Avalon Pantheon [Maveric Universe

TUATHA DA DANAAN (CELTIC GODS) of Avolon-an ancient Realth of the Old Atlantean Homeworld.

Dominant Lifeform: The Tuatha Da Danaan (Celtic Gods);
Amergin, the natives of Camelot (Askalan, Gafael, Owein, King Arthur Pendragon, the Proud Walkers, Weyland), Iron Ogre, Lady of the Lake, Merlyn, Sir Benedict of the Falls, Roma, Strider, the Walkers,
along with some dragons (Ashtoroth, Kharad Dur, Malcolm Drake, Sarafand), elves (Buckthorn, Jackdaw, Moondog, Sundog), faeries, giants (Gargantua, Gog, Maegog), goblins (Bogweed, Gagol, Groglin, Hornwort), leprechauns (Irish elves), and similar beings;
It possibly the point of origin of the members of the Troll Associates.
Saturnyne frequently resides with the Starlight Citadel, although she is not native to Otherworld.
see also Features for other natives to related/connected realms.
see also Features for other natives to related/connected realms

Features: Otherworld actually consists of the cosmology of the Celtic gods, especially the island of Avalon, the home of the gods, although some references use the name Avalon as the name for all the worlds in this dimension. These other worlds include:
Momur (also spelled Magh Mor or called Tir Na Bog) which is ruled by Midir and is home for numerous elfin-like creatures. In myth, this realm was considered underground, but this may be because some portals to it from Earth were located there.
Tir fo Thuinn, the under-sea home of Leir, the god of sea and storm (presumably the same Leir who is god of lightning and the spear).
Tir inna mBan, a land of paradise populated by beautiful women who abducted mortals to be their husbands.
Tir tairngiri, the Land Of Promise, ruled by Leir's son, Manannan where Bran the Second retired millennia ago.
Annfwn, the Land of the Dead ruled by Arawn (also known as Donn), son of Mider. The Briton Lord Pwyll ruled here in Arawn's stead in Prehistoric times.
Tir nam Beo, the land of the living set apart from Annfwn as a paradise for certain worthy souls favored by the Celtic gods.
It is also intimately associated with::
the Dark Realm of the Fomor (home of the Fomor)
the Netherworld of Necromon (Doomwraiths, Necromon, Nightshade, White Rider of Death, Wolfsbane);
Note: The Starlight Citadel is the base of Brian, and formerly Roma and Merlyn. It exists within Otherworld on top of a small floating island.

There is some indication that time runs more quickly in Otherworld than on Earth. When Oisin, the son of Finn, returned home after three weeks in Momur, he discovered three centuries had passed in his absence. Back in Ireland, he turned into an old man over night before dying. When Bran the Second left Tir inna mBan after one year, his crew realized they were returning home after over three thousand years. The one man who set foot on Eire (Ancient Ireland) immediately turned to dust. Bran and his crew returned to Otherworld where they presumably became the Walkers. (This Bran is not to be confused with Bran the Blessed, the son of Leir and brother of Branwen)
Known Members: Angus, Anpao, Arawn, Arianhrod, Badb/Andraste, Boann, Bodb (Red Lord, god of war), Brigit, Caber (god of speed & bards), Cernunnos (god of animals & the hunt), Conor, Crom, Cúchulain, Cuthbadth, Dagda (god of magic), Danu (Gaea), Gwynn (god of springtime), Niamh (Lady of the Lake, goddess of lakes), Leir (god of the storm & sea), Lud, Lug, Macha, Midir, Morrigan (goddess of battle), Nemain, Nuada/Nuadhu (god of warriors), Oghma, Rhiannon, Scathach, Taranis (god of thunder & the elements);
Fuamnach (a deified mortal); Cuchulain (demi-god)
The Danaans (Celtic Gods) were also worshipped by the ancient Britons, Welsh and Gauls and even had some roles in Arthurian Legend.
Morgan Le Fay was supposed to be half-faerie, and the faeries of Irish legend were also descended from the Fomore as were the Danaans. (see also Clarifications under Otherworld).
Merlin/Merlyn was a descendant of the Celtic gods, although other sources claim him to be the son of a demon--there's a fine line between god and demon in the Marvel Universe, so I don't think these two definitions are mutually exclusive. There continues to be confusion over whether the one from Otherworld is the same as from Arthurian Legend.
Macha is actually synonymous with Morrigan, but she was also cognate with Maev, Medb and Morgan Le Fay (three mortals in three different time periods)."
"Nemain was, briefly put, the berserker form of Morrigan. In short, if Morrigan was Jen Walters, Nemain was her She-Hulk. On the battlefield, Morrigan would enter into a bloodlust and transform into Nemain. Since Morrigan was already large enough to straddle the Unius river, Nemain would be a lot more bigger and a lot more savage than anything else in Celtic myth."

