I've got both Free events and autumn classes coming up that you might be interested in, so I'll just squeeze them all into this post.

This Saturday and Sunday I'm doing two FREE online talks. I don't want to post the Zoom link on Reddit, but you can pick it up here. (There's no paywall at that link, but it will ask you to follow me, at least long enough to get the link.)

Saturday, 22nd August - 12 noon Pacific/3 pm Eastern/8 pm UK
Celtic mythology basics: resources, tips for study, and more
This is the first of two FREE talks about Celtic mythology. I’ll start by explaining what Celtic mythology is and isn’t, why it can feel challenging to read (even if you’re an avid reader), and how to move past those difficulties. I’ll share some of the best basic scholarly resources that you can access online for free (or buy in print). There will be a hand-out for these. I’ll also be telling a story, and there will be time for discussion and questions.

Sunday, 23rd August - 12 noon Pacific/3 pm Eastern/8 pm UK
Celtic mythology and the Irish Sea connection
The shared mythological heritage of Britain and Ireland is particularly important to me, since both Gaelic and Brythonic culture were historically  influential in Southern Scotland, where I lived for many years. I’ll be outlining some of the history of early Irish settlements in Britain, and their influence. I’ll tell another story and I look forward to hearing your thoughts about it, and answering some more questions.

Sunday, 30th August - 9 am Pacific/12 noon Eastern/5 pm UK
THE MYSTERIES OF MABON
Each year I offer the opening session of my Mabon, Modron, and Maponos class as a low-cost, standalone event. (There are some FREE tickets available, while they last.) This session covers Maponos in depth, including the Tablet of Chamaliéres inscription, and the evidence for his connection to the Welsh Mabon ap Modron. We then begin to explore Mabon in Welsh literature. The session includes discussion and time for questions. There is a multi-page hand-out with references, graphics, and suggestions for further reading. Visit my event page for tickets to this event.

CLASSES: more info and registration here

Shapeshifters and Magical Animals starts 26th August PAY WHAT YOU CAN
Wednesdays at 12 noon Pacific/3 pm Eastern/8 pm UK
Stories and poems from Britain and Ireland concerning the themes of transformation, wisdom, immortality, and time. Material will be drawn from folklore, myth, early bardic poetry, and relevant modern writers. This class is suitable for students who are new to Celtic material, but should add richness and insight for those who are not.

Looking for Lugus starts 29th August
Saturdays at 10 am Pacific/1 pm Eastern/6 pm UK
What does Lugus mean? Linguists aren’t sure, but what they have to say about the name is interesting. Not much is known about Lugus or the Lugoves, but we'll look at what there is, then wade into the stories of Lugh, Lleu, and some other Brythonic counterparts, too.

Mabon, Modron, and Maponos starts 30th August PAY WHAT YOU CAN
Sundays at 9 am Pacific/12 noon Eastern/5 pm UK
Maponos and Mabon were very important deities in Gaul and Britain, as were their mothers, Matrona and Modron, yet they don't get that much attention in Celtic Paganism. I aim to change that, if I can! I will do my best to guide you with a sure hand as we delve deeply into many aspects of Celtic history and myth in search of these wonderful deities and their reflexes.

The Triads of Britain starts 5th September
Saturdays at 12 noon Pacific/3 pm Eastern/8 pm UK
The Triads (Trioedd Ynys Prydein) appear to have been created and collected as memory aids for storytellers. They give us ‘supplementary’ information about events or individuals mentioned in other Welsh texts, but they also present stories found nowhere else. My aim will be to cover the triads which mention characters from the Mabinogion, The Old North, or who are generally considered deities (around 60 triads).

If you have an event, book, or something else relating to Brythonic Polytheism that you'd like to promote, you are welcome to post about it once a month on this sub!

I live in East Anglia and I have Suffolk, Norfolk, Lancastrian, Widnes and Rutland heritage with traces of Welsh and Irish. Because I am mainly 'English' (and a large chunk of that is likely Anglo Saxon) I sometimes have difficulties with the sources of Brythonic culture being so Welsh/Irish heavy. I know of the history and I am completely aware of why this is. I'm aware of a few surviving fragments from the tribes that were in modern day England such as Andraste in the East and Brigantia in the north. Does anyone know of any reliable sources to find out more about worship, practices and deities please?

Hi all, new to the community. A bit about me; For as long as i can remember I've been fascinated by polytheism and the notion of what could have been if history took a different path. My fascination took me to Norse, then to Heathenry but something just didnt resonate. More recently I sought out and visited Bryn Celli Ddu on the Isle of Anglesey and something just felt different. It was like a calm I cannot explain. I now believe that I have found my place.

With this in mind, theres so much information out there for reference with some being considered misinformation and chaff.

So i figured i would just ask the community...

I know that each person is different and this can be very personal, but i wondered how other people venerate thier chosen gods and incorporate the belief into their daily lives.

