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A question that often arises in our comments – who is the Irish god of death? Among the various candidates, Donn, the first ancestor of the Gaels, is often highlighted as a key figure associated with death and the dead. This article explores his role and significance, particularly through the lens of ancient texts and folklore.
✨A Guest Post by Morgan Daimler
Although it should be understood that Irish deities don’t ever fit neatly into ‘gods of’ boxes people often want to know which of the Old Gods has the strongest connection to different concepts. One that is frequently asked about is who would be the Irish god of death or the dead, something that we don’t find explicitly mentioned often in mythology.
And in fairness many of the popular books on the market offer suggestions that are at best inaccurate and at worst contradict what information we do have. So, who is the best candidate for an Irish deity associated with death and the dead?
Is Manannán the Irish God of Death?
There are some people who see Manannán as a psychopomp who guides the souls of the newly dead out of this world and into the next. In fact I have often seen him recommended first when people are asking about who they might look to when a loved ones has died.
This association comes from stories where Manannán Mac Lir travels between the human world an the Otherworld, specifical Otherworldly islands. Although he is never depicted as ferrying human souls in older sources it’s a popular idea today.
However, the only being who is explicitly associated in older material with human souls and the dead is the Milesian Donn. The Milesians, or Gaels, were the first human inhabitants of Ireland, arriving and driving the Tuatha De Danann into the sidhe.
In the course of that battle Donn was killed, the first human to die in Ireland, creating an ancestral tie between the land and humanity, so for many people Donn is the first ancestor and ultimately the Irish God of death, and the dead.
There is a lot of folk belief behind this and I thought it might be interesting to take a look at a passage in the 14th century Metrical Dindshenchas, which mentions Donn and tells the story of how Tech Duinn got it’s name. This illustrates why this belief about Donn as the Irish God of Death is held, and shows how long it’s been around.
Metrical Dindshenchas: Tech nDuinn (As Gaeilge)
Teach nDuind, cidh diatá? Nà ansa. In tan dolotar meic Miled aniar don Erinn, asbert a n-druà frÃu: ‘Fear raghas isin crand siúil’, for se, ‘Ocus madh é chanus ar tus dichedla for Tuathaib Dei, maighfidh in cath forro, ocus lindi Ãarsin co brath a tÃr: ocus bebais in fer cuirfes in m-bricht.’ Fochres crandchor forro, ocus tachraidh do Dhonn taidhecht isin seól. DognÃther Ãarom samlaid, ocus luidh Dond isin seól, ocus canaidh tinchetla frÃu, ocus doluidh sÃs iarsin, ocus asbert: ‘Tonga na deo’ ol sé, ‘cona didhemthar cert no cóir duib festa.’ Canaid-seom dano di thÃr tinchedla forro-som dia fregra. Iar mallachadh Duinn Ãarom do Thuaith De dofáinic crith-ghalar fo chétóir isin luing. Asbert Amarghen: ‘Bidh marb Dond’, for se, ‘ocus nà seghdha dund congbail im athgabail an ghalair. Ar dÃa ructhar Dond i tÃr, bÃaidh an galar-sa co brath a n-Erinn.’ Asbert Dond: ‘Berar mo choland-sa’, for sé, ‘a n-oen na n-Ãnnsi, ocus dobéra mo chinél bendachtain form co brath.’ Ticc Ãarom ainbhtine doibh tria thinchedlaibh na n-drúadh, ocus báiter an bárc a m-bái Dond. ‘Berar a choland isin carraic n-aird thall’, ol Aimhirghen: conidh de dogarar Teach nDuind. ‘Ticfad a munnter an maighin sin’, ol Amhirghen. Is aire sin adellad na h-anmanda peccacha co teach nDuind rÃa techt a n-ifearn, do reÃr na ngennti, cédus, co tabraid a m-bendachtain for anmain Duinn. Madh anum fÃrén imorro fir aithrighe is di chéin adcÃ-sidhe, ocus nà berar fordul. As i sin tra cédfaidh na ngénnti. Conid desin dogarar Tech nDuind.