The Druid gods are Celtic Gods. When I "scrape off the druid confusion" I take the names and histories and leave behind the chants, beliefs, superstitions, rituals, extraneous names, etc. etc. The druids changed their beliefs and rituals often, but at their core, they were the only worshippers of the Celtic Gods left after King Arthur introduced Christianity to the region. The druids were still around in some much diminished capacity into the time of Robin Hood and even King Henry The Eighth.

All of the Walkers of Otherworld are mortals; some of whom are even ancestors of King Arthur. Sounds a lot as if this is Marvel's version of a Celtic Valhalla for fallen Celtic warriors.
Info from the Library/Dictionary site is represented in inset.

Andraste-see Badb

Angus (ANGUS OF THE BRUGH, also OENGUS OF THE BRUIG) is the God of Youth. He is the son of Dagda and Boann. He out shone the Dagda's other children by Morrigan. His closest Olympian counterpart would be Apollo, although in Ireland he was the counterpart of Cupid. .
Angus' kisses turn into singing birds, and the music he plays irresistibly draws all who hear.
--Angus has been seen in the MU only off at a distance. Dagda directed him to summon the warriors to assist Leir in an assault on the Fomorians
--Marvel Comics Presents#30/4

Anpao was the god of death; the son of Mider and Fuamnach, and the brother of Cernunnos and Arawn.
He has not yet appeared in the Marvel Universe.

Arawn is the god of the dead and ruler of the underworld of Annwn/Annwyn. He is the nephew of Bodb Derg; brother of Anpao and Cernunnos.
As noted earlier, a god called Arawn, Lord of the Dark Forest, appeared in Conan the Barbarian I#135, but other than the name, no detectable connection to the Celtic god appears.

Arianrhod "Silver Wheel," "High Fruitful Mother." One of the Three Virgins of Britain, her palace is Caer Arianrhod, the Celtic name for the Aurora Borealis.
She has not appeared in the Marvel Universe.

Badb is a war-goddess, and is the daughter of Dagda and Morrigan, and the sister of Bodb Derg, Brigit, Mider, Oghma, and Rhiannon. She followed her mother (Morrigan) into battle; She is also known as Andraste ("victory").
"A" for Badb/Andraste; O for Bodb Derg--keep this straight, b/c there may be a quiz!

* In other sources, she is one of a triad of war goddesses known collectively as the Morrigan. Bird shaped and crimson mouthed, Badb uses her magic to decide battles. Badb lusts after men and is often seen at fords washing the armor and weapons of men about to die in combat.

In the MU, she was invoked by Doctor Druid in Avengers Spotlight#37, and again as one of the three goddesses that granted power to Druid during his brief transformation before his death. Her alternate Earth counterpart was seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Annual#3.
--Avengers Spotlight#37 (mentioned), Druid#1 (mentioned)

Boann is a river goddess (goddess of the Boyne river), daughter of Labraidh & Condatis, sister of Morrigan. The Dagda seduced her so she could be mother of Oenghus (Anghus).
She has not been seen in the Marvel Universe.





