I’m always curious about the “hierarchy” of the Tuatha Dé Danaan. Although maybe that concept doesn’t totally apply… you refer to one as a king and one as a father. There seem to be many leaders! Also didn’t know the Dagda was horned! Is there a back story there? I know this is a side note to the symbol of the spear but it struck me.
Great question Maureen! There are a lot of leaders for sure and no clearly structured pantheon. If I were to put a hierarchy on it I would say the Dagda is a much larger archetypal image than Nuada. He is described as Eochaid Ollathair 'Father of All' and it's the Dagda who divides up the sídhe - the dwelling places of the Tuatha Dé Danann and assigns them to various leaders of the tribe. One of the many names for the Dagda is 'Fer Benn' which means the 'Horned Man' or 'Peaked Man'. In 'The Irish Bull God', Sylvia Brinton Perera suggests that the Dagda is a primordial bull god which features across many mythic traditions. He is the lover of Bóinn whose name means 'White Cow' another primordial image of the great mother goddess - bull and cow together. I hope this helps. 💚
I’m always curious about the “hierarchy” of the Tuatha Dé Danaan. Although maybe that concept doesn’t totally apply… you refer to one as a king and one as a father. There seem to be many leaders! Also didn’t know the Dagda was horned! Is there a back story there? I know this is a side note to the symbol of the spear but it struck me.
Great question Maureen! There are a lot of leaders for sure and no clearly structured pantheon. If I were to put a hierarchy on it I would say the Dagda is a much larger archetypal image than Nuada. He is described as Eochaid Ollathair 'Father of All' and it's the Dagda who divides up the sídhe - the dwelling places of the Tuatha Dé Danann and assigns them to various leaders of the tribe. One of the many names for the Dagda is 'Fer Benn' which means the 'Horned Man' or 'Peaked Man'. In 'The Irish Bull God', Sylvia Brinton Perera suggests that the Dagda is a primordial bull god which features across many mythic traditions. He is the lover of Bóinn whose name means 'White Cow' another primordial image of the great mother goddess - bull and cow together. I hope this helps. 💚
Those magic rings sound amazing! 🤍
Ah thanks a million Shelley, I wouldn't mind a few of them on my fingers myself 😅 So so lovely to see you yesterday! 💚