac Lir, Tailtiu, Queen of the Firbolg, and Goibniu, god of the smiths, have all been suggested to be Lugh's foster parents.
Mythology
Rough Start
After being told that his grandson would kill him in the future, The King of Balor locked his daughter, Ethniu, up to keep her from seeing Cian (her lover) again.
However, the two met up anyways and had triplets, one of them was Lugh.
Ethniu's father was furious and planned to have the children killed. Two of them died and the surviving child was Lugh. He fell into the water and was rescued by Biróg who took him to Cian.
Lugh would later be given to a foster parent (one of those mentioned above) who would protect and raise him.
Ladies' Man
Lugh had multiple wives, including Buí, Buach, Nás, daughters of Ruadri (King of Britain), Echtach, Englic, and Rosmerta.
Like Father Like Son
Of his sons, the most famous child he produced was with a mortal named Deichtine. Together they created Cú Chulainn, known as the hero of the Ulster saga.
Lugh at the Gate
Perhaps the most famous tale of this god, it starts with Lugh approaching the gate of the Hall of Tara. He asks to meet with Nuada, god of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and become part of the King's court.
Lugh is stopped by a guard and told that, unless he had a skill that would be useful to the king, he would not be allowed to enter.
Lugh then begins listing skills he has mastered, which includes but are not limited to: a smith, a wright, a craftsman, a swordsman, a harpist, a poet, a historian, a sorcerer, a physician, as well as a champion,
Alas, he is told that the king has people for all of those skills and is about to be turned away.
Finally, Lugh asks if the King has a person who is skilled in all of those things.
The guard goes to the king and asks. Once he comes back he allows Lugh to enter with the King's permission.
High King of Ireland
During a battle against the King of Balor (Lugh's maternal grandfather), Nuada is killed by Balor. Lugh faces off against his grandfather and kills him with a slingshot as revenge for Nuada.
During the war Lugh finds the half-Formorian former king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Bres, lying on death's door.
He offers to spare Bres' life in exchange for all of the secrets Bres has about the land, including when to plough, sow, and reap crops.
After the war Lugh is pronounced the High King of Ireland and rules for many years.
(Later Lugh would kill off Bres, but he spared his life at the battle and therefore kept his word)
Death (...?)
After finding out that his wife had an affair with Cermait, son of the Dagda, Lugh killed Cermait in anger.
Cermait's three sons were furious and swore vengeance on Lugh. They captured and drowned Lugh.
(Ironic that he came into this world and survived drowning only to die by it later in life...sorry Lugh)
Lugh had ruled for over 40 years as the king.
That being said, Deities are not like humans. Death is not the end for them.
Extras
Julius Caesar commented on Lugh, noticing his importance as a god to the Celtic people.
Some equate Lugh to the Nordic Odin or the Roman Mercury.
There are many more stories about Lugh but I compiled the most important ones to his character here.
If you'd like to find out more, here are some references you could read:
Mythopedia-Lugh
Wikipedia-Lugh
World History-Lugh
Britiannica-Lugus
The Celtic Journey - Lugh, Master of Skills
Learn Religions- Lugh, the Celtic Craftsman God
Sadly we don't have a lot of context or stories from the ancient Celts so most of these myths and legends are reconstructed using the knowledge and understanding we have of the culture and times.
Correspondences
Weapons
A spear
A slingshot
Fragarach; "The Answerer", a sword from Manannán, his foster father. It had the ability to make anyone that it was pointed at tell the truth
Familiars
Failinis, Lugh's hound
Aenbharr, Lugh's horse
Sguaba Tuinne, the “Wind-sweeper,” a very fast boat
Symbols
Ravens and crows
Lightning
Greyhounds
Horses
Two snakes
The Sun
Holy Days
Lughnasadh, a holiday created for his victory in battle against the the spirits of Tír na nÓg. He would bless harvest fruit and play games in memory of his foster mother, Tailtiu.
