The Dagda, Vulcan, Hermes

Hermes

Grecian Hermes was also called "the messenger of the Gods" and was known by his winged cap and shoes. This speedy fellow was the son of Zeus and a nymph by the name of Maia.

Mercury watches over graves and protects them from desecration - considering which many vandalized graveyards in America might wish to invoke his assistance.

He is also the God of boundaries and apparently is still honored in New England where "good fences makes good neighbors" still seems to hold sway.

He is associated with good fortune and was called upon in games of chance.

He is the patron of thieves, probably due to his speedy characteristics as well as his association with divine thefts of cattle, a lyre, and even a trapped hero in a barrel.

With all the above activity, as well as being the patron of shepherds and heralds, you'd think he'd be too pooped to pop, but he also had time for a mistress - Aphrodite. He also consorted with a large number of nymphs and kept a large herd of sheep and goats.

His staff, a magickal staff of the type used by heralds, twined with snakes, can be found in the medical profession today, so it seems that the honoring of that ancient God is alive and well in America!

NAME: Vulcan. Vulcanus.

SYMBOL: Volcano, Bonfire. (nope, no anvil.)

IMAGE: The guy with the game leg that stands on Red Mountain. Hephaestus the Greek god of blacksmiths and magic looked like the Roman God Vulcan. The two were combined. When that happened they did not have a human image, but was thought of as a big fire being.

HOLY BOOKS: None, the big guy was not much into reading, but there was a Son of Vulcan comic back in the 60's.

HOLY DAYS: August 23rd - called the Vulcanalia.

PLACE OF WORSHIP: Outside, near a volcano if you have one.

MAJOR TABOOS: As far as I can tell, not being careful with fire. Vulcan was prayed to mainly to ask that one's house not be burned down, or that the local volcano not act up.

FORM OF WORSHIP: Believe it or not, throwing fish into a bonfire. They did it every August 23rd.

SYNODEITIES: Zeus, Huhueteotl, Peli, Crom.

DETAILS: Despite the hammer and anvil that our Vulcan has, the original Vulcan of the Romans has nothing to do with blacksmiths and was in fact one of the chief deities of the very early Romans. Vulcan hung on as such until they started mixing with the Greeks, and the myths of Hephaestus got tagged on to him. Before that there is not one myth dealing with Vulcan, as he was regarded by them as this mysterious unknowable being that lived in a Volcano and was prayed to only to be asked to please stay calm, and protect ones home from fire. His only Holy-day was the 23rd of August at which time they had a fish fry.

The Dagda

NAME: The Dagda. "The Good God."

SYMBOLS: A large club, a golden harp, a cauldron.

USUAL IMAGE: Most images of him show the Dagda as a normal looking human male with a paunch. He is also often shown wearing a tunic with a hood.

HOLY BOOKS: The Second Battle of Mag Tured, Leabar Gabala "The Book of Conquests," The Cattle Raid of Cuailnge.

PLACE OF WORSHIP: Druid Grove.

MAJOR TABOOS: Doing anything halfway, not trying ones best.

RELATIVES: Dana (mother).

SYNODEITIES: Apollo (Greek), Cupid (Greek), Odin (Norse).

DETAILS: The Dagda was really more of a title than anything else. It meant the Good God. By that the old Celtics meant he was "endowed with all qualities." He was known as the God who was most successful with both women and goddesses, this in spite of the fact he was always shown as having a fairly large paunch.

His favorite weapon was a club so large that when not in use he had to mount it on wheels in order to be able to carry it around, but when he needed to use it, he was able to lift it easily. He was said to be able to kill nine of his enemies with one blow from it, but that is not all it did. When a dead person was touched with the other end of the club they were brought back to life.

He also had a golden harp which would fly to his hand when called by him. With it he could sing songs which could make anyone glad, sad, or fall asleep.

He was said to have the Cauldron of Abundance, one of the four great sacred objects of the Tuatha De Danann (the people of Dana, which is what the grouping of gods he was a part of were called). The cauldron was said never to run out of food, and if a dead person was placed in it they would spring out alive and young again. But in one respect this was a little strange, as cauldrons were almost always owned by and the symbols of goddesses in the part of the world where The Dagda came from - so I guess he was good!

The Dagda was thought of as one of the main patrons of the Druids.