Irish sagas.
Now it is necessary to look, what mean these Gallic deities were transformed in medieval Irish sagas. Celt Taranis has disappeared completely. The heavenly thunder belongs to Christian God-father extremely. The God of Sky - Gallic Teutat quite we shall identify with Irish Nuadha, whose name is translated as "the Lord of clouds". To tell the truth, heavenly function by him is practically lost. But the role of the chapter of breeding collective (in sagas Nuadha represents itself as king of Tribes of goddess Danu or Tuatha De Danann - the basic class of good mythological characters) is kept. In terms of line of attributes and the connected plots he corresponds with Scandinavian Odin (about what wrote Dumezil and that will be considered at the analysis of the Scandinavian pantheon).
Celt Cernunnos as the embodiment of a bottom, was saved. Henceforth he referred to Dahghda - "the Good god" that is a tracing-paper from a name of other Cernunnos's embodiment - Hes. One more epithet Dahghda is "Father of all", and reminds Caesar's phrase that Gauls above all esteem the god (the Romans identified him with the Dis Pater) from which they are descended. The following epithet - "Powerful by great knowledge" allows to characterize Dahghda as the god of druids (Mac Cana, 1973). He had two special attributes: a cudgel which one end killed living, and another recovered dead; and the magic boiler of abundance. (Role of similar boilers was very great in Celtic culture, since the boiler from Gundestrup and finishing a bowl sacred Graal). The boiler clearly characterises Dahghda as a deity of fertility. He "was imperous above elements and above a crop of people". (Legends and myths of medieval Ireland, 1991, 60). Under some versions, he has given Tuatha De Danann marvellous hills in which they began to live after have suffered defeat from people. All these data allow to name Dahghda variant of the God of Earth Powers.
The well-known Ireland saga "The second Battle of Maige Turedh" (concerning to the Mythological cycle) contains the description of how Dahghda has got intimacy with Morrighan - the Celtic goddess of war. This event which has happened in Ireland holiday (November 1) is sometimes treated as variant of "a sacred marriage" king and the goddess. Nevertheless, Dahghda's wife was the idolized river Bojn. Their son Mac Ok ("the Son of Young one") was very popular deity, the patron in love. Him is identified with Gaulish and Britain Maponos, called Gaulish Apollo. In Britain Maponos was venerated as the hunter and as "Mabon, son of Modron " (that is the son of Great mother) has come in Arthur cycle.
Especially important female deity was daughter Dagda Brighid, (in Britain Brigantia) patroness of poetry, doctoring and crafts. Probably her Caesar named the Gailish Minerva. After a victory of Christianity she began to be esteemed as sacred Brighid. Sometimes spoke about sisters - "three Brighid", represented by birds with a human head or it is simple cranes. From here it is absolutely close to the image of the Great Goddess of the boiler from Gundestrup. We shall recollect the Gallo-Roman relief representing three herons, worth on the bull (1 c. A.D.). It serves as one more acknowledgement to consider Dahghda late transformation of Cernunnos.
The role of the patroness of weaving is an attribute, allowing to attribute Brighid
to type of the Great Goddess which other embodiments it is possible to count the Irish goddesses of war, goddesses - patronesses of Ireland and Goddess Danu, progenitoress about which a little that is known. Division is no time a complete image confirms theory Holan.
Dahghda has kept pagan features of Cernunnos most completely. Nevertheless, he does not exhaust all medieval embodiments ancient Celtic god. Splitting of image Cernunnos in medieval epoch is connected to unequal recognition of his various aspects by christianised Irishs. The aesthetic aspect of the god as patron with deers (whether this concurrence is casual?).
On the other hand, image Cernunnos has penetrated into medieval art, and his characteristic of the lord dead (recognizing in Christian Europe is negative) here was beaten. Bober results the image of Stuttgart text that shows, that miniaturist was well informed on the Gallo-Roman monuments. In a stage of descent from Limb he has placed stag horned Cernunnos in a traditional pose and even with ram headed snake in the bent niche (Bober, 1951). At last, in the reduced kind, Celtic god continued to live in late folklore. He is submitted and at Shakespeare as "the Horned hunter".
Anna Ross has paid attention to other embodiment Cernunnos in the Irish sagas. Conall Cernah - second main hero of Ulad (after Cuchulain) is conformable to the Gallic god not only a name. In some saga the following case is described. Conall, travelling on continent, attacks the certain fortress protected by the terrible snake. Last jumps on the hero, but gets inside of his belt. "Then Conall has let out the snake, and anybody from them has not harmed another". Doctor Ross explains this episode, referring to statues Cernunnos from Sommerecourt and Autun which show the god feeding ram headed snakes, twisting his waist " (Mac Cana, 1973). If the given likening is true, military function of the God of Earth Powers here is expressed, in addition to priestly and productive, that contradicts G. Dumezil's theory about division of these functions between various deities.
The image of the Cultural Hero has broken up to some characters (that in general typically for the given type in many mythologies). However, similar division as it was shown, existed in Gaulish epoch when along with Smertrius - Ogmios, Lugh
(Mercury) was venerated. As for to the Irish sagas, image Ogmios he began to be called Oghma) was added to following fig. First, Oghma attributed creation of the pagan letters, which have arisen in 4 century A.D. and named ogam. Second, mentioned his characteristic as the god - connector finds acknowledgement in a plot "Tain Bo Cuailnge" (the Cattle-Raid of Cuailnge) when Cuchulain (the main Irish hero) wishing to detain enemy army, has braided in unit a tree and has traced on it ogamic symbols. At last, from "The second Battle of Maige Turedh" it is known about destruction of Oghma from hands of demons - Fomhoire, that frequently happens with heroes.
Alex Fantalov.
CULTURE of BARBAROUS EUROPE:
TYPOLOGY of MYTHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS
Chapter 2. Mythological characters of West European barbarians
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