Bodb Derg, aka Bodb the Red and the Red Lord, is a god of war, the son of Dagda and Morrigan, and the uncle of Arawn. His mortal descendants were known as the Red Clan.
In the Marvel Universe, he is worshipped by the Bane, and an enemy of the Knights of Pendragon. He has also been referred to "the Horned One"
--Knights of Pendragon I#15, 17

Brigit is the goddess of wisdom, and is the daughter of Dagda and Morrigan, as well as the sister of Andraste, Bodb Derg, Mider, Oghma, and Rhiannon. (see also comments on the Druid Gods)

* In other sources, Brighid/Brigit is the Goddess of healing and craftsmanship, especially metalwork. She is also a patron of learning and poetry. In Wales she is Caridwen, who possesses the cauldron of knowledge and inspiration. The Celts so loved Brighid that they could not abandon her even when they became Christians, and so made Brighid a Christian saint.



Comments: She has not been seen in the Maveric Universe, but she may be the same as Cerridwen, who has at least been mentioned. As pointed out by Carycomix, Brigit may the patron goddess of the lycanthropic Tuatha de Danan.

Caber may or may not be based on the god Lugh (see below), as he has no known comparison in Celtic Mythology.
He has a profile in the OHotMU Master Edition.
In the MU he is the god of speed and bards.
-

Cerridwen was actually more of a witchcraft goddess figuring prominently in the Tale of Talesin. Her husband is named Tegid Voel in the myth; Cerridwen was supposedly Brigid in a mortal incarnation, her daughter or a contemporary of Arthur.
----she possessed the Cauldron of Knowledge of Inspiration.

* CARIDWEN also HEN WEN; in Wales, BRIGHID "White Grain," "Old White One." Corn goddess. Mother of Taliesen, greatest and wisest of all the bards, and therefore a patron of poets. The "white goddess" of Robert Graves. Caridwen lives among the stars in the land of Caer Sidi. Caridwen is connected with wolves, and some claim her cult dates to the neolithic era.

In the Maveric Universe, she is mentioned only as one of the goddesses worshipped by the Druids. She is listed as the wife of Hu.
-



Cernunnos, a horned/antlered god worshiped in both Britain and France as a god of the hunt, the harvest, fertility, and sometimes of the underworld as well.
His parents are Mider and Fuamnach. His brothers would be Arawn (god of dead) and Anpao (god of death).
The Romans identified him with Mercury as a 'psychopompos' or leader of souls to the underworld.

* CERNUNNOS Horned god of virility. Cernunnos wears the torc (neck-ring) and is ever in the company of a ram-headed serpent and a stag. Extremely popular among the Celts, the Druids encouraged the worship of Cernunnos, attempting to replace the plethora of local deities and spirits with a national religion. The Celts were so enamored of Cernunnos that his cult was a serious obstacle to the spread of Christianity.

In the Maveric Universe he has been described as a god of the hunt. Cernunnos sometimes appears as a stag-headed man. He was one of the three who granted power to Kyllian. Cernunnos was also mentioned in King Conan#2.
--









Conor is actually a King of Ireland (possibly deified after death) and ancestor of all Connors.
He has been seen in the MU only off at a distance. Dagda directed him to summon the warriors to assist Leir in an assault on the Fomorians


Crom-the Hyborian God worshipped by Conan may be based on the Irish pagan deity Crom Cruaich or Cremm Crioch

Cuchulain - a demi-god, son of Lugh and Deichtire, active as a hero on Earth in the 6th Century.

His Earth-616 counterpart has yet to be seen, but info on his legend, and his Earth-Guardians counterpart can be found here: Cuchulain

Cuthbadth is another mortal, who was presumably (at least in the Marvel Universe), deified.
He has been seen in the MU only off at a distance. Dagda directed him to summon the warriors to assist Leir in an assault on the Fomorians
--

Dagda--
see also comments.

