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In the rich tapestry of Irish mythology, Irish Gods’ names carry deep significance, weaving together strands of language, culture, and belief. Yet, as we delve into the origins and meanings of these names, we often encounter a fascinating phenomenon: folk etymologies.
These popular – yet incorrect – interpretations of names offer a glimpse into how the ancients understood their gods, but they also present a challenge for those of us seeking to connect authentically with Irish paganism today.
In this exploration, guided by the insights of Morgan Daimler, we unravel the layers of meaning behind names like the Morrigan, Bóinn, and Oengus, shedding light on how these interpretations shape our understanding of the divine. Join us as we navigate the intersection of myth, language, and belief, offering a clearer lens through which to view the pantheon of Irish gods and goddesses.
✨A Guest Post by Morgan Daimler
Something I often think about is the influence of the meaning of Irish Gods’ names. Most pagans I know are at least curious about what a deity or mythic figure’s name means and knowing the etymology then adds a layer of understanding about that deity.
If we interpret the Morrigan’s name to mean ‘Great Queen’ I think that must in some way influence how we understand her more generally, the same way that understanding Bóinn as the ‘White Cow’ or Oengus as ‘Unique Force’ shapes how we view them.
But some of the understandings of names, even the older ones, are based on folk etymology, that is, on definitions that are popular with people but are actually incorrect. They represent people’s best guesses at what a name or word means when the language has changed enough that it isn’t obvious anymore.
These inaccurate but sometimes widespread name-meanings have an effect and also contribute to how deities and mythic figures are perceived by adding new layers of meaning to Gods and in many cases changing how they are understood.
Etymologies of Irish Gods’ Names
In this article I’d like to offer an array of real and folk etymologies and some ways that they impact people’s understandings of deities. I think this is an important aspect of Irish paganism that people should give some thought to, especially given how rampant some of the misunderstood names are.
Hopefully this will illustrate difference between the real meanings and the folk meanings, and allow people to see the ways that our understandings of a being are changed depending on how we interpret their name.
The Dagda
The Dagda has many names including ‘Ollathair’ which is Old Irish for ‘great/vast/ample father’; I believe this likely ties in to his possession of the cauldron of abundance and his widespread fame.
Yet many people today believe that Ollathair means ‘All Father’, based on oll’s similarity with the English all (the two are basically homophones) and view him as the father or progenitor of the entire Tuatha Dé Danann.
Understanding him as a ‘Vast Father’ is clearly different than seeing him as an ‘All Father’, since one implies greatness in the sense of size or magnitude while the other is usually interpreted to imply a literal fathering of the pantheon.
Étáin
Étaín’s name is thought to most likely be a diminutive form of the word jealousy: ét, jealousy; -an indicating small or little. However, I have seen folk etymologies that give her name as a seed or kernel, possibly confusing her name with the word etne.
Although the kernel meaning is inaccurate people find it resonates probably because of her mythology; the Goddess reborn as a woman and then transformed into a Fairy Queen.
There is clearly a lot of difference though between seeing her as strongly tied to jealousy – a major theme in her myth – or to rebirth and the qualities of a seed – another arguable theme in her mythology.
The Badb and Macha
Badb’s name means ‘hooded crow’ primarily and can also be an adjective meaning ‘deadly, ill-fated, dangerous’, as well as being a term for any supernatural woman more generally. However several modern sources erroneously claim that her name means ‘boiling’ or ‘one who boils’ which has led to associations between Badb and cauldrons, and even the idea of herself as deity of the afterlife and rebirth.
In the same way Macha’s name actually means ‘hooded crow’ or ‘field, milking field, plain’ yet some modern sources say it means ‘battle’ which shifts her from a more pastoral deity to a strongly martial one.
In both these examples the actual meaning and the folk etymology are at odds and the folk etymology gives a profoundly different understanding of the Goddess in question, which has reshaped how some people understand them.
Aoibheall
The Fairy Queen and sovereignty Goddess associated with county Clare, Aoibheall is an obscure figure. Her name is based in the Old Irish oibell which means ‘heat, spark, flame, bright’ which paints one picture of her probable nature, supported by her stories.
But a source from 1906 defined her name as meaning ‘beautiful’, which has a very different connotation and could lead people to draw different conclusions about her nature which isn’t supported in her stories. One carries with it the caution we have around all fiery things, while the other is simply attractive and appealing.
Brighid
One of the most well-known and oldest of these folk etymologies comes to us from the 14th century Sanas Cormaic [Cormac’s Glossary], which claims that Brighid’s name was rooted in the words ‘breo-saighead’ or ‘breo-aighead’ meaning fiery arrow.
In reality her name comes from Brig, meaning ‘high’ or ‘exalted’, but the fiery-arrow meaning has become deeply rooted in people’s minds and is often repeated unquestioningly in modern books.
Its evocative and people already liked connecting her to fire so the idea that her name had a fiery meaning has appeal. It creates associations and connections that weren’t there before the folk etymology though.
The Tuatha Dé Danann
Finally it is worth noting that Tuatha Dé Danann does not mean children of Danu, despite how popular that idea can be both online and in books.
It is usually translated as ‘people/tribe of the Goddess Danu’ although there have been some other possibilities put out there, including by John Carey who suggests ‘tribe of the old gods’ as an alternate reading.
The difficulty here is with the word ‘Danann’ which can be read multiple ways, including the popular ‘Danu’ version but also including grammatical forms of words like ‘fate’ or ‘skill’. Dé can also present some issues as it can mean several things, including gods, so one might read Tuatha Dé Danann as ‘people of the gods of skill’.
The one word in the phrase that isn’t questionable though is oddly the one that is so often gotten wrong – tuatha, which means a people, tribe, or territorial group.
Understanding the term to mean children of, as with understanding oll as all, radically changes the overall meaning by placing Danu as the mother of the pantheon as opposed to a group of people connected to or perhaps dedicated to Danu.
Understanding these Irish Gods’ Names
These are only a handful of examples but hopefully they illustrate the point I’m trying to make about the difference we see in meaning between the actual etymology from the source language and the folk etymologies we find going around.
I’m not saying that folk etymology is good or bad, but it is something we need to be aware of. I am encouraging people to reflect on the way that what we think a name means changes how we view the being that name is attached to.
We can’t always know what a name means, and sometimes there’s disagreement over the ultimate meaning of a name – is the Morrigan the Great Queen or the Phantom Queen? – but whether we realise it or not the meaning we associate with a name does shape how we think of that being.
🔗 Morgan’s In Depth Online Class – Naming the Irish Gods: Exploring the Names and Epithets of the Tuatha Dé Danann – is available on demand… Click Here for Details! 👀
