About Celtic Goddesses

Although the worship of the Celtic pantheon did not survive the coming of Christianity, the goddesses of the Celtic lands have proved resourceful. While they are no longer called by the name of goddess, their stories and legends have captured the hearts and minds of people throughout the ages, long after they have ceased to be worshiped. These strong-willed goddesses have slipped from the realm of religion, but have held onto their places as heroines, mothers and lovers.

Function

The Celtic goddesses were an invaluable part of the Celtic religion, each holding their own sacred place in the pantheon.
The Morrigan is the triple goddess of the Irish Celts, and perhaps one of the most infamous. Her three selves are identified with death, war and prophecy, though the identification of the three parts varies by legend. Most frequently, she is the Morrigan, the Badb (the goddess of war, often seen depicted as a carrion crow), and Macha (the goddess of war and sovereignty). The three were often portrayed as sisters. Brigid is another of the triple goddesses, as the goddess of wisdom, intelligence, poetry, perfection and healing ability. She also has the distinct honor of being a pagan goddess who is known throughout Christianity as well, as a saint of the house and home. Epona is the Irish protector of horses; she is always seen standing between two horses or riding a horse. She is also a goddess of fertility and is often pictured beside foals. In Welsh mythology, she is known as Rhiannon.

Time Frame

The worship of the Celtic goddesses dates back to before Britain was converted to Christianity. Many of the exact dates of early worship are lost, as the existence of the goddesses predates the written word. Some of the hero stories in which the goddesses play a major role are thought to be set around the third century C.E., although even this is difficult to pinpoint because of the question of whether or not the kings mentioned in these stories are real or mythological.
After Britain was converted to Christianity, the myths and legends surrounding the Celtic goddess persisted. Monks and scholars saved much of the mythology when it was preserved in writing. Many of these books--including the Book of Lismore, The Yellow Book of Lecan, The Great Book of Lecan, The Book of Hy Many, and The Book of Ballymote--date back to the 14th century. Others--such as the Book of Leinster--date as far back as the 12th century. Worship of these Celtic goddesses largely went out of style with the coming of Christianity. However, the worship of the horse goddess Epona had a reverse effect and she has the distinction of being one of the pagan goddesses whose devotees traveled back to Rome, where a cult was built around her between the first and third centuries.

Identification

The Morrigan, with her triple identity, still has features that would identify her presence to those near her. She often took the form of a carrion crow and sometimes of a wolf. The name Morrigan can be translated as the Phantom Queen, and in keeping with this she is often seen as an old hag, often bloodied, appearing at battlefields and before the death of a hero. Of all the goddesses, it is Brigid who has perhaps the most recognizable symbol: Brigid's cross. The cross is made of a woven center with four radial branches that are tied together at the ends. She is also often depicted with cows or flames. Epona/Rhiannon is almost always seen with a horse. Rhiannon is often riding a white horse, while Epona is typically seen standing between two horses or seated in front of a horse. Iconographs depicting Epona are regularly found in early first to third century stables across Europe.

Geography

While there are many similarities, there are also definite difference across the Celtic realm as to the goddesses that are worshiped and the stories that surround them. For example, in the Irish mythology, the horse goddess is known as Epona, while in the Welsh, she is known as Rhiannon. As Rhiannon, she has an entirely different mythology surrounding her marriage, the birth of her child and the accusation of murder against her, along with her seven-year punishment and her redemption. Rhiannon is a much more 'human' character than Epona. The worship of Brigid in one form or another spread far beyond not only the Celtic world, but into the Christian world as well. To the Christians, she is Saint Brigid, a Roman Catholic nun and the patron saint of babies and midwives.

Considerations

Much of what is known about the Celtic goddesses, their mythology, festivals and importance comes from secondary sources. Many of the writings that have been discovered were written in a form of Gaulish, suggesting that the Celts themselves did little of their own record-keeping. For those Celts who were literate, there has been a suggestion that there were other reasons that there have been few Celtic writings about their mythology; those literate Celts were largely forbidden to create a written record of anything sacred. Writings that have been discovered are mostly Roman, and were created after the invasion of the Romans. While it's certain that these goddesses had a major impact on the Roman culture (as seen by the popularity of Epona across Europe), it is also well known that the Romans had created their own list of goddesses that were seen as contemporaries to the Celtic goddesses. Therefore, it's still in doubt as to how much of the record belongs to the original Celts and how much to the Romans.