Applying Modern Comparative Mythology to Celtic Mythology

Using the toolset of Comparative Mythology, there has been some fantastic progress in recent years towards re-identifying the gods of Ireland, Wales, and France - and often, what we can then learn from these re-identifications can unveil more about more distantly-related religions such as the Greek, Norse, and Hindu religions, and more.

Applying this same toolset to a seemingly unrelated genre of Irish medieval writing, I've found a fascinating trove of authentic stories that directly come from the original native Irish religion. Just as with Saint Brigit and her original identity the Goddess Brighid, other saints of Early Christian Ireland were also gods in disguise. In fact, with only a few exceptions, it appears that perhaps the entire Irish Christian Hagioraphical tradition was in fact stolen directly from the native Irish religion. Yes, very much including the Hagiographical and Folkloric identities of the other two best-known Irish Saints, Colmcille and Patrick. Most Irish saints don't even appear to have a kernel of non-Irish religious identity.

What Use are the Saints?

These God and Hero stories, hidden behind sometimes quite thin Christian Rebrandings, include some well-known heroes and gods. But also, some of their alternative incarnations, recast with Croziers and Bells instead of Swords and Cauldrons. Indeed, many of the saints represent gods that have been wholly missing from our native pantheon.

Some of them, we know are missing because we can feel their absence, such as the wife of Dagda Ollathair: Perhaps, the Ollmháthair (Great Mother) aspect of the Mórríogan? Or, Tailtiú, foster-mother of Lugh? Or, the true identity of the god who finally gives succour to the Children of Lir, now rendered "Saint" Mochoemóg?

Others, we can only know we are missing by comparison to other pantheons - where, for example, is our Irish equivalent of Gallic Cernunnos, or Hindu Brahma, or the Greek/Roman Dioscuri? There are saints in Irish tradition who represent these gods, and their re-integration among our better-known gods is natural, mutually informative, and enriching.

Better yet, the understanding we gain from the Saintly versions of the gods we already knew gives deeper understanding of them, and their relationships. How are Aengus mac Oc and Cúchulainn like brothers? Why would the Lunar God of Immortality slay the incarnation of his own Mother in the Ulster Cycle? We can get a better understanding of all of this from an understanding of the Saint-Gods.

What To Expect

For starters, I'll aim to keep most emails shorter than this post. You'll get some key info, some dates and places where I can include them, and a few links or refs to further reading. Where Saints are concerned, I'll try to align my deliveries around the days that are relevant to the Saints or to the Gods they represented. No more than once per week, and ideally at least once per month. I'll keep the core/key information on this newsletter free, if I am able.

I'll also try to include some folkloric links where I find them, especially with regard to the traditions of oblation or remembrance that might be relevant, from the Celtic cultures and further afield.

I am also preparing a book of the same title: The Gods and their Croziers. As a subscriber, you'll get a sneak-peek at what I'm considering for inclusion. I may also offer a paid tier where I include deeper information, more cross-comparisons with other pantheons, or even full draft-chapters from the book. Or, an occasional link to where you can buy deeper-dive documents if that would be interesting to you.

Get in Touch, Get Involved, Share and Enjoy

I'm something of a data-vegan; I used to work in a data company, and I know exactly what happens when you click 'I accept' on a Privacy Policy. In fact, I consciously use a platform, Buttondown, for this email which lets me choose to respect your privacy by not including tracking pixels or tracked links.

Please help me out, then - let me know your thoughts, reach out and say hi on the few social media platforms I do use (such as the Fediverse, link at the end of every email), and do me a favour by sharing links to the newsletter or forwarding the emails to your friends. This information ought to be more widely known.

And, if you'd like to get involved, especially if you might have the cultural background to help decode the saints of Wales, France, Spain, Basque, or anywhere else in Europe, by all means let me know what you're up to.

Credit Where It's Due

Some of these identifications have been informed by other contemporary comparative mythographers such as J.Dolan of the "Taliesin's Map" blogs, book, and Video Channel, and I am indebted to their deep work for providing the framework that I have used to make these findings. The success of my own work should be seen as a vindication of theirs. I recommend them to anyone who would subscribe to my own work here.

Caveat Emptor

I have only one caveat: no Fascism. Sadly, mythology seems to attract a lot of Fascist thinking. If you're a nativist or exclusionary nationalist, if you have 'folkish' tendencies, if you exclude Queer or Trans people from your decency, if you agree with the scapegoating of refugees and immigrants, if you have obsessions with so-called-traditional gender roles, if you have strong negative opinions about Jews or Palestinians, if you approve of Trump or Putin or Rowling, please unsubscribe. Make better friendships, get some counselling. You won't enjoy this internationalist, queer-friendly, humane newsletter.