7 aspects of Lugh
These are 7 aspects of Lugh, which I’ll describe in detail in later posts.
I separate Lugh’s manifestation by 3 levels:
1. Lugh’s transcendent form — Trefuilngid Tre-eochair from the “Suidigud Tellaich Temra” (The Settling of the Manor of Tara)
2. Lugh as a god of a humankind — Samildánach ("equally skilled in all the arts") from all myths about Lugh.
3. Lugh as a god among humans — Macnia (“youthful hero”), incarnating in heroes and legendary rulers with names derived from Lugh.
I’ll prove why Trefuilngid Tre-eochair is a manifestation of Lugh later. His name is close to “Triple Bearer of Three Powers” (or keys, or fruits, which he gave to humankind).
Lugh Samildánach as a god of humankind is the Lugh from Irish myths. Trefuilngid Tre-eochair divides Ireland into 5 parts (he gave this knowledge to Fintan):
knowledge in the west, battle in the north, prosperity in the east, music in the south, kingship in the centre.
This is how I associate Lugh’s aspects with these parts:
1. Scál find (“light phantom”) — knowledge
2. Lonnbéimnech/Lonnansclech ("fierce striker") — battle
3. Lámfada (“long hand”) — prosperity
4. Ildánach ("skilled in many arts") — music
These are 4 faces of Lugh Samildánach, who has all the skills and correspond to the kingship in the centre.
Altogether there are 7 aspects of Lugh. I use the common epithets (you may find them even in Wikipedia), except for the Scál find. I’ve added this aspect based on Lugh’s manifestation after his death. He is Scál indeed in Baile in Scáil (text), also there’s an ancient praise poem on Labraid (text), where Lugh is called Scál find. “Find” by itself also matches Lugh.
I choose epithets corresponding to Lugh’s functions and will explain everything in the later posts. Lugh Samildánach always have all faces, I divide them for the clarity of human interaction with Lugh. For example, Ildánach is the best choice for inspiration and creation. Also, Lugh’s story gives us a way of self-development, which is easier to adapt with separating his functions into several aspects.
This system is my innovation, so it might seem strange without details. Please be patient, I’ll prove everything later based on myths’ analysis, it will take several weeks.