Colors
Warm colors like red, orange, gold, yellow
(I also personally associate him with a mossy green color.)
Offerings
Cinnamon
Candy
Alcohol (ale/cider/mead/wine etc)
A plate of whatever you made for dinner
Music
Blueberries or Blackberries
Some say he enjoys milk and honey!
Bread (preferably if you've made it yourself or if it was handmade)
Honestly, in my experience Lugh's favorite type of offering (as well as most Celtic gods from what I've read) are acts of devotion or something you've crafted yourself.
This doesn't mean you need to paint a mural for him--though I'm sure he'd enjoy that too!--it means anything involving creation. Devote your creative time to him. I like to devote the act of writing on this blog to him sometimes, for example.
End Notes
In my experience Lugh is a kind, sometimes goofy deity--in the sense that he enjoys making jokes and is fairly laid back. Don't speak ill of him or disrespect him, though, no one wants an angry storm god!
Let me know if you have any personal experience with Lugh or if you have some good references to add to this post!
In my deity guide for him, I mentioned that Lugh, amongst other things, is the god of oaths and vows
Recently someone messaged me and asked:
Hi there. I found your Lugh post from back in January. Thank you for posting such a wonderfully thorough discussion on Lugh. I was wondering in your research, upg, or general knowledge if you knew of any myths regarding Lugh renewing his vows or something to that extent and thus why the renewal of vows and/or the making of oaths is done at Lughnasadh?
So I did some digging.
During the festival of Lughnasadh legal matters were discussed, an óenach was held and trial marriages began.
There are plenty of sources that state that Lugh is associated with oaths and promises, though not all of them explain why.
Some suggest that that the names given to the god throughout the Gaelic-Celtic cultures gives us clues indicating that Lugh is the god of oaths.
Such examples being:
The welsh name for the god, Llew, likely comes from the Welsh word “llw” which means “an oath”.
As well, the Irish name for the god, Lug or Lugh, may come from the Old Irish word “luige” or “luge” which means “oath” or “swearing”. If this is the case, then the name Lugus, another name given to the god, might mean “God of Vows”/“God of Oaths”.
The best source I’ve found for this information is in the book The Gods of the Celts and Indo-Europeans by Garrett Olmsted (particularly page 110); Olmsted also has quite a few sources in his book.
As you mentioned, I have read a few sources stating that some people believe that the story behind the holiday of Lughnasadh is one of Lugh renewing his vows to his wives. I haven’t, however, been able to find any evidence of this in the history of the holiday.
It could be that because legal dealings are held on Lughnasadh, the mythos sort of picked that up through time.
If anyone knows of a source or sources that can otherwise explain why the story of Lugh renewing vows came about please send it my way!
Lug or Lugh is one of the most famous Celtic gods of Ireland – and for good reason. Already among the Irish gods he was one of the most famous and noteworthy. This is probably due to the fact that Lugh was the best god. Like… literally, the best.
Lug had two well-known nicknames. One was “Lu Samhildanach”, “Lugh the skilled-in-everything” or “Lugh skilled in many arts”. For you see, Lugh was a master at EVERYTHING. He was a powerful warrior, as well as an excellent bard. He was a talented smith, and just as talented as a sorcerer. He was a great musician, and a great athlete. There wasn’t a job, a domain, an ability or an art that Lugh did not master. In fact this is precisely how Lugh convinced the other Irish gods, the Tuatha Dé Danann, to let him be one of them: he pointed out that while each of the gods was a master at their respective craft, or had expertise in one given domain, the Tuatha had no one among their rank that could master ALL of their skills SIMULTANEOUSLY. And thus they were convinced.
