The Gods and their Croziers

The Gods of the Celtic pantheons have long resisted accurate identification alongside their famous counterparts in the Norse, Mediterranean, and Indo-Iranian religions. What remains might be only the garbled re-imaginings of bored Christian monks, stripped of authenticity. But what if it’s not as dismal as we thought? What if we can validate that the Irish God and Hero stories are preserved in remarkably faithful detail? And, what if there are many, many more of them hidden in plain sight, awaiting recovery? Using a framework inspired by Dumézil’s methods of comparative mythology, a slew of newly re-identified Irish and Welsh gods are already awaiting wider appreciation. It's a rich time to enjoy Celtic mythology. Inspired by this work, I’m applying the same methods to the Hagiographies of the Celtic Saints, and what I’ve found is amazing - nearly every significant Early Irish Saint is unambiguously a God of the Native Irish Pantheon, and the same seems to be true of other Celtic branches. By finding their parallel stories in native and other mythologies, we can restore them to their original identities, and better-understand the faithfully kept material we already enjoy. I’m compiling this work for a book, or perhaps a series of books. But, I want to share the work as early as I can! Join me as I explore the Comparative Mythology of the Celtic Saints, uncovering the Gods and their Croziers.