CELTIC MYTHOLOGY
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                                ANGUS OG
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  We shall now look at the Celtic God "Oengus Ouge" or Angus Og as he is
  more commonly known in the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland. Of
  all the male children of our Goddess Dana, none has had the everlasting
  popularity of the Celtic Eros, Angus Og, even today he is remembered in
  the very beautiful lullaby  "Dream Angus".

  Angus Og, his name means the "ever young", Lord of Tir-Nan-Og, the Land
  of Youth, is perhaps one of the most ancient deities in Eire and Alba,
  and is considered by most Celtic scholars to pre-date even the first
  recorded Celtic migrations and was incorporated into the Celtic
  pantheon. Though he became the darling of the bards as the archetype of
  Love, Youth and Beauty, it is evident through the symbolism attached to
  him that he was worshipped by the ancients in a far wider role than that
  of Eros.

  What is recorded of his several roles tells us he was the keeper of the
  Four Keys, (these being the keys to the Otherworld Lands). This would
  have made him Lord of Death and Rebirth, ruler of the Underworld. In
  Ireland he was sometimes known as the "Frightener" because of his
  ability to panic animals into stampede at his appearance, which has
  undoubted connotations of Angus as a deity in the Pan mode. In the
  Celtic mythological cycle we see Angus trick his father the Dagda out of
  ownership of his home "Brugh-Na-Boyne" (Newgrange) in Ireland, thus
  taking on the principles of the Dagda's role as a deity.

  This is a good opportunity to explain the reason for the seemingly
  myriad pantheon of Celtic deities. The first problem arises with the
  word Celtic. In modern times the word Celt is used to describe the
  remaining races of people who have in common language derived from the
  old Celtic root stock ie Breton, Brythonic, Gaelic, etc. However, in
  Roman times the word Celt or Keltoi described a European tribal
  structure of many differing races having the same perceptions of
  religious ideology concerning Life, Death and Rebirth, and a shared
  Cosmology.

  However, to bring us back to the Gods, each of these tribes or clans had
  their deity names for the understood principles of deity shared by all
  Celtic peoples and the fortunes of deity names followed the fortunes of
  their tribes.

  In the case of Angus Og we can see his origins as a horned deity and his
  evolution to the Gaelic God of youth and Love. For the shamans among you
  he may appear to you as a white swan with a golden chain around its
  neck. His physical help may be sought by shaking an Ash tree at dawn.
  For the singles it is said a prayer to Angus will reveal your true
  love in your dreams to you.





  [Copyright - S. McSkimming from: GODS OF THE CELTS 1992
  DALRIADA PUBLICATIONS]
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