Because, you see Lugh wasn’t originally a “god” per se…
~ The life of Lugh ~
Lugh was in a condition similar to Loki’s in Norse mythology. His father was part of a tribe of beings known as the Tuatha Dé Danann, the ones that the Irish Celts worshipped as gods – and quite similar in concept to the Norse gods. They once were the inhabitants of Ireland, being supernaturally-gifted humanoid entities with great longevity, though not impervious to death [like Norse gods they weren’t personifications of concepts so much as entities with powerful affiliation, affinity or mastery over certain aspects of the world], but then with the arrival of mankind they retreated into the “Otherworld”, where they reside to this day and act as gods or powerful wizards/witches over Ireland. They represented the concept of civilization, as they were smiths, bards, druids, warriors, healers, royalty, and each one fulfilled a different archetype of the ancient Irish society. Now, Lugh’s mother however came from the rival tribe to the Tuatha Dé Danann, their enemies that struggled against them for the control of Ireland: the Fomorians, giants and monstrous entities coming from either below the sea or below the earth and that embodied the darker and wilder aspects of nature – embodiments of calamity and blights with destructive and disaster-inducing powers. At the time of Lugh’s birth, the Tuatha had been conquered and dominated by the Fomorians who acted as the masters of Ireland, but Lugh decided on his own to join his father’s side and ask to be part of the Tuatha tribe. It wasn’t quite easy, especially since Lugh’s maternal grandfather was none other than Balor, king of the Fomorians.
When he tried to join the Tuatha Dé Danann, they refused to let him in their domain unless he had a skill that could be of use for their king, Nuada. Lugh said he was a good smith – they answered they already had one. He said he was a sorcerer – they answered that they already had one. He said “I’m an excellent historian!”, and they answered “We already have one”. Lugh listed all of his talents: swordsman, poet, craftsman, wright… But the Tuatha already had all that. So Lugh said “Hey! But do you have someone among you that has ALL these skills AT THE SAME TIME?”. The Tuatha had to admit they did not, and so they let Lugh swear his allegiance to Nuada.
The next important legend is tied to the death of Lugh’s father. You see, Lugh’s father had a rival named Tuireann, and the latter had several sons – three of which one day decided to murder Lugh’s father. The Sons of Tuireann proceeded to the murder and tried to hide the corpse – but Lugh eventually learned of the events. He invited the Sons of Tuireann at a feast, and there innocently asked how THEY would punish someone who killed their father. Their answer was “Death”, and Lugh promptly proceeded to accuse them of the murder of his own father. However Lugh did not sentenced them to immediate death: rather he imposed on them a series of difficult quests and complicated tasks. Each quest was more dangerous than the next, but every time the Sons succeeded and brought back to Lugh a different magical item. However, the last of these quests was specifically designed to kill the Sons – Tuireann begged as much as he could, but it was no use. His Sons failed their final quest and died – and Tuireann died of grief over the corpse of his sons. Lugh’s father was avenged.
However there was a second reason behind these quests: Lugh actually wanted to collect all those magical items because he planned to lead the Tuatha Dé Danann in a war against the Fomorians. He already loudly criticized how passive and inactive the Tuatha were against their monstrous oppressors (and according to some legends Lugh had a personal grief against his own grandfather Balor, because to avoid a prophecy about his own death, Balor tried to kill all of his grandchildren. Lugh originally was one of a triplet group. His brothers were put to death by Balor… but he survived). With these new magical items, his great martial talents and his gift as an orator, Lugh promptly convinces the Tuatha to rise up against their oppressor and to wage war against the cruel and evil Fomorians. The battle however seemed to be lost when Balor killed himself Nuada… But Lugh’s hatred for his own grandfather was too strong, and he stood along in front of Balor.
Imagine that… Lugh was a youthful beauty, a handsome warrior, radiating light like the sun itself, dressed in the most beautiful clothes, wielding frightening magical weapons, very tall and very large… But not as tall or large as Balor, who was a giant. A giant with one eye, constantly closed, because it contains a destructive and deadly power. Balor needs four strong warriors to help him lift his heavy eyelid, but once it is, his eye unleashed the most powerful “poison” that ever existed, a deadly “power” that no one can withstands and that takes life away from everything living. This is why no one ever dared fight or rebel against the Fomorians, out of the fear of Balor’s eye. Balor opened his eye to destroy his annoying grandson once and for all… But Lugh had two favorite hobbies at the court of the Tuatha Dé Danann. One was playing the harp. The other was doing slingshot competitions. And what did he use to fight his evil grandfather? None of the magical weapons… Just a simple slingshot. One shot was enough to destroy Balor’s eye, and kill him in the process.