Danu was Mother Earth and most likely an alias for Gaea, who admitted in Thor I#301 that she was the Mother Earth for all the other realms of gods. Danu is not among her OHotMU aliases, but then Marvel was not expecting storylines with the Celtic Gods to come up. As Danu, Gaea was worshipped by the Picts as early as the time of Valusia, per King Kull III#2, and was mentioned during the Hyborian Age in King Conan#2 and circa Conan the Savage#5, a sisterhood of priestesses serving Danu appeared.

* Another of a triad of war goddesses known collectively as the Morrigan. Connected with the moon goddess Aine of Knockaine, who protects crops and cattle.

DIAN CECHT

* A healer. At the second battle of Moytura, Dian Cecht murdered his own son whose skill in healing endangered his father's reputation. The Judgments of Dian Cecht, an ancient Irish legal tract, lays down the obligations to the ill and injured. An aggressor must pay for curing anyone he has injured, and the severity of any wound, even the smallest, is measured in grains of corn.

Dian Cecht built the Silver Hand for Nauda/Nuada after he lost his own hand in battle to the Fomor.
-

Fuamnach, actually a deified mortal, she may have served as the goddess of marriage. She is the daughter of Beothach and great-great-great granddaughter of Nemedh (leader of the Nemedians, and ancestor of the Fir Bholg tribes of Ireland). When she became immortal, she cast spells keeping her husband Mider from committing any other romances out of wedlock. She was more like Hera than Morrigan. She is the mother of Anpao and Cernunnos by Mider.


Lud?
--This may be a name for Nuadhu, or the Olympian Neptune. The demon Ludi claims to be this god..

Lug also Lugh, Lleu - A sun god and a hero god, young, strong, radiant with hair of gold, master of all arts, skills and crafts. One day Lug arrived at the court of the Dagda and demanded to be admitted to the company of the gods. The gatekeeper asked him what he could do. For every skill or art Lug named, the gatekeeper replied that there was already one among the company who had mastered it. Lug at last pointed out that they had no one who had mastered them all, and so gained a place among the deities, eventually leading them to victory in the second battle of Moytura against the Fomorian invaders. (The Fomorians were a race of monsters who challenged the gods for supremacy in the first and second battles of Moytura.) The Romans identified Lug with Mercury. The most popular and widely worshipped of the Celtic gods, Lug's name in its various forms was taken by the cities of Lyons, Loudun, Laon, Leon, Lieden, Leignitz, Carlisle and Vienna.
-no appearance in the MU, unless he is Caber.

Macha is actually synonymous with Morrigan, but she was also cognate with Maev, Medb and Morgan Le Fay (three mortals in three different time periods).

* MACHA "Crow." The third of the triad of war goddesses known as the Morrigan, Macha feeds on the heads of slain enemies. Macha often dominates her male lovers through cunning or simple brute strength.

She is mentioned/invoked frequently by Conan and others in the Hyborian era. She was also invoked by Doctor Druid in Avengers Spotlight#37. Otherwise, she has not been seen in the Earth-616 universe, though her alternate Earth counterpart was seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Annual#3.

Midir was the god of the Underworld/Annwyn; He is the son of Dagda and Morrigan, and (according to some sources) the father of Anpao and Cernunnos. He is the brother of Andraste, Bodb Derg, Brigit, Ohgma, and Rhiannon. Midir was not an underworld god like Hades; he was ruler of the faeries, elves and leprechauns that lived there; they were distant relatives. He was sort of the elf king.
Midir has not appeared in the Marvel Universe.

Morrigan (image above) was a darker more bloodthirsty of Hera. A river-goddess originally (goddess of the river Unius), she later served as goddess of war and death. She was so large that she straddled a river between her legs and washed off the armor of dead warriors. Dagda took her as his wife although he also had fidelities with other goddesses. She was mother of Andraste, Bodb Derg, Brigit, Mider, Oghma, and Rhiannon. She may be the sister of Boann.