The House of Donn (Translation, Morgan Daimler)
The house of Donn, what origin? Not difficult. When the sons of Mil came from the west to Ireland, their Druid said to them, “A man must go up that mast [1]”, said he, “and then chant his best druidic chants on the Tuatha De, this will rout the battle on them, and after that time this will be our land forever: and the man will die who casts the spell.” They set a casting of lots on them, and it was cast to Donn to go [2] to the sail.
Afterwards it was done thus, and Donn moved to the sail, and chanted Druidic spells against them, and returned down after, and said: “I swear by the Gods” said he, “we will be without granting justice or recompense to you henceforth.” They [the Tuatha De Danann] chanted also from the land Druidic spells against them in response. Then they cursed Donn and afterwards the Tuatha De brought a shaking-sickness immediately on the ship. Said Amergin, “Donn shall die”, said he, “and not lucky his keeping on account of taking back the illness [3]. If we carry Donn to the land, the sickness will be in Ireland forever.” Said Donn, “Take my body”, said he, “to one of the islands, and my people will give blessing on me forever.”
Afterwards through the spell casting of the Druids a storm was brought on them, and the ship of Donn was sunk [4]. “Take his body there to that high rock yonder”, said Amergin: it will be called Tech Duinn [5]. “His people will go to that place there”, said Amergin. And for that burden the souls of sinners visit Tech Duinn before they go to Hell, according to the heathens [6], indeed, to give their blessings on the soul of Donn. Nevertheless righteous souls, that is penitent men, they see it from a distance, and do not take a detour there. That is then the opinion of the heathens. So it is called Tech Duinn.
In the Metrical Dindshenchas we are told that Donn was chosen by throwing lots to sacrifice himself in order to break the power of the Tuatha De Danann so that the Sons of Mil could succeed in their invasion.
Because of this he was cursed by the Tuatha Dé and died, but his burial on a “high rock” on an island created a blessing, or perhaps we should say created a situation where the souls of the newly dead were obligated to go to Donn’s House and bless him.
Even the obviously Christianised aspects at the end of the story are telling, in that they reveal the pagan belief that the dead were required to “visit” Tech Duinn before moving on elsewhere; even the so-called “righteous men” (one may assume Christian souls) had to see it, if not go into it.
The Metrical Dindshenchas version translated above strongly supports a view of Donn as a God of the dead, and his house as a place where souls go after death.
If one is looking for a being in Irish myth and folk belief who can fit the role of an Irish God of death or God of the dead, then Donn is the best option.
Translation Notes
- 1 crand siúil, literally “sail tree”.
- 2 interestingly taidhecht, a form of techt, also means “act of dying”; both fit in this context.
- 3 in other words, if Donn, or his body, was kept on the boat or brought to Ireland the illness would remain.
- 4 This is referenced as well in the Lebor Gabala Erenn but the cause given is very different, happening after Donn insults the sovereignty goddess of Ireland and swears he will kill every living thing there.
- 5 Tech Duinn is literally “house of Donn”.
- 6 genti, a Latin loanword from gentis, literally “Gentiles” in the sense of non-Jews, extrapolated out to include non-Christians. In texts this can be rendered Gentiles, pagans, or heathens and was often used in particular to refer to the Norse. Given the common usage in the annals of “dubgenti” and finngenti” for Danes and Norwegians I have chosen to go with “heathens” in this translation, however it should be understood to mean non-Christians generally.
IMAGE: Bull Rock, off the southwest coast of Ireland and Dursey Island, is often identified with Teach Duinn (the House of Donn). Dursey Island is at the southwestern tip of the Beara Peninsula in the west of County Cork in Ireland.
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Thank you for the new translation, I really appreciate it Morgan. I am tucking this away in my lore folder, as it supports my UPG regarding Dônn, where He dwells, and His role with the dead of Ireland.
It’s almost like death or the otherworld had a different meaning before the coming of men…