List of Celtic deities

The Celtic pantheon is known from a variety of sources such as written Celtic mythology, ancient places of worship, statues, engravings, cult objects, and place or personal names.

Celtic deities can belong to two categories: general deities and local deities. "General deities" were known by Celts throughout large regions, and are the gods and goddesses invoked for protection, healing, luck, and honour. The "local deities" that embodied Celtic nature worship were the spirits of a particular feature of the landscape, such as mountains, trees, or rivers, and thus were generally only known by the locals in the surrounding areas.

After Celtic lands became Christianised, there were attempts by Christian writers to euhemerise or even demonise the pre-Christian deities. For example, the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythological sources have commonly been interpreted to be a divine pantheon, despite certain redactors' interjecting that the Tuatha Dé Danann were merely mortals, or else that they were demons.

Gaulish and Brythonic deities

The Gaulish Celts inhabited the region corresponding to modern-day France, southern and western Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and northern Italy. The Brythonic Celts, or Britons, inhabited most of the island of Great Britain and later migrated to Brittany.

Male
  • Cimbrianus
  • Cissonius (Cisonius, Cesonius), a god of trade
  • Mars Cnabetius, a god of war[1]
  • Cocidius, a god of war
  • Condatis, a god of the confluences of rivers
  • Contrebis (Contrebis, Contrebus), a god of a city
  • Dii Casses god of refuse
  • Dis Pater (Dispater), a god of the underworld
  • Esus (Hesus)
  • Fagus, a god of beech trees
  • Genii Cucullati, Hooded Spirits
  • Grannus, a god of healing and mineral springs
  • Icaunus, a goddess of a river
  • Intarabus
  • Iovantucarus, a protector of youth
  • Lenus, a healing god
  • Leucetios (Leucetius), a god of thunder
  • Lugus, creation and learning
  • Luxovius (Luxovius), a god of a city's water

Female

  • Abnoba, a goddess of rivers and forests
  • Adsullata, goddess of the River Savubalabada
  • Aericura
  • Agrona, a goddess of war
  • Ancamna, a water goddess
  • Ancasta, goddess of the River Itchen
  • Andarta, a goddess of war
  • Andraste, goddess of victory
  • Arduinna, goddess of the Ardennes Forest
  • Aufaniae
  • Arnemetia, a water goddess
  • Artio, goddess of the bear
  • Aventia
  • Aveta, a mother goddess, associated with the fresh-water spring at Trier, in what is now Germany
  • Belisama, lakes and rivers, fire, crafts and light, consort of Belenus
  • Brigantia
  • Britannia, originally a personification of the island, later made into a goddess
  • Camma
  • Campestres
  • Clota, patron goddess of the River Clyde
  • Coventina, goddess of wells and springs
  • Damara, a fertility goddess
  • Damona, consort of Apollo Borvo and of Apollo Moritasgus
  • Dea Matrona, "divine mother goddess" and goddess of the River Marne in Gaul
  • Dea Sequana, goddess of the River Seine
  • Debranua, a goddess of speed and fat
  • Epona, fertility goddess, protector of horses, donkeys, and mules
  • Erecura, earth goddess
  • Icovellauna, a water goddess
  • Litavis
  • Mairiae

Welsh deities/characters

The Welsh are the Britons that inhabit modern-day Wales (Welsh: Cymru). After the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain, much of the Brythonic territories came under Anglo-Saxon influence, but in Wales, however, Brythonic Celtic religion was largely retained. Many Welsh myths were later Christianized so it is sometimes difficult to determine if their characters were originally gods, mortals, or historical figures.

Male

Female

Gaelic deities

Main article: Tuatha Dé Danann

Note: Modern spellings are shown in brackets.

Male

Female

Celtiberian deities

The Celtiberians were the ancient peoples who inhabited modern-day Portugal and Spain. Note: Modern spellings are shown in brackets.

Male

Female

References

  1. ↑ CIL XIII, 06572, CIL XIII, 04507, CIL XIII, 06455