Dagda, pronounced “dôh-da,” is the High King of a race called the
Tuatha Da Danann.
Tuatha Da Danann – The “Tuatha” are the immortal faerie people of
Ireland. They were conquered by the Milesians, who were human invaders who
forced the Tuatha underground. As a result the Tuatha destroyed all
the wheat and milk of the Milesians, and caused all grass and grain to
stop growing until a treaty could be reached.
When Christianity started to influence the Celtic Mythology, the Tuatha
became faeries, the people of the Sidhe (pronounced “Shee”), also
called elves. In order to protect themselves, they cast a veil of
invisibility on themselves, which they can lift at will. It must be remembered
that Faeries in Celtic myths are nothing like “Tinkerbell” of Peter Pan
fame. They could be tall or short, beautiful or ugly. They are very
skilled in art, science, poetry, and magick. These were the people whom
Dagda ruled. His specific area of rule was over Uisnech in Co. Meath.
Names – Dagda was called by many names, but his most popular acronym is
“Good God” – which has nothing to do with morality, but rather meaning
that he was good at everything he did, and that he protected their
crops. He was also called Eochaid Ollathair (All Father), Ruad Rofessa
(Mighty Red One of Perfect Knowledge), the God of Earth and Treaties, the
Ruler over Life and Death, the Master of Magick, the God of Time, the
Protector of the Tribe, and the God of Love.
Food – His favorite foods were oat bannocks, porridge, and ale. His
favorite burnt offering is butter.
Family Tree – Dagda is the son of Beli and the goddess Danu. His
Great-Grandfather is Net; his Grandfather is Delbaeth mac Net; his Father is
Elada; his Brother is Ogma; his Half-Brother is Bres; and his Uncle is
Goibniu. His Wife is Breg; his Lover is Boann. His Sons are Aongas
mac Og (Angus); Badb Dearg (Badb the Red) who succeeded him as King after
he resigned the throne. His Daughters are Ainge and Brigit – goddess
of fire, fertility, cattle and poetry. His Grandsons are Mac Cuill; Mac
Cecht, and Mac Gréine. His Sacred Tree is the Yew.
Sexual Prowess – Dagda was very successful, sexually, with both women
and goddesses. He is always portrayed with a very large, erect phallus
and is considered an ithyphallic deity, which emphasized his
fecundating function. (He was lewd and produced a lot of offspring!) He mated
with the sinister war goddess, Morrigan, on Samhain, while she
straddled the river Unius, so she would give him a plan for victory over the
Formorians. His “wild ways” resulted in his often being associated with
“The Wild Herdsman.”
Appearance – Dagda wore a brown patch low-necked tunic of 9 colors,
which just reached his hips. His kilt was of burnished leather. His arms
and legs bore bands of gold, and he wore a torc around his neck which
had bull-headed finials. His hooded scarlet cloak was fastened with a
great brooch, and it barely covered his shoulders. He wore horse-hide
boots.
Dagda himself had a large paunch, for his appetite for food (and for
sex) was insatiable. His uncut hair and beard were red. He had broad
features and smiling eyes and lips. He is usually seen dragging his
magick club, with his magick harp on his back, and his magick steaming
cauldron under his left arm. He is credited with many magickal powers, and
is associated with Ostara.
Magick Objects – There are several magickal objects associated with
Dagda. Among them are fruit trees that are never barren; and his 2 pigs –
one always growing larger and the other always roasting. But his “Big
Three” magickal objects were his Club, his Cauldron, and his Harp.
Dagda carried a huge club which could kill 9 men with a single blow.
But after killing them with one end of the club, he could bring them
back to life with the other end. When it was dragged along the ground the
club cut a furrow as deep as the boundary ditch between two provinces.
The Tuatha received 4 magick treasures – one from each of the mythical
cities: Falias, Gorias, Finias, and Murias. The gift from Murias was
the “Cauldron of Abundance.” It was called “Undry” or “Never Dry,”
because it served each person their favorite food. The cauldron was never
empty, and therefore provided endless nourishment for Dagda’s people.
The only people it would not serve were cowards and oath breakers.
Its other magickal power was if a dead person was placed in the
cauldron, they would spring out alive and young again – but without the power
of speech, in case they say too much about the afterlife. The magickal
cauldron is often associated with the grail of the later Arthurian
Romances.
The third of the main magickal objects of Dagda is his harp, called
“Uaithne,” which was made of Oak and is sometimes referred to as “The Oak
of Two Greens.” It was beautiful to look upon, mighty in size, and
ornamented with gold and jewels. Among its magickal properties were: it
played by itself; it would leap into Dagda’s hands upon command; when
played it put the seasons in the correct order so that spring came after
winter, summer after spring, and autumn followed summer; and it played
three magical songs – the song of sorrow (tears), the song of joy
(mirth), and the song of dreaming (sleep).
Dagda is definitely seen by the Druids as the Celtic “Father Figure” of
the Gods. In conclusion I would like to quote a poem by Ian Corrigan
which sums up many of Dagda’s qualities and attributes:
Hymn to the Dagda
Dagda most honored
To you we make sacrifice
Oats from our bounty we freely give
To Eochaid the All-Father
You, the Fire Beneath the Cauldron
Hear us, Old Giant
God with the Great Staff
Ruad Rofessa,
Lord of Secret Knowledge
Fire of the Sacrifice, great in appetite
To you we do honor Excellent God
Mate of the Great Queen
Fergus, the Mare’s Son
Chieftain of Dana, Bountiful Giver
Flame in the belly that sustains Life
Flame in the loins that continues Life
Flame in the eye that comprehends Life
Be in us as we are in you
Kindle in us as we make our offering
Oats of the Stallion we give you
Boiled in the Cauldron upon
The Sacred Fire
O Harper of the Seasons
Taker of the Sacrifice
Druid of the Oak and Hazel
Dagda Mor!
Great Good God!
Accept our sacrifice!
Sources:
ADF Neopagan Druidism – Dagda - adf.org
Dagda - adf.org
Dagda - ravenquest.net
Dagda – Ancient Mythology - mysticgames.com
The Dagda - brainyencyclopedia.com
The Dagda at Sacred Source - jblstatue.com
The Dagda, father of the gods - livingmyths.com
The Dagda’s Harp - ireland-now.com
De Dagda - fortunecity.com
Deities: The Dagda by Teckerdaze - angelfire.com
Enya – Celtic Dictionary - enya.org/dictionary/d
Gods & Goddesses – The Dagda - shee-_eire.com
Nature of the Merrian - lavendise.com/fae/dagda
Tuatha Dé Danann - timelessmyths.com
What is Dagda? - googlism.com/what_is/d/dagda
