Lugh – Mighty God Of Light, Sun And Crafts In Celtic Beliefs

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Lugh, whose name means "the shining," is one of the greatest heroes of Irish folklore. He is known under different names but is usually mentioned as Lugh of the Long Arms (sometimes, "Long Hands" or even "Artful Hands").

Celtic God Lugh. Credit: Adobe Stock - AiAdvocate.org

Lugh - the most powerful of the Celtic gods - is the god of all arts and crafts. Worshiped as the sun god, he symbolizes enlightenment and brings light to the world.

We can still recognize his name in many historic sites on the European continent. Names like Lugdunum ("the fortress of Lugha") which is today the French city of Lyon and the Dutch city of Leiden, of which name has in the past erroneously been associated with the Roman outpost Lugdunum Batavorum. Carlisle (England) was once Luguvalium, a town near Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain and Wales. Lugh was worshiped as Lleu, while in the regions of Gaul as Lugus.

Who Is The Celtic God Lugh?

Our earlier article on Ancient Pages described how Lugh came into the world. Lugh was born from the relationship between Ethne, the daughter of the Fomorian king Balor and a young man, Cian (Kian), who belonged to Tuatha Dé Danann. Tailtiu was Lugh's foster mother, and his adoptive father was the god of the sea, Manannán mac Lir, who was older than the Tuatha de Danaan tribe people but considered one of them.

Relief of a three-faced god from northeastern Gaul believed to be Lugus, the Gaulish equivalent of Lugh. Credit: QuartierLatin1968 - CC BY-SA 3.0

Lugh was a beautiful fair-haired god with a shining face. He was the owner of a formidable spear, never missing its goal. It was an "extension of his arm," and thus, he became known as Lugh "of the Long Arms."

Lugh Appears In The Palace Of King Nuada

The Tuatha de Danann were governed unfairly by the Fomorian king Balor. Despite being half-Fomorian, Lugh wanted to fight on the side of the Dananns and help them to defeat the Fomorians.

At first, he was not particularly trusted when he, one day, arrived at the gate of king Nuada's palace as a stranger. The gatekeeper wanted to know his profession. He was refused entrance to the hall because no one was admitted without being the master of some craft.

"I am a carpenter," said the stranger.

The gatekeeper replied that the king already had a skilled carpenter and did not need another.

"Then tell the king I am a master smith."

"We already have a smith," answered the gatekeeper.

"Then I am a warrior, too," said the stranger.

Credit: Adobe Stock - La Cassette Bleue

"We do not need one," replied the gatekeeper. "The great Ogma is our champion."

The stranger proposed all possible professions he mastered, even poet, harpist, scientist, physician, sorcerer, and sculptor. Each time, he was told that king Nuada already had such a professional at court.

"Then ask the king," said the stranger (Lugh) to the gatekeeper, "if he has with him a man of all these crafts at once, for if he has, there is no need for me at Tara."

Eventually, Lugh was allowed in because he had mastered many skills. The Tuatha de Danann admired his strength and intelligence and called him Samildanach ("Many-Skills"). He became the Tuatha's temporary king when Nuada lost his hand in battle, and after Nuada's death, Lugh became the Tuatha's rightful king.

The Fomorians were finally defeated, and Lugh's brave accomplishment helped bring freedom to the Irish.

Image source: Gods and Demons Wiki

Lugh led the Dananns against the Fomorians in the second and final battle of Mag Tuired. He killed his grandfather Balor by piercing him through his evil eye with a slingshot and cutting off his head.

At the same time, he fulfilled an old Druid prophecy saying that Balor, the Fomorian tyrannical king, would be killed by his grandson, so it happened.

Lugh was also the spiritual guide of his son, Cuchulainn, and fought in his son's place to give him rest during his lone and very tiring combat.

Lugh's most famous weapon was called the "Invincible Spear" or the "Spear of Victory," with properties similar to the Sword of Nuada - when thrown, it momentarily hit its target.
The spear was blazingly hot and became hotter the longer it was used. It was stored in a vat of water at night to keep it from catching fire and scorching the earth.

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer

Updated on January 21, 2023

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