Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions

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selves, add, " May you leave us as safe as you found us !
I
J^6 Old Irish Re/20-ions.
Mananan beg, hight Mac of Lerr,
Was he the first that ruled the land
A pagan, and a sorcerer.
He was, at least I understand."
This Manmian, a deity of the Tuath de Danaans, was god
of waters ;
but Mac of Lir was styled son of the sea.
Neid and Bad were gods of the wind. We are informed
by the author that " By the name Gtibh or Gobh, a blaze,
fire, &c., the pagan Irish meant to insinuate that Sam-
Giddia were particularly inspired by the solar heat." The
motto of old was, " Let the altar for ever blaze to
Daghdae."
Ease was the new moon to Manx and Irish. The Irish
still say Paternoster at the new moon, and, crossing them-
Ce-Aehd was a goddess of Nature. An old poem says,
" There was weeping in the day of Saman Bache." Ceara
was the sun ; and Badhh-Be-bad, the god of wind. Brid,
daughter of Daghdae, was the goddess of w^isdom and
poets ;
An, the mater dea ; Aodh, goddess of fire. ]\Ianx
traditions and customs are similar to the Irish.
Sword-worship, in some respects, figured in the past, as
with the Huns, &c. Famous heroes or deities have had
the names of their swords preserved, as in the case of
Arthur and Fingal.
Speaking swords occur in
the Leb na Jiuidre, as recorded
in the Revue Celtiqiie. Noticing the custom of bringing in
the tongues of the slain as trophies, the Irish MS. says^
"And it is thus they ought to do that, and their swords on
their thighs when they used to make the troph}-, for their
swords used to
turn against them when they made a false
trophy—for demons used to speak to them from their
arms."
Spenser gives this narrative on the fabled power of the