* MORRIGAN, THE also MORRIGU MORRIGAN A war goddess, forerunner of the Arthurian Morgan La Fey. Like Odin, fickle and unfaithful, not to be trusted. A hag with a demonic laugh, the Morrigan appears as a grotesque apparition to men about to die in battle. Her name is also used for a triad of war goddesses (Badb, Danu, Macha), who are often thought of as different aspects of the Morrigan.

In the Marvel Universe, she was invoked for power by Doctor Druid in Avengers Spotlight#37. She was also one of the three who granted power to Kyllian. She was commonly invoked in the Hyborian era. Her alternate Earth counterpart was seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Annual#3.
--Dr. Strange Annual#3

Nemain, whose name means Panic, is another War Goddess. She was, briefly put, the berserker form of Morrigan. In short, if Morrigan was Jen Walters, Nemain was her She-Hulk. On the battlefield, Morrigan would enter into a bloodlust and transform into Nemain. Since Morrigan was already large enough to straddle the Unius river, Nemain would be a lot more bigger and a lot more savage than anything else in Celtic myth."
--She was frequently invoked by Conan and others in the Hyborian era.

Niamh-see the Lady of the Lake. some sources have listed her as a form of Badb.



Nuada

aka Nuadhu:

(Marvel Comics Presents I#108/2(fb)) - In a time before man walked the Earth, when the gods roamed free, Nauda led the Tuatha de Danann (the people of Danu, a celtic goddess). He led them to Ireland in order to usurp it from the Fir Bolg, the gods who lived there. The two groups clashed on the lush green fields on Mag Tuireadth in a brutal and bloody battle. Nauda led his men to victory, butlost his right hand in the battle.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#108/2(fb)) - Victorious, the Tuatha de Danann took possession of the island, allowing the Fomorians (the enemies of the Celtic Gods) to keep the province of Connacht. They built a castle in Tara to be their stronghold. Dian Cecht, the leech (healer) for the Tuatha forged a silver hand for Nauda. However, Nauda's reign was not to be. He was opposed by the Lords of the Tuatha, who said that only one who was without blemish could rule: Nauda had no choice but to surrender his kingship.
<�>For seven years, there was an uneasy alliance between the Tuatha and the Fomorians, but during that time, both groups prepared for battle. Nauda bided his time on the sidelines until the green fields of Mag Tuireadth ran red with the blood a second time, this time from the Tuatha and the Fomorians. Nauda leapt into battle and again led the way into victory, but was skewered from behind by a Fomorian, and died on the field of battle.

(Thor & Hercules: Encyclopedia Mythologica) - Nauda eventually took a human host to rule the Kingdom of Britain and father Gwythr and Gwynn. At the moment of his mortal host's death, Nuada attempted to leave the host and return to Otherworld, but the host clung to a fragment of Nuada's divine life essene and was consigned to Oblivion.

- The Godheads met in Asgard to discuss the disappearance of half of the beings in the universe. Those present were Itzamna (Mayan), Manitou (Native American), Nuada/Nuadhu (Celtic), Odin (see comments) (Asgardian), Osiris (Egyptian), Svarog (Russian), Tezcatlipoca (Mexican), and Zeus (Olympian).

As early as the Hyborian era, @ 10,000 BC specifically, Nuaden Argatlam of the Silver Hand ( a little redundant) has been referenced, by the Ligurean Druid Diviatrix, @ the Black Sphinx of Nebthu, retold in King Conan#2.





It is not quite clear if Nauda (MCP#105-109) or Nuada ) are supposed to be the mythological Nuadhu. Nauda obviously has a knowledge of the Celtic Gods' history, but is a bit off in some of the facts and motivations. He could be an imposter. On the other hand, if it really is him, the Nuada who met with Odin may have been the deity known as the Dagda (two titles for a immortal otherwise known as Eochaid Ollathir).
If that's not enough; if Nuada were Dagda, where would that leave Dagda who saw battle against Seth? You see - mythological Nuadhu was rather like Ouranus of the Greeks, while Dagda had a role like Zeus with some lineage between them. Dagda is also a title; his real name being Eochaid Ollathir. Nuada being a second title for the former Dagda. It remains to be seen as to how Marvel may rectify this confusion.
My explanation? Nuadhu is the ancient Celtic God, the "Ouranos" as mentioned above. Nauda of the Silver Hand is either a demonic being, a mortal, or the dark side of the Celtic God Nuadhu. There is some magical connection, but they are different beings. Dagda is similarly a separate being. To further confuse things, some sources note Lud (Ludi) as being derived from Nodens, aka Nuada.--Snood.

