Mabh Savage
Words and the world passing by; how it sings to me; how I clamour back.
Lugh
I’ve been doing some reading on Lugh recently, as additional research for my book, A Modern Celt. Lugh, despite being a great leader and warrior among the Tuatha de Danaan, and indeed the name sake of Lughnasadh, one of the biggest festivals in the Celtic “calendar”, rarely seems to appear as a tutelary god. Other members of the same mythological cycle seem to pop up as points of worship or reverence for people quite regularly- the Morrigan for example has a huge following and is revered as a goddess, deity and spiritual being in many forms. Cu Chulainn is Lugh’s half mortal son and still revered as the greatest Irish hero ever. Brigid is so popular she has been transformed and accepted as part of Celtic and modern Christianity as St Brigit of Kildare. Yet Lugh, the long armed and many skilled, seems to be overlooked except at the time of Lughnasadh- a festival he actually created to honour his beloved foster mother, Tailtiu. Lugh is, in many ways, one of the most “role model” beings from the Tuatha de Danaan. He is matter of fact about his skills and achievements, neither boasting not falsely modest. He has a great sense of commitment, and his family is precious and dear to him. He leads Ireland into war, but only to stop the persecution of his people. He is both a poet and a fighter; a craftsman and a magician. He is of two worlds (being from a Fomorian mother) but he is tirelessly loyal to the people he chooses as his own. These are all characteristics many of us strive towards; perhaps Lugh is overlooked as a primary deity because these standards are too high, or perhaps because he seems too human, not otherworldly enough. Or is it that his crucial role in the myths and legends of his people give him no relevance today? What do you think?
Mabh Savage 