Danu – The Mother Goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann

Introduction

From Danu sprung the gods, lords of knowledge, magic, and sovereignty – Lebor Gabala Erenn (The Book of Invasions)

Peace mounts to the heavens
The divine waters descend to earth
And fructifies our lives
Earth lies under the heavens
We are of the Earth now
And everyone is strong …

(Mórrígán’s song to Danu)

Origin

Despite being an important goddess in the Celtic pantheon, there is little reference to Danu in the ancient texts. Her name, however, it linked to the Tuatha Dé Danann, which translated to the People of the Goddess Danu. One theory is that Danu was there at the beginning of time, and because of this there was no need to reference her in the texts as she was a part of the land and did not need to be specifically referenced as it went without saying who and what she was.

Danu is known as the divine mother who brought like to all things, and in this she can be linked to goddesses in other mythologies. On example, would be Gaia in Greek mythology who was the personification of the Earth. She, therefore, shares some attributes with Danu, such as being the progenitor of other gods and the natural things of the earth itself. The main difference is that Gaia is mentioned more in the Greek ancient texts.

Danu also shares attributes with another Celtic goddess, Dôn who is a mother goddess in Welsh mythology and her stories can be found in the tales of the Mabinogion. There are theories that suggest that Dôn’s name also comes from the root work for river. In the Mabinogion, some researchers presume that Dôn is actually male which would bring us away from the link of a fellow mother goddess.

There is, however, a further connection between Danu and Dôn in that they are both founders of a lineage of deities. In Danu’s case she is the founder of the Tuatha Dé Danann and Dôn is seen as the founder of the Children of Don, one of the powerful family lines in the Mabinogion.

We will look at the stories around the goddess Danu as best we can with the information available.

Despite the lack of information in any of the ancient texts, Danu is an important deity, linked to motherhood, fertility, and the beginning of the Celtic gods themselves, through her link to the Tuatha Dé Danann. Danu’s connection to the Tuatha Dé Danann is an important part in understanding her place within Celtic lore.

The Tuatha Dé Danann were a group of people who were important to the early days of Irish mythology and folklore and, therefore, by being known as the mother of these people, Danu’s role is important by connection. The Tuatha Dé Danann were known to be wise and skilled and following their long battle with the Milesians, they were forced underground where, with the help of Danu, they became known as fairy folk and deities who lived in the Otherworld, hidden from the world above.

Danu is portrayed as a goddess who valued and loved life and nature and images of her are usually of a beautiful woman, surrounded by nature and animals. She can be linked to fish, seagulls, and horses which are seen as ‘free-flowing animals that represent freedom from restraint, travel and movement.’

The Birth of Dagda and Brigid

One of the stories we do have access to, is the link between Danu, the Dagda and Brigid.

This is the story of creation from the point of view of the Celts. When the world began it was a place of chaos and darkness, with large volcanos and air polluted by dangerous clouds of gas. The world was dark and dangerous at this time.

Then one day a droplet of water fell from the dark sky and splashed on the dark, hard ground. Following the first drop of water, more drops began to fall splashing one after another onto the earth below. This continued, one drop at a time until it changed into a torrent of continuous water which soaked the dirt and extinguished the volcanos, turning them into harmless mountain peaks. The darkness left the skies and they turned blue.

The waters that had fallen from the heavens came from Danu, the mother goddess and they brought forth new life in the form of an oak tree, which sprouted from the once barren land. This was not just any oak tree, it was the Sacred Tree of Existence and God of Life and Death, Bíle.

Oak trees are seen as sacred due to their size, their branches reach towards the heavens, and their roots grow deep into the ground towards the Underworld.

Bíle became the consort of Danu, and from this union two giant acorns fell from the oak tree. The first acorn was male and from it came The Dagda, also known as the Good God and the second acorn was female, and produced Brigid, also known as the Exalted One.

The Dagda and Bridgit were tasked with bring order to the world and populating it with the Children of Danu, known to be the Tuatha Dé Danann.

The waters provided by Danu rose up creating fertile valleys as it made its way eastwards towards the sea. This flowing water was named after Danu, and became known as Danuvius, or as it is still known the Danube River. On its banks, four cities were built to be the places where the children of Danu would be able to live and thrive for generation after generation. These cities were called Falias, Gorias, Finias, and Murias.