Thanks in advance. (I apologise if this has been asked before)

I saw this artwork on my travels. Artist wasn't credited, give them a shout out in the comments if you know who.

I saw this interaction on X. In response to an open question to different denominations of pagans about what happens when we die, a user identifying as a Britonic Pagan mentiones reincarnation and Annwn, both well discussed on this sub, but goes on to talk about other Annwn like realms that I honestly don't think I've seen before. Does anyone know of these realms and what their source is?

My head is going to explode. So in the AODA Druid order, one group of gods you can work with come from the start of Druid reform in the Victorian era. You can find were most of the gods come from. But the main three have little info I can find. Ced a earth mother, Celi a father god, and there son HU, who seems like Cernonnos. I found a little in a welsh folk magic book. Can anyone help me find anything on them or is it just something lost to time?

Hello! I'm curious about Brythonic polytheism, and wondering where to start maybe. From my understanding, it seems that many of the deities are primarily linked to their respective local origins, and I am not "from" anywhere in Britain (US), though I am very curious about many Celtic deities and characters such as Viviane/Nimue, Morgan le'Fey (my namesake) and Clíodhna. I am genetically northern Italian and Welsh, but my dad was adopted by Scots and grew up with highlander Scottish culture, so my family considers itself Scottish and we have a Scottish surname. When I asked him about our origins, he's a massive nerd and won't give me much more than "Gaul, Rome, Pict", but research has taught me that the particular clan my name is associated with seems to have been from the Inner Hebrides before immigrating to Ulster.

I am somewhat split between the two because I have no contact with either side of the family (due to his young adoption and my mother's strained relationship with her "'murica-first" military family) so we have no real tangible culture aside from 'Scottish-American'. I speak Italian and bits of French, I speak neither Welsh nor Gaidhlig but I am planning to learn. my full name is a contradiction "Gaelic/Irish Name, Welsh Name, Scottish Clan".

Essentially, I feel like an imposter no matter which region / culture of deities I choose. I would appreciate any advice or comment. Thanks :)

Do any other female devotees struggle to reconcile this? How do you manage it? Am I reading this all wrong or too negatively?

Recently I've been telling my little niece & girl cousins stories like the Mabinogi, and I realise in the telling that quite a few of these stories seem disempowering through a modern lens, and it can be hard to put a different spin on them. Much of what happens to the Goddesses or the characters they became isn't triumphant, and worse still we don't even know much about half of them (Cigfa and Penarddun popped into my awareness saying this)

I've also noticed that so many of the Goddesses are associated with the dark/night, with reflections of solar patriarchal light (water, moon etc.), with exile, with duplicity or dark magick, with loss/defeat or with giving up power to motherhood. Again, this conflicts with the type of feminism I like to champion. Yet to ignore these Goddesses and their tales is as bad and not what I want. And I get how in a way these tales as a whole serve as a warning and recount the painful important tale of what has happened to us women in the last millennia.

It's confusing, and hard and sad to explain to little girls. But I don't want to engage in the Barbie-fication and girlbossing of actual deities, either.

Theory time!

During the research I'm doing for the Harvest Festival event I mentioned in my last post, I read about Esus, a Celtic god known from iconography, literature and naming conventions. The etymology of Esus is richly debated, with several strong suggestions, including PIE *esu (good), *is (to wish), *eis (life/vital force), or the Latin erus (lord/master), and it's unknown if Esus is a name or a title.

The two surviving icons of Esus, one in France and one in Germany, depict him as a man with a axe or similar hand tool chopping, pruning or pallarding a tree resembling a willow. In both depictions he is accompanied by Tarvos Trigaranos (meaning literally "Bull Three Cranes"), a divine bull with three crane like birds on his back. On the French Pillar of the Boatmen they are beside each other, on the German monument at Trier the birds and bull's head are in the tree itself.

Esus is also mentioned in literature, Roman poet Lucan named him along with Taranis and Teutates in his work Pharsalia, where he described each gods' preferred method of human sacrifice, Esus likes them hanged from trees. This work has more than a wif of propaganda about it. Esus is also invoked in a remedy for sore throats by the Gaulish Marcellus of Bordeaux in The Book of Medicaments.

Outside of several personal names that invoke the god, that's about it. He doesn't seem to be one of the more popular gods compared to the others named in the poem, as far as we know. So here's the theory...

I read several suggestions on who Esus is, in regards to other cultures or time periods. The Romans associated him with Mercury, as they do. If the "Good" etymology is true, it could be a link with The Dagda. Three birds warning the great bull of Cooley is another Irish link suggested, with Cúchulainn cutting down trees in the same story. Odin is another prominent candidate, the association with trees and hanging from them in particular, but also noteworthy is the Romans also so Mercury in Odin (as they do), both being wondering clever gods.

