GoiDELIC See Gaelic
GoiDEL GLAS In the Lebor Gabala (Book of Invasions), the creator of the Gaelic languages. When Goidel was an infant, the biblical Moses cured him of a snakebite and said that he and his descendants would live in a land free of serpents. With the aid of his grandfather, who had been present at the separation of languages at Babel, Goidel created the Irish language from all of the languages then in existence.
Goll MAC Morna Leader of a Fianna based in Connacht; both friend and foe to Fionn in the Fenian Cycle of tales. He rescued Fionn's poet and Fionn himself from treachery. He even married Fionn's daughter. But more often Goll was Fionn's adversary. He killed Fionn's father and his son, for example. In some texts, Fionn himself killed Goll; in others, Fionn's men killed him. Golls grandson, Fer Li, tried to avenge the death. He wounded Fionn in battle but was no match for the great warrior, who killed him, too.
GrAinne In the Fenian Cycle, the beautiful daughter of Cormac mac Airt. She was engaged to Fionn when he was an old man, but she was not happy about the match. On the night of their wedding feast, Grainne cast a spell that caused Diarmait to elope with her. Fionn pursued the young lovers, but they hid from him with the help of the god of youth Angus Og. The affair ultimately led to Diarmait's death at the hands of Fionn. A similar story is told of Deirdre and NoisE in the Ulster Cycle.
Granus (Grannus, Apollo Granus) A
Gaul god connected with the healing powers of hot springs or mineral springs. People who were sick would pray to Granus to cure them of their illnesses. Granus's female partner was Sirona, a Gaul
Sculpture of King Bran the Blessed, carrying the body of his murdered nephew Gwern back to his home, by Ivor-Robert Jones. Gwern was the last hope for peace between Ireland and Wales. (Photo by O. Osoom/Used under a Creative Commons license)
star goddess of healing and fertility. Later, when the Romans built temples in Gaul, Granus was called Apollo Granus, linking him to Roman sun god.
GWERN Son of the Irish king Matholwch and his Welsh wife Branwen in a tale from the Welsh Maeinogion. As a youth he was crowned king in order to end a war and make peace between Wales and Ireland. But at the celebratory feast, the boy's uncle Fenisien murdered him, renewing the conflict.
Gwion Bach The name of Ceridwen's kitchen servant, who accidentally tasted three drops of the magic brew of inspiration and knowledge. Ceridwen chased him in various shapes until he turned into a grain and she into a bird. She ate the grain and it grew inside of her. Nine months later Gwion was reborn as the great poet Taliesin.
Gwri In the Welsh Maeinogion, the name given to a golden-curled foundling by his foster parents,
Tayrnon and his wife. When Gwri was returned to his rightful parents, Rhiannon and Pwyll, they renamed him Myths" href="/myths/the-fourth-branch-math-jfon-of-jwathonmg.html">Pryderi.
GWYDION A powerful magician whose story is told in the Welsh Maeinogion. He was the son of Don and the brother of Arianrhod. Gwydion could be devious. He turned trees into warriors to help himself and his brother Amaethon (1) wage war against Arawn. He convinced another brother, Gil-faethwy, to rape the virginal servant of their uncle Math. The rape so angered Math that he turned the brothers into a series of animals. But Gwydion also used his powers for good. When Arianrhod cursed and scorned her son Lleu Llaw Gyffes, Gwydion adopted the child. Arianrhod's curse said her son would never be named, would never bear arms, and would never have a human wife. Gwydion tricked her into naming and arming the boy. He made Lleu a wife out of flower blossoms. When Blodeuedd the flower bride nearly murdered Lleu, Gwydion came to his aid and turned her into an owl. In other versions of the tale, Lleu died and was revived by Gwydion.
GWYNN AP NUDD The Welsh king of fairies who ruled the Otherworld (called Anwfn). He had a pack of supernatural hounds, known as the hounds of hell, or the Cwn Annwfn.
Gwynn ap Nudd was a powerful supernatural being in early Celtic mythology, much greater than a regular fairy but less powerful than a god. He could be helpful to those he regarded as worthy rulers, including King Arthur and the great Welsh lord of Cerdigion, Gwyddno Garanhira. He was also a bold and furious huntsman, who led a pack of supernatural creatures, ghosts, and his hounds of hell on the Wild Hunt. His name means Blessed White Son of the Mist, a reference to his father, a Welsh war god named Nudd. He was also known as Gwyn the Hunter, and in this guise he acted as a Welsh version of the grim reaper; his appearance was a signal that someone would soon die.
As the king of the fairies, Gwynn ap Nudd is connected with the seasonal festival of Beltaine, where he fought each May for the right to marry the fairy princess named Creiddylad. He is connected with various Welsh myths recorded in the book Maeinogion, including Kilwychand Qlwen and The Chronicles of Prydain.
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