Artist's image of Lugh, the Sun god.
Click on image for full size
Nate Proulx, Windows to the Universe Original
For the Celts, who lived in central Europe, Lugh was a Sun
The underworld god Balor was his grandfather. Balor was the leader of the
Fomorii. The Fomorii were evil people that lived in the underworld.
According to a prophecy, Balor was to be killed by a grandson. To prevent the happening of the prophecy, Balor tried to kill his grandson, but Lugh miraculously survived. Lugh was secretly raised by the god of the sea ,Manannan, and became an expert warrior.
When he reached manhood, he joined the peoples of the goddess
Dana, named the Tuatha De Danaan, to help them in their struggle against
the Fomorii and Balor. Balor had an evil eye capable of killing
whomever looked at it. Lugh threw a magic stone ball into Balor's eye, and
Lugh corresponds to the Welsh god Lleu and the Gallic Lugos. From Lugh's
name derives the names of modern cities such as Lyon, Laon and Leyden.
Today, people remember the figure of Lugh with a festival which
commemorates the beginning of the harvest in August.
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
Our online store
on science education, classroom activities in The Earth Scientist
specimens, and educational games
You might also be interested in:
Ahsonnutli was the sky father and chief god for the Navajo. He created heaven, Earth, and the sky. Each of the four directions, or cardinal points, are supported by a giant. Each direction is symbolized...more
Amphitrite was one of the sea-nymphs called the Nereids. One day the sea god Poseidon saw her dancing and fell desperately in love with her. He promptly asked her to marry him but unfortunately she refused....more
Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She was known to the Romans as Venus. To the perfection of her figure and the purity of her features she added an innocent grace. On her sweet face she...more
In Greek mythology, Apollo was the son of Jupiter(in Greek Zeus) and Leto (Letona). He was the god of the Sun, logic, and reason, and was also a fine musician and healer. Leto travelled all over Greece...more
According to an ancient Greek legend, the figure of a gigantic crab was placed in the nighttime sky by the goddess Hera to form the constellation Cancer. Hera swore to kill Heracles, the most famous Greek...more
In the Northern Hemisphere sky is the constellation Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, and that of his wife Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia claimed that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the sea nymphs,...more
According to Navajo mythology, the Milky Way was created by the mischievous behavior of the god, Coyote. When the world was created, the Holy People gathered around Black God to place the stars in the...more