Lugh (deity)

Culture: Irish

Mother: Ethlinn

Father: Cian

Siblings: Two brothers also named Lugh; Ebliu

Children: Cú Chulainn; Ainnle; Abartach

Lugh, or Lugh Lámfota (which means "Lugh of the Long Arm"), was a Celtic god known as a great warrior and leader. His name refers to the long spear that he owned, which always found its target even though he rarely used the weapon. He is also called Samildánach (translation: "Skilled in All the Arts"), an attribute that comes up often in stories. He could sing and play the harp, he could work as a smith and with wood, and he was skilled in war and healing. Lugh was one of a set of triplets, all of whom had the same name, but he was the only sibling to survive. Beautiful to behold and fair, he was the sun god.

Lugh was very important in the Celtic pantheon and was also the father of Cú Chulainn, the hero of a treasured Irish poetry cycle from the Middle Ages. It was Cú Chulainn whom Lugh heals from many battle wounds during one of the hero’s epic fights. In Wales, Lugh was called Lleu or Lleu Llaw Gyffes ("Lleu of the Dexterous Hand").

Julius Caesar knew of some of the Celtic gods from his conquest of Gaul, another land where they were worshipped, and he reported some of what he had learned in his history of that conquest. Lugh is one of the gods he wrote about, and he likened the deity to the Roman god Mercury because Lugh’s skill in all crafts reminded him of Mercury’s role in introducing many different crafts. Caesar called him Lugus, and several places in Europe seem to have been named for him, including Lyon and Laon, France; Leiden, the Netherlands; and Carlisle, England, originally named "Luguvalium."

In Mythology

As the son of Cian, Lugh was of the Tuatha Dé Danann ("the people of Danu" or "children of Danu"), but his mother Ethlinn was a Fomorian, thus also making him a descendant of Danu’s sister Domnu. In this respect, he is the opposite of Bres, the Fomorian who ruled Ireland after King Nuada; Bres had a Fomorian father and a Danann mother. The children of these two sisters battled for control of Ireland, and Lugh played a central role in ensuring a Danann victory. Ethlinn was the daughter of the Fomorian king, Balor. It had been prophesized that Balor’s grandson would kill him, so he had his daughter locked up to prevent her from having a child. Cian, a Danann, managed to come to her and mate with her, and Lugh was the result of their union. After Lugh was born, Balor seized the baby and tossed him into the ocean to drown him. He was rescued, however, and raised by foster parents.

Lugh’s first appearance among the Danann came when he tried to enter the castle of Tara, which the Danann had built for their dwelling. He was stopped by the gatekeeper and told that he could only enter if he had a talent. Each time Lugh named one of his talents, the gatekeeper denied him entry, saying that they already had someone with that ability. Finally, Lugh asked if they had anyone with all those talents. The gatekeeper was forced to admit that no one did, and Lugh was allowed to enter. This exchange earned him the name Samildánach. Lugh impressed the Danann with his wisdom, and King Nuada stepped down from the throne, putting Lugh in his place for thirteen days. In that time, Lugh advised the Danann on how to prepare for the coming war with the Formorians.

In the great battle of Mag Tuireadh, Lugh led the Danann to victory. At first, Lugh had not taken part in the fighting. The Danann had imprisoned him because he was so wise and all-knowing, and so they feared the loss that would result should he die in battle. Because he was supposed to bestow his wisdom on humanity, his death would be a great tragedy. When Nuada was killed, however, Lugh joined the fight. When he arrived at the scene, the Fomorians were blinded by a brilliant light. Bres, their leader, was shocked, thinking that the sun had risen in the west, but it was, in fact, the radiant beauty of Lugh that was shining forth. He challenged Balor, his grandfather, a giant whose single eye would cause instant death for anyone who saw it. Balor advanced to kill him, but Lugh cast a propellant from his slingshot, one that pierced Balor’s eye and went through the giant’s skull, Many Fomorians died who had the misfortune to see Balor’s eye as it fell to the ground. Lugh then drew his mighty sword and led the rest of the Danann into the fray, and they slaughtered the Fomorians. Lugh spared the life of Bres because he revealed to Lugh when to plant and harvest each crop. Thus possessed of the secrets of the agricultural cycle, the Danann prospered. Lugh became king and ruled for forty years.

Origins and Cults

Given his presence on the European continent, Lugh may have originated there and been brought to Ireland by people fleeing the Roman conquest of Gaul. Some scholars think that Balor was the Irish sun god and that Lugh’s mythical slaying of his grandfather represents the victory of the imported gods over the native ones. Lugh’s ancient origins are suggested by the possibility that the name Lugh comes from an Indo-European word that means "bright."

Lugh was extremely important to the Celts, and his festival was the midsummer feast called Lughnasadh, one of the four major feasts of Celtic culture. Celebrated on August 1, it is said in some stories to have been instituted by Lugh to pay tribute to the earth goddess Tailtiu. She had been his foster mother and had labored long to clear all the land of Ireland, preparing it for planting. Crops were harvested around this time, and athletic contests were held as part of the festival.

Lugh figures in an Irish tradition that has become widely known. When the Tuatha Dé Danann were defeated by the Milesians, they fled to the hills, where they continued to live. They became the sidh, or fairies. Lugh came to be known as a small figure who buried bits of the sun in different sites around the island. These bits of light could be found by following the arc of a rainbow to the ground. It is this legend that has acquainted the modern world to Lugh because Lugh Lámfota first became Lugh-chromain and then later evolved into the word leprechaun.

Bibliography

Ellis, Peter Berresford. Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. New York and Oxford: Oxford UP, 1994. Print.

Gregory, Isabella Augusta, and William Butler Yeats. A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend, and Folklore. Ed. Claire Booss. New York: Gramercy Books, 1988. Print.

Macleod, Sharon Paice. Celtic Myth and Religion: A Study of Traditional Belief, with Newly Translated Prayers, Poems and Songs. Jefferson: McFarland, 2012. Print.

Monaghan, Patricia. Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore. New York: Facts On File, 2008. Print.

Rolleston, T. W. Celtic Myths and Legends. New York: Dover, 1990. Print.