Once Balor was dead, the Tuatha could easily win the war. Lugh, as the champion and savior of the Tuatha Dé Danann, became their new king, and he ruled wisely and justly over them all, ensuring that laws, justice, oaths and truth were all maintained and respected throughout Ireland.
~ More about Lugh ~
Lugh kept himself quite busy with all sorts of things. He created one of the biggest Irish festivals, the Gaelic holiday of Lughnasadh on the 1st of August that opens the beginning of the harvest season – as the old crops die out and before the new ones can be born, the Celts gathered for all sorts of activities and festivities, ranging from feasts and athletic contests to religious rituals and official matchmaking, all aspects of life gathered in one holiday. Lughnasadh was a celebration of Lugh’s victory over the negative and nefarious forces of nature and the Otherworld, that tried to keep all harvest for themselves. Lugh also supposedly created the Assembly of Talti, also know as the “Gaelic Olympic Games”: originally funeral games Lugh organized for the death of his mother, they became an official celebration throughout Ancient Ireland that mixed worship of the dead, sportive games, and proclamation of new laws. It was overall very similar to the Lughnasadh : between horse races, spear throwing contests, and druids’ songs in memory of the dead, there was also “mass arranged marriages” organized where people who never met each other before were married at first sight and given one year to make this wedding official or divorce.
Lugh also invented “fidchell”, a very popular board game of ancient Celts, and birthed numerous heroes (most notable being Cuchulainn, the most famous of all Irish mythical heroes). One legend claims that Lugh died: after his wife (well… one of his wives, he had several, quite a ladies’ man) cheated on him with another man, a son of The Dagda (BIG Celtic deity), Lugh became angry and killed his wife’s lover. However the lover had sons, and these sons avenged their father and killed Lugh. He had been reigning over the Tuatha for whole years when he was murdered – and all for nothing, as the lover ended up resurrected by his father The Dagda.
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You might be curious about the different magical items Lugh got from the Sons of Tuireann, and that he used to lead the battle against the Fomorians. Well, the most famous of them was his spear: Lug’s spear, impossible to overcome, a fiery spear that roars when used in battle and that is called the “Slaughterer” because, once unsheated, it will tear through the ranks of its opponents, “never tired of slaying”, thirsty for death and blood. He also had Failinis, a magical hound invincible in battle, able to kill any wild beast, and that could turn water into wine, as well as a horse (or boat depending on the translations) able to go as much over the sea as it can go over the earth.
I said that Lug’s character seemed to be a sort of parallel to Loki in Norse mythology, a reverse image - on top of that, people have noted that the myth of Lug killing Balor bears striking ressemblances and similarities to the one of Loki killing Baldr.
For the longest time, Lugh had been interpreted as a sun-god. His hair were often said to be “yellow” or “golden”, he was said to shine and radiate “like the sun”, it is believed his name might mean “flashing light”, plus he is said to be a beautiful and talented god above the others… This was the theory and interpretation for a VERY long time, but nowadays we know it is probably false or a misinterpretation, as sun deities in Celtic belief tended to be female. Nowadays the interpretation of Lugh that seems to be the most valid is that he was a thunder god, which would explain his name as “flashing light” (though another translation of the name is “oath” or “binded by oath”, as Lugh was a god of oaths). It would explain why his main weapon is a fiery spear that roars in battle (aka, a lightning bolt) and why some versions of his battle against Balor were said to be “like thunderstorms” or to cause thunderstorms.
And as a side note, Lugh’s hair wasn’t always golden/yellow. Some accounts rather say he had blood-red hair. (Again, more parallels to Loki who was also “fiery-haired”, aka red-haired).
