The Dagda (Old Irish: In Dagda [ˈd̪aɣða], Irish: An Daghdha) is considered the main god in Irish mythology. He is the leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann and is seen as a father, king, and wise leader. He is connected to fertility, farming, manhood, strength, magic, wisdom, and the role of druids. He has the power to control life and death (for example, through his staff), the weather, crops, time, and the changing seasons.

The Dagda is often described as a large man with a beard or a giant wearing a cloak with a hood. He owns a magical staff (called lorc) that has two sides: one side can cause death, and the other can bring life. He also has a magic cauldron (coire ansic) that never runs out of food, and a magical harp (Uaithne, though this name might also refer to the harp player). The harp will only play when called by its two special names, and it can fly to the Dagda when summoned. The Dagda is believed to live in Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange). Other places linked to him include Uisneach, Grianan of Aileach, Lough Neagh, and Knock Iveagh. He is said to be married to the Morrígan and to have a relationship with Boann. His children include Aengus, Brigit, Bodb Derg, Cermait, Aed, and Midir.

The Dagda’s name is thought to mean "the good god" or "the great god." Other names for him include Eochu or Eochaid Ollathair ("horseman, great father") and Ruad Rofhessa ("mighty one/lord of great knowledge"). Some sources suggest Dáire may have been another name for him. The death and ancestor god Donn may have originally been a form of the Dagda, and he shares similarities with the later harvest figure Crom Dubh. Some groups of people saw the Dagda as an ancestor and were named after him, such as the Uí Echach and the Dáirine.

The Dagda has been compared to the Germanic god Odin, the Gaulish god Sucellos, and the Roman gods Dīs Pater or Jupiter.

Name

The Old Irish name Dagda is thought to come from an ancient Celtic language, *Dago-dēwos, which means "the good god" or "the great god."

The Dagda has many other names or titles that describe different parts of his character.

• Eochu or Eochaid Ollathair ("horseman, great father" or "horseman, all-father")
• Ruad Rofhessa ("mighty one/lord of great knowledge")
• Dáire ("the fertile one")
• Aed ("the fiery one")
• Fer Benn ("horned man" or "man of the peak")
• Cera (possibly "creator")
• Cerrce (possibly "striker")
• Easal
• Eogabal

The name Eochu is a shorter version of Eochaid, which can also be spelled Eochaidh or Echuid. The death and ancestral god Donn may have originally been a form of the Dagda, who is sometimes called Dagda Donn.

Description

The Dagda was one of the kings of the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Tuatha Dé Danann were a group of supernatural beings who defeated the Fomorians, who lived in Ireland before the arrival of the Milesians. The Mórrígan was described as his wife, his daughter was Brigit, and his lover was Boann, after whom the River Boyne was named. Boann was married to Elcmar, and together they had the god Aengus. Before the battle with the Fomorians, the Dagda had a relationship with the goddess of war, the Mórrígan, on Samhain.

In the Middle Irish text Coir Anmann (The Fitness of Names), it is written: "He was a beautiful god of the heathens, for the Tuatha Dé Danann worshipped him: for he was an earth-god to them because of the greatness of his magical power."

Stories describe the Dagda as a powerful figure. He owned a magic staff, club, or mace that could kill nine men with one blow, but the handle could bring the dead back to life. He also owned a magic harp.

In the Yellow Book of Lecan, three items were named as belonging to the Dagda: his staff (lorc), a protective shirt (léine) that kept him safe from sickness, and a cloak (lumman) that could change shape and color. The "great staff" (lorg mór) had a smooth end that could revive the dead (he used it to bring his son Cermait Milbél back to life) and a rough end that caused instant death.

The staff was also called the "terrible iron staff" (lorg aduathmar iarnaidi) in the Ulster Cycle narrative Mesca Ulad.

The Cauldron of the Dagda was one of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann. It was said that no gathering ever left hungry after eating from it. The cauldron symbolized abundance and generosity, and it was also called the coire ansic ("the un-dry cauldron").