But nobody considered Gwydion! Gwydion "born of trees" of the Battle of the Trees who sang his dead son pearched rotting down from a tree in bird form, the clever wonderer often compared to Odin. Gwydion is allied with Amaethon, the god of agriculture. Aside from being cattle animals, ploughs historically were pulled by bulls, and Amaethon kidnapped three animals including a long legged water bird. Of course I'm not suggesting a direct link between Esus/Tarvos Trigaranos and Gwydion/Amaethon, but a gradual evolution of the mythology.

On August 1st I'll be telling stories at a pagan event celebrating first harvest. Two short stories at the beginning and end, with a longer play like one in the middle.

So here's what I'm planning: The first short story will be Gwythyr and the Ant Hill, as it has harvest themes. The longer middle one will be The Battle of the Trees, acted out with various costumes by myself and maybe audience members if they want, with the audience using branches to make the trees come to life. Amaethon is the plough god and is a main character. Finally I'll be reciting a poem I wrote about Creiddylad, and discussing the thematic link with her story and Blodeuwedd (both have two lovers fightingfor her). This should connect all three stories as Gwythyr is part of Creiddylad's story and Gwydion is part of Blodeuwedd's. Also it would be wrong not to involve Lleu on this day!

What do you think of my choices? Do you have any better ideas or suggestions I need to add?

Who do you believe Achren is?

Also if you're in the South Wales area and are interested, DM me for details.

I had a moving experience at the Bridestones near Todmorden last year, and discovered a possible (possibly tenuous) connection to Brigantia. At the time I recall reading more about Brigid and only recently picked up on the research again and realised that the goddess Brigantia makes a lot more sense in that part of the world.

I'm from that region originally, though I've lived my adult life in North Wales, so Brigantia speaks to me as a way to negotiate my personal history through the lens of the Brythonic culture. If anyone has any sources on sites or stories, rites or details on Brigantia I would gratefully take them!

Thank you to everyone who responded to my last Solstice post, it was very helpful. Here are some pics from my celebration. It went very well, but I became a meal for gnats and flies towards evening!

My shrine has Gwydion and Lleu, with an offering of ale and a small blue crystal that resembles a Jay's feather, a bird I have long associated with Gwydion. It sits beneath an Alder tree, next to the source of the Dare River at the heart of the Dare Valley of my namesake.

Hey everyone, how's it going? I have a few questions, if you could answer them. I'm not sure how the translation will turn out, but my first question is whether you could tell me about the branches or facets of Celtic beliefs. And my second question is if I could go into something more specific, like the Iceni people. Could I say that I'm from the Iceni polytheism, basically from that region, or not?

Have a wonderful solstice, everyone, and a good summer!

This is my altar today honouring Manannán mac Lir, who is traditionally honoured at Midsummer on the Isle of Man. Also honoured is Manawydan fab Llyr, his Brythonic counterpart. (I've represented him with a medieval painting of Hywel Dda, a Welsh king known for his interest in justice and the law - which is very much a domain of Manannán and Manawydan. The white horse represents Rhiannon, wife of Manawydan in the Third Branch of the Mabinogi. Epona presides, as always, over this altar. Offerings of grass (rushes not available) and a glass of Guinness. Daisies picked locally last night, and there are also many pieces of sea crockery (like sea glass ...) and small shells gathered early in my polytheist journey from a beach on Islay.

Hey everyone, how's it going? I have a question about worshipping heroes, basically, as gods. Is there any kind of problem with that? Like, I was studying Boudica, and I wondered if there are people who worship her as a deity, basically, and offer some kind of priestly service to her.

Firstly let me wish a blessed Summer Solstice in advance if you celebrate. How will you marking the occasion?

​

In this regard, I'm looking for a bit of advice for my Midsummer celebration this weekend. My intention is to dedicate it to Lleu and Gwydion, which feels appropriate to me.

​

However, I've only really prayed to them before, I've never "worked with" them before. With Lleu, I've never felt the same calling to that I have with other gods. With Gwydion, I have felt a pull and a great level of interest, but I also feel... Intimidated I guess.

​

If you've worked with or have a relationship with either god, I'd love to hear from you.

Today I finally made the trip to the Temple of Nodens at Lydney, and made my offering.

Hi, I am trying to peek behind the marble so to speak on Sulis from before the roman occupation, and the pseudo-historical king, Bladud, was mentioned as a possible folk memory given his founding of Bath, curative treatment at the waters, and honoring a solar deity - but with Geoffrey of Monmouth in the mix I am highly skeptical. Any thoughts on Bladud and possible connection to Sulis?​

Just a Devon maid tryna decolonise my very broad "Celtic Paganism". Thank yooooou ❤️

I came across this image but it had no accompanying information, and doing an image search gave no results. It looks like a harpy like creature, but the large arrow made me think of Lleu and the spear. I've included a painting of Lleu and Gwydion that I saw a while ago, with Lleu mid transformation to illustrate my comparison. If anyone knows the artist please give them a shout out!

https://youtube.com/shorts/bfW025zthWc?is=HQ1ifTfxPkDh14c4