Last trivia: Lugh is the just the Irish incarnation and manifestation of a wider deity, an archetype present through all Celtic populations, known as “Lugus”. For example the Welsh equivalent of Lugus (and thus Lugh’s “cousin”) is Lleu Llaw Gyffes. We also know that the Celts of Gaul had a similar Lugus god, known as the “inventor of arts” and “master of all crafts” - but of this god we know barely anything as the Romans swept everything under their feet and immediately turned this god into their Mercury. Something that also happened when the Romans reached the British Isles, they started to identify all the “Lugus” gods as Mercury (the Roman Hermes), due to both divine figure being known as inventor or masters of many arts, crafts and disciplines (Hermes/Mercury was a master of science, mathematics, athletic, oratory arts, commerce, etc…)
If you ever wanna throw up in your mouth, read literally any Wiccan/new age pagan thing about Irish deities
If I have to read one more article homogenising Irish culture with European culture, under the umbrella term “Celtic” while citing information that is specifically about Irish culture I may light my phone on fire
Listen, I’m spiritual and a bit new to it all, but I’m also Irish and have a degree in Celtic civilisation. The word Celtic itself is a misleading term - no culture in Europe referred to themselves as Celtic. It’s an umbrella term invented by racist Roman and Greek scholars, like barbarian. The Gauls didn’t call themselves this, the Gaels didn’t call themselves this, the Picts and the Welsh didn’t call themselves this. It’s a term that has a complicated history as it’s often used as a shorthand to homogenise very complex (and often culturally separate) societies. It’s only really a term applied to language groups (continental Celtic vs insular Celtic) and social movements (that are much closer to modern times than ancient ones). Tho sometimes historians are also guilty of using the pop culture shorthand to refer to north Western Europe as Celtic (after all the “celts” are technically still a grouping of many peoples, the term is helpful shorthand when discussing it in terms of invasion/encroaching cultures/or simply geographical nods, like Asia and Europe, homogenising for the sake of an overarching point/analysis).
Anyways, I saw somebody (multiple somebodies) refer to the god Lugh as “Celtic” not Irish. And yeah, he may have some connections to the continental god Lugus, who was a Gallic god, but aside from broad characteristics and root name meanings... there’s not much to connect them. But sure, if u accept that as connected, I respect ppl citing the comparisons.
But no comparisons are made. Instead, all of the Irish stories about Lugh, from the spelling of the name, to the mythology, (and the misinformation on said mythology a la the Victorian era), is written about and then termed “Celtic” - it’s like writing about Jupiter, citing every mythology story about him and then due to the clear connection to Zeus, determining that Jupiter is actually Panmediterranean, not a Roman god.
They did the same w/ Aengus Óg and they do this with all the Irish gods. I see “Celtic” and “panceltic” get thrown around. Irish culture is not celtic culture; it’s Gaelic culture (and a bunch of other cultures mixed in due to colonisation).
Look Irish ppl refers to themselves as celts sometimes, and so does the world, and overall it’s grand, it’s fine, it’s due to pop culture latching onto a word that isn’t accurate but ultimately harmless. But when new age religions start doing it it’s a whole other ball game. Non-Irish practitioners have a responsibility to Irish culture and the highly spiritual nature of Irish culture to actually... acknowledge that it’s ours. It isn’t “pan” anything. It’s Irish. It’s Gaelic. You don’t get to generalise it and misrepresent it because you want to tweak parts of it. Most of the stuff I see about “connecting” w/ these Irish mythological figures doesn’t even have anything to do w/ the stories that surround them. You lot keep adding things and making it up, like getting drunk as a sign of celebrating a god, like my guys that’s a freaking stereotype, drinking alcohol for the purpose of celebration (not to get drunk, that’s a Dionysian thing; Irish gods encourage banter, not oblivion) is meant for actual festivals... not just whenever. It’s just... a bunch of non-Irish ppl fetishising Irish culture. With stereotypes and American dreams on what that culture actually is.
