Dagda

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The Dagda [ 'daɣða ] (Irish: "Good God"), also Dagdæ, Ruadh Rhofessa ("The mighty / redhead with the great knowledge") or Eochaid Ollathair ("The great father") is a central figure in the Celtic mythology of Ireland .

etymology

The name "Dagda" is a borrowing from the god Dagān or Dagon, presumably through Punic contacts. It has been documented in Mesopotamia since the 3rd millennium. In the Levant he is proven by the lists of gods from Ugarit and the Old Testament (I Samuel 5. 1-17, Ri 16, 23ff), and there is also a mention in the Amarna letters. The main sources are the archives of Mari, Ebla and Emar. Another, albeit very late and not necessarily reliable source is Philo von Byblos. It is believed that it was originally a weather god who was later associated with the day by the Celts and Teutons. As a result, the root of the word is related to the Anglo-Saxon “day” or the German “day”.

mythology

Dagda is a leader of the mythical Túatha Dé Danann . He is the Allfather and responsible for law, order and order. He is described as ugly with a potbelly. He wears a hood that covers his face and a tunic. He is considered the god of fertility because he is very active sexually with different female deities. His attributes are the "magic cauldron", the "magic harp" and the "magic club".

Dagda is the son and lover of the earth mother Dana , with whom he fathered Brigid . With the water goddess Boann he has a son named Aonghus and the daughter Étaín , his grandson is Delbaeth . Another mistress is the goddess of fate Morrígan . Together with his brothers Ogma and Lugh , he forms the triad of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Further siblings are Nuada , Dian Cécht , Goibniu , Midir and Lir .

Dagda is represented with a large club, his most important attribute. This club is said to have been so big that he sometimes pulls it behind him on a cart. With his club, Dagda can both strike down his enemies and give them new life. He also has a kettle that donates inexhaustible food. His magical harp rules the minds of gods and men; when it is stolen from him by the Fomori , he brings it back with the help of his harper Abhcan , by making the enemies dance, cry and finally sleep with their help.

In the second battle of Mag Tuired , the Dagda is one of the main characters. In a prehistory to the battle, he can use cunning to defend himself against a vicious poem ( glám dícenn ) by the poet Cridenbél . When the sorcerer, cupbearer and druid of the Tuatha offer their support to King Lugh in the preparations , the Dagda says that he can do it all by himself. The answer is: “That is why you are also the Dagdæ!” And that was now his name. During a night of love with Morrigan, she reveals the Fomori’s war plan to him and while scouting in their camps he has to eat a huge amount of stew (lite) from a hole in the ground. When he then tries to rape the daughter of the Fomori king, she beats him so that he splatters everything with his feces.

Dagda is equated with the Gallic god Sucellus and because of his connection to the Otherworld also with the Irish god of the dead Donn . He is also sometimes compared to the ancient Celtic Taranis or the Roman Dispater .

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Ingeborg Clarus: Celtic myths. Man and his otherworld. 1991, p. 82.
  2. ↑ Herbert Gottschalk: Lexicon of Mythology. Munich 1996, p. 321 ff.
  3. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. 1997, p. 574.
  4. ↑ Birkhan sees an archaic motif here that can be traced back to food offering in a pit to the god Dagda. Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. 1997, p. 762 f.
  5. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. 1997, p. 502 f.
  6. ^ Ingeborg Clarus: Celtic myths. Man and his otherworld. 1991, p. 79 f.