pagan blog project D: Dagda

For this week of the Pagan Blog Project, I thought I would talk about an Dagda; One of the Tuatha de Dannen. The Dagda is the druid of the Tuatha and the father of the other gods. He is called the Good God because he is good at everything. Just as Lugh is skilled at everything; the Dagda is good at everything. they are of course not the only epithets of the Dagda. Below are a number of other epithets.

Epithets of the Dagda[1]

• An Dagda "The Good God"
• Eochu Ollathair "Horse Great-Father"--generally taken as his "true" name and not a nickname
• Ruadh Rofhessa "Red One Great in Knowledge"
• Fer Benn Bruach Brogaill Broumide Cerbad Caic Rolaig Builc Labair Cerrce Di Brig Oldathair Boith Athgen mBethai Brightere Tri Carboid Roth Rimaire Riog Scotbe Obthe Olaithbe
• Fer Benn: "man of the peaks" or "horned/pronged man"; could be a poetic reference to lightning, or could indicate a now-lost idea of the Dagda being horned, a not-uncommon feature in British and Gaulish iconography. Suibhne also calls himself Fer Benn, after a passage praising stags
• Broumide: "flatulent"?
• Cerrce: Sayer says it may derrive from *perkw "striker", i.e. lightning
• Labair: Gray interprets this as "talker", Sayer as "noisy"
• Athgen m Bethai: "rebirth of land"?
• Oldathair: from Ollathair, "great father"
• Aed Abaid of Ess Ruaid
• Dagda donn: Dark Dagda; it could have been "Lord Dagda", but "Dark Dagda" is possible, because he is elswhere described as having a dun tunic (aodhar), and a dark cloak (lachtna)
• Dagda dein: swift Dagda
• Dagda (n)dur/Dagdai duir: "harsh/stern" Dagda, but duir also may refer to the oak dair; the association of duir and dair also appears in the ogham tracts. Comparing the Dagda to an oak would also lend credence to the interpretation of him as a thunder god
• Dagdai deirg: "Red Dagda"

He is described as often being pot-bellied, with an immense appitite. He has three items that he is famous for: His harp, his club, and his cauldron. His club is said to have the power to heal as well as kill. His cauldron is one of the four legendary items that were brought to Ireland. He once owned Brain nu Boyne but he was tricked out of it by his son, Óengus macÓg.

He is the father of the Óengus macÓg with Boann, who is his main Consort. He fathers a number of other children including Brighid and Aine. He mated with an Morrigan in order to bring victory to the Tuatha de Dannen when they went to fight the Formorians.

Sources:
[1] epithets