After Úaithne, the Dagda’s harper, was taken by the Fomorians, the Dagda went to their hall and retrieved his magic harp. According to the text Cath Maige Tuired (Second Battle of Moytura), the harp had two names: "Daur Dá Bláo" and "Cóir Cetharchair." When the Dagda called out these names—"Come Daur Dá Bláo / Come Cóir Cetharchair / Come summer, come winter"—the harp jumped from the wall and returned to him. The harp could only make sound when called by these names, which mean "Oak of Two Meadows" and "the Four Angled Music." The harp was made of oak and was decorated with intricate designs. When the Dagda played it, it could control the seasons. He used it to play the "Three Strains" (joy, sorrow, sleep) to stop the Fomorians and escape.

The Dagda also had two pigs: one that always grew and another that was always roasting. He owned fruit trees that always had fruit. Before the Second Battle of Moytura, he was given a black-maned heifer for his work. When the heifer called for her calf, all the cattle in Ireland that the Fomorians had taken as tribute began to graze.

Family

The Dagda is described as the husband of the Morrígan, who is sometimes referred to as his "envious wife." His children include Aengus, Cermait, and Aed, who are often called the three sons of the Dagda, as well as Brigit and Bodb Derg. Some sources mention that the Dagda has two brothers, Nuada and Ogma, but this may reflect a common pattern in mythology of grouping deities into threes. In other accounts, the Dagda is linked only with Ogma, and the two are called "the two brothers." In the Dindsenchas, the Dagda is said to have a daughter named Ainge, for whom he creates a basket made from twigs that leaks only when the tide is coming in and stays dry when the tide is going out. The Dagda's father is named Elatha, son of Delbeath. Englec, the daughter of Elcmar, is listed as a wife of the Dagda and the mother of his "swift son." Another daughter of the Dagda, named Echtgi the loathesome, is mentioned in the Banshenchas.

Mythology

Before the Second Battle of Mag Tuired, the Dagda builds a fortress called Dún Brese for Bres. He is also forced by the Fomorian kings Elatha, Indech, and Tethra to build raths. As the battle approaches, when Lugh asks the Dagda what power he will use against the Fomorian army, the Dagda replies that he will fight fiercely, using his strength, magic, and destruction. He says, "Their bones under my club will be as many as hailstones under the feet of horse herds."

The Dagda has a relationship with Boann, the goddess of the River Boyne. Boann lives at Brú na Bóinne with her husband, Elcmar. The Dagda makes Elcmar leave for a one-day task and then impregnates Boann. To hide the pregnancy, the Dagda casts a spell on Elcmar that makes the sun stand still, so he does not notice the passing of time. Boann gives birth to Aengus, also known as Maccán Óg ("the young son"). Later, Aengus learns the Dagda is his true father and asks for a portion of land. In some stories, the Dagda helps Aengus take control of Brú na Bóinne from Elcmar. Aengus asks for "a day and a night" of land, but because this phrase could also mean "day and night" forever, Aengus claims the Brú permanently. Other stories say Aengus takes the Brú from the Dagda using the same trick.

Some scholars believe this story reflects the winter solstice at Brú na Bóinne, when sunlight enters the inner chamber of the site. The word "solstice" (Old Irish grianstad) means "sun-standstill." The birth of Aengus may symbolize the sun's "rebirth" at the winter solstice, representing the sun's return after its slowest point in the sky. Aengus taking the Brú could show the rising sun replacing the setting sun.

The story Tochmarc Étaíne describes how Boann becomes pregnant with Aengus through the Dagda. In Aislinge Oengusso or The Dream of Aengus, the Dagda and Boann help Aengus find a mysterious woman he loves in his dreams.

In a poem about Mag Muirthemne, the Dagda drives an octopus away using his "mace of wrath." He shouts, "Turn thy hollow head! Turn thy ravening body! Turn thy resorbent forehead! Avaunt! Begone!" The sea retreats with the creature, leaving the plain of Mag Muirthemne behind.

In the Dindsenchas, the Dagda is described as quick with a poison drink, a fair and just ruler, a king of Erin with many hostages, a noble and slender prince, and the father of Cermait, Aengus, and Aed. He is said to have ruled the Tuatha Dé Danann for seventy or eighty years, depending on the source. He dies at Brú na Bóinne after being wounded by Cethlenn during the battle of Mag Tuired.

Parallels

The Dagda shares traits with the harvest god Crom Dubh, who came later. He also shares traits with Sucellos, a god from Gaul who is shown holding a hammer and a pot, and with Dīs Pater, a Roman god.