The mad Nauda seen in Marvel Comics Presents was revealed to be Nuadhu's former human host in Thor & Hercules: Encyclopedia Mythologica.


Oghma is the god of Labor, and the son of Dagda and Morrigan.

God of eloquence, inspiration, language, magic, music, physical strength, poets, writers. Invented the Ogam script alphabet and carried a huge club similar to Hercules'. Variants: Oghma, Ogmios, Grianainech (sun face), Cermait (honey-mouthed).

He has not been seen in the Marvel Universe.

Rhiannon is the goddess of horses, and is the daughter of Dagda and Morrigan, and the sister of Andraste, Bodb, Brigit, Mider, and Oghma. She was also known as Epona. A Hyborian Era character invokes Epona on page 32 of King Conan#2.
The mainstream version has not been seen in the Marvel Universe, though she was invoked by Agatha Harkness in Avengers West Coast#61.

Taranis (image above) is a Celtic Storm God
In other sources he was just a name the Celtics gave to Zeus when the Romans invade Briton. Nothing else.
In the Maveric Universe, though, he could be some sort of Thor/Hercules like creation. He is the God of Thunder and the Elements. He was one of the three who granted power to Kyllian.
--Dr. Strange Annual#3
Will speculates that Taranis is actually the Dagda. Discussion of his connection to Zeus/Jupiter, and other historical information can be found here.}
Also: more info per Seth Richards:
"Taranis, Taranos, Taranus [W, Bret. taran, thunder]. One of the three principal divinities, along with Esus and Teutates, of Gaul and Britain, according to the Roman poet Lucan (1st cent. AD) in his Pharsalia, on the subject of Julius Caesar's conquest 100 years earlier. While each of the deities was propitiated with human sacrifice, according to Lucan, the cult of Taranis was crueller than that of the Scythian Diana; victims could be burned alive in wooden vessels. Speculation on the death of the 4th-cent. BC man found in Lindow bog in 1984 has suggested that he may have been sacrificed to either Taranis or Teutates. A 9th-century commentary on Lucan describes Taranis as 'master of war' and links him to Jupiter. But from what we know, Taranis is only an embodiment of the natural force of thunder and lacks the complexity and wide-ranging functions of the Roman sky-god. Other commentators link Taranis to the Roman Dis Pater and to the British Etharun and Etirun. Archaeological evidence does not, however, support Lucan's contentions. The name of Taranis survives on only seven altars, and although they range from Britain to the Balkans, their size and implied wealth does not match that of gods like Gaulish Mercury, whose worship is much more widespread. See Paul-Marie Duval, 'Teutates, Esus, Taranis', Etudes Celtiques, 8 (1958), 41-58; Miranda J. Green, 'Tanarus, Taranis and the Chester Altar', Chester Archaeological Society, 65 (1982), 37-44." - p. 402, Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, James Mackillop (ed.)
It's a short article, but that's about what is known about him. Myself, I don't know anything more about him... I just simply recognize him as distinct from the Dagda because the Celtic gods are one of my favorite pantheons to study and while every resource I've found on the gods usually has something to say about both, not one yet's linked the two. I just named the source I did because it's pretty easily available (if it's not at your local bookstore, it shouldn't be too hard to order,) and the bibliography's a pretty thorough one, listing plenty of sources to go to if you want to explore the subject beyond that, thus it's probably one of the best works out there for a layman like me, as a good summary of what's out there.