Lugh isn’t a sun god! The “celts” didn’t coincide his four week sport games w/ the astrological sign Leo on purpose since the Irish didn’t believe in astrology ! Even if there is correlation it’s not because the “celts” interacted w/ the Greeks - Lugh and that specific ritual of Lugh’s is Irish and Irish alone; it had nothing to do w/ the sun or Leo, it was only to do w/ harvest times and games, pre-Christian Gaels liked to have fun! Lugh is a storm god, lughnasa *is* how we spell it now and it’s just storm season in Ireland. Hence it being named after a storm god. The Aes Sidhe, or Fairies, isn’t the thing you think it is, it’s not that Summer/Winter court stuff you see in fantasy novels.
The word Celtic is a broad term and it doesn’t mean Irish. Gaelic or Irish means Irish. We also call our language Irish. We don’t really call it Gaelic (it’s not incorrect, but we prefer Gaeilge). Celtic Catholicism *is* a thing and it’s specifically about Irish Catholicism. Yeah, I know what I said Celtic isn’t automatically Irish, but hey I didn’t get to name the type of Catholicism. It’s different than Roman Catholicism. We don’t mess w/ fairy trees and honestly I believe that is the remnants of very old laws about respecting the environment.
Words are a larger part of Irish heritage than alcohol. Written, verbal, whatever - language is the beating heart of this country. Stories, songs. It’s all we could retain after hundreds of years of cultural and physical genocide. And for so many ppl supposedly connecting to Irish gods, and Irish spiritualism, to have no sense of pride or importance over the power of these words... to misuse them for the idealised version of these tales... you have to admit at some point that a lot of these Wiccan rituals are modern and made up, and that’s fine! Things get lost over time and they need to be reinvented. But don’t sit there, take something that pertains to somebody’s existing, living culture and misrepresent it. If you aren’t sure of something’s origins do your research. If you have a strong feeling that pears/cherries/nuts are a good offering then go for it - but don’t say that these are traditional offerings and that they represent the gods, they aren’t and they likely don’t! Irish offerings are typically just honey and milk and maybe bread or whiskey if we had it. It’s a country w/ no food culture because we didn’t have free access to food.
Look up the original stories. But not through other non-Irish people’s blogs. That’s just reaffirming your own misinformation.
i’m all for people dressing modestly and covering their hair if that’s what they want to do
but i can’t deny how uncomfortable it is as a hijabi and muslimah to see western pagans suddenly becoming authorities on veiling, telling us who can or can’t veil, speaking for and over muslim women on issues that don’t concern them religiously or culturally, appropriating islamic religious terminology, misusing islamic religious terminology, and becoming extremely condescending towards muslim women who ask them to be more respectful regarding this issue
obviously, as someone who dresses modestly, i really love seeing others embracing and finding joy and meaning in it as well, and i don’t mean to say you can’t do this. i just want to emphasize the importance of doing so sustainably and respectfully towards those around you
pulled a few cards for set day and got the 3 of cups rx, the page of wands, the queens of pentacles and of swords... basically got told “fuck everyone else, do what you gotta do, you’ll be just fine and get farther than anyone” :’)
psa or whatever but it’s ‘romani’ or ‘rom’, not ‘roma’, if you’re trying to talk about all of us.
roma are a specific subgroup of romani (primarily from romania, the czech republic, and other countries in that general geographic region).
there’s a lot more romani groups than that though (sinti, kaale, ashkali, to name just some major ones) with their own culture, language/dialect, and history and they’re left out entirely when people insist on calling us specifically roma for whatever reason. i realize that it’s not an actively malicious mistake for most people but it’s still part of the overall erasure and whitewashing of romani history.
all roma are romani but not all romani are roma. would appreciate it if you could pass this on when you find people mislabeling us in that way in future. cheers.
I hope every writer who sees this writes LOADS the next few months. Like freetime opens up, no writers block, the ability to focus, etc etc you're able to write loads & make lots of progress <3
