Irish mythology

Discover Pinterest’s best ideas and inspiration for Irish mythology. Get inspired and try out new things.
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a woman sitting on top of a tree next to a moon

In Irish mythology, Danu ([ˈdanu]; modern Irish Dana [ˈd̪ˠanˠə]) is a hypothetical mother goddess of the Tuatha Dé Danann (Old Irish: "the peoples of the goddess Danu"). Though primarily seen as an ancestral figure, some Victorian sources also associate her with the land. The hypothetical nominative form of the name, *Danu, is not found in any medieval Irish text, but is rather a reconstruction by modern scholars based on the genitive Danann (also spelled Donand or Danand), which is the only…

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a black cat sitting on top of a tree branch

The púca (Irish for spirit/ghost), pooka, phouka, phooka, phooca, puca or púka, is primarily a creature of Irish folklore. Considered to be bringers both of good and bad fortune, they could either help or hinder rural and marine communities. The creatures were said to be shape changers which could take the appearance of black horses, goats and rabbits. The púca has counterparts throughout the Celtic cultures of Northwest Europe. For instance, in Welsh mythology it is named the pwca and in…

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a drawing of a man riding on the back of a horse

The Dullahan is a headless rider, and being the most famous of its kind, was likely the inspiration for Washington Irving's Headless Horseman character. The rider was usually on a dark horse, carrying his or her own head. The decapitated head was said to have constant hideous grin, and its skin was the consistency and color of moldy cheese. The rider's weapon is a whip fashioned from a human spinal cord.

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an old building in the middle of a green field with text overlay reading 10 writing prompts from irish mythology

This week’s prompts come from Irish mythology. This was quite a challenge for me than the post on Greek Myths as I knew basically nothing about it before I started. (Now also have a list based on Norse Myths and Bulgarian Folklore!) I used Wikipedia a lot and a helpful website called Bardmythologies.com. I encourage you to check this site out and read all of the myths, they are truly fascinating. Two books also came in handy during my research that I would like to highly recommend. One is…

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the main celtic gods and goddesss

From the Morrigan and Brigid to The Great Dagda and Manannán mac Lir, here are the best-known Celtic gods and goddesses in Irish mythology and culture.

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an image of three angels with wings around them, one holding a cup and the other holding

Brigit, Brigid or Bríg (/ˈbrɪdʒɪd, ˈbriːɪd/, Old Irish Irish pronunciation: [ˈbʲɾʲiʝidʲ]; meaning 'exalted one') was a goddess of pre-Christian Ireland. She appears in Irish mythology as a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the daughter of the Dagda and wife of Bres, with whom she had a son named Ruadán. It has been suggested that Brigid is a continuation of the Indo-European dawn goddess. She is associated with the spring season, fertility, healing, poetry and smithcraft. Cormac's Glossary…

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"Daughter of the Sea". Selkies are mythological creatures found in Faroese, Icelandic, Irish, and Scottish folklore. They are said to live as seals in the sea, but shed their skin to become human on land. The legend apparently originated on the Orkney and Shetland Islands and is very similar to those of swan maidens." Scottish Folklore, Akiane Kramarik, Daughter Of The Sea, Fabian Perez, Simpson Art, Water Spirits, Alex Pardee, Irish Mythology, Mermaids Sirens

"Daughter of the Sea". Selkies are mythological creatures found in Faroese, Icelandic, Irish, and Scottish folklore. They are said to live as seals in the sea, but shed their skin to become human on land. The legend apparently originated on the Orkney and Shetland Islands and is very similar to those of swan maidens."

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a statue is standing on some rocks by the water

Folklore tales in Ireland are full of Irish mythological creatures. From the commonly known leprechauns and banshees to lesser-known Irish folklore creatures, there is a wide range. Some are scary and others are harmful. In this post, you can discover just some of the creatures in Irish mythology to know about.

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