Eclectic
The Triple Goddess is/was helpful in material matters, nurturing, and faith.
The Triple Goddess also can be associated with life stages (maiden, mother, grandmother) or with the waxing, full and waning phases of the moon. These phases correspond with the planting/growth, fertility/procreation and reaping/harvest stages of the agricultural cycle.
More detailed information on the “Triple Goddess” can be found by following this link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Goddess_(Neopaganism).
Danu (or Anu) is one of the oldest Goddesses of the Celts. The Celts had numerous Gods and Goddesses (they believed that most things in the natural world contained spirits).
The Celts embraced a creation myth. That is, they embraced a belief structure to explain the existence of the natural and supernatural worlds. Danu was central to the creation myth. In one version, she is the fountain for all other Gods/Goddesses. She was thought to have emerged from the tree of life (the tree of life is often depicted on jewelry, cups, shirts and the like) in the form of a river (the Danube for many believers), which in turn gave birth to other spirits. Thus, she is considered to be a goddess of fertility.
This entry concerns Dagda and Dagda’s Harp. Dagda was one of the first Gods to settle in Ireland. He was part of the Tuatha de Danaan who had to fight the Firbolgs and the Formorians. Their story and others can be found in “The Book of Invasions”edited by R. A. Stewart Macalister.
When the Tuatha de Danann arrived in Ireland, they brought certain magical gifts. These gifts included the coronation stone, Lugh’s spear , the Nuada’s sword, Dagda’s cauldron, which could be used to restore life, and, Dagda’s Harp. This myth concerns Dagda, his harpist, and the Harp.
The Dagda, the chief god at this time, was known as the Good God. His Harp was made of oak and covered in rich decorations including a double-headed fish with jeweled eyes. The Harp, however, was battle scared because Dagda always took it into battle with him. In fact, he took it everywhere with him. He and his harper, Uaithne, were the only ones who could play it.
Unfortunately, after the second Battle of Mag Tuiread, Dagda discovered that his harp and his harper, had been captured by the Formorians. Angered as only Gods can be, he and his son, Aengus Og, set out to reclaim the Harp.
As they neared the Formorian camp, they could hear the sounds of the victory celebration. Bres, the Formorian king, was hosting a great feast. When they peered into the great hall, they saw the Harp hanging on the wall. At this, Dagda’s anger was so great he marched directly into the hall and used this chant to call his Harp to him:
Come Daurdabla, apple-sweet murmurer
Come, Coir-cethair-chuir, four-angled frame of harmony,
Come summer, come winter,
Out of the mouths of harps and bags and pipes!
The chant worked and the Harp streaked across the hall to him, killing all in its path. The festivities ended abruptly. Dagda immediately began to play the Three Noble Strains of Ireland that were inherent in his harp. The first of these, the goltrai (strain of weeping) caused every the Formorians to mourn and lament their defeat. He followed this with the geantrai (the strain of merriment) so the Formorians, who had so recently been mourning fell to laughter like puppets on a string. The Dagda ended his medley with the suantrai (sleep-strain) whereupon the Formorian warriors fell into a deep, deep sleep. At that point it was child’s play for the Dagda, Aengus Og, and Uaithne to take the harp and leave the enemy camp.
Commentary
This myth illustrates, the Celts believed music had/has the power to enchant. Music could be used to control emotion, take the listener to imaginary places or help one to forget. As such, music is an integral part of the Otherworld to the Celts.
Appropriate music anticipates the entry of every hero. Harp music is/was particularly magical. As in the myth of “Dagda’s Harp”, a harp was often played by gods and is the favored accompaniment when reciting old tales. Its range lends itself well to such uses. Not surprisingly then, every bard of old was a skilled harpist. Given this history, it is understandable why the harp is one of the prominent symbols of Ireland.
The Tuatha De’ Danann are a basic part of Irish/Celtic lore. This race of divine beings was thought to comprise the fifth invasion of Ireland (according the the Book of Invasions…if one strictly adheres to the tenets of that book there were seven invasions but two were really part of one invasion so I decided to ignore those).
All these Gods and Goddesses were thought to have sprung from Danu. Danu sprang forth from the tree of life in the form of a river and gave form to various other Devine beings. There are also those who believe that Danu is not the Goddess referred to because Danu was not an Irish Goddess. These scholars suggest that Danann has to do with great artistic ability…thus a Goddess of great artistic ability. Regardless, this race of Devine beings, which were eventually displaced by others but never totally vanquished, had various powers and influences. We will a few of these Devine beings briefly. For a more detailed discussion of these issues, see Steve Blamires book “Magic of the Celtic Otherworld”. There are many Gods and Goddesses in this group so I’ll restrict my comments to just a few (more extensive coverage of the group can be found in “Celtic Myths” by Miranda Jane Green).
There were three craft Gods: Goibhniu, a smithy; Luchta, a wright; and Creidhne, a goldsmith. Together they made magical weapons used to defend the gods. Their weapons always flew true and straight and always killed.
One of these Gods was Lugh. He was God of light and associated with the long days of summer. A summer festival, Lughnasad, was held in his honor each year (still is). Lugh’s role was of considerable consequence. He was a Warrior God and helped the Twatha De’ Danann immensely in times of conflict. In fact, Lugh assumed leadership of the Tuatha De’ Danann because Nuadu, the original leader, grew tired of constant conflict and withdrew. During his tenure, Nuadu lost an arm in battle and had to relinquish power until a new silver arm was constructed. After reassuming his leadership role, the conflict continued and he finally turned the job over to Lugh, the shining one.
Myths are narratives passed down from one generation to another. In general, they are associated with religious and mystical practice. Most often myths are used to relate beliefs about things that are beyond the ability of the rational mind to grasp or the senses to perceive. Myths are used to convey beliefs about the supernatural, the concept of the origin of humankind, the nature of the otherworld, the relationship between the natural and the supernatural. The origins of most myths are difficult to pin down but can usually be followed through written and archaeological evidence to get some sense of the circumstances of their emergence.
The accompanying image is of “Greenman” a myth about keeping his role in keeping the forest in balance.
There are literally tens of thousands of different coats of arms. Amazingly, there are Colleges of Heraldry established to keep track of all these Coats of Arms. Anyone who is serious about knowing exactly how the items on their coat of arms should contact one of these colleges. For a substantial fee, the heralds at the college will detail who received what charge and under what circumstances. It is exacting work done with a high degree of professionalism…thus the high fee.
Of course, if your desire is not that great, you can find out basic information by looking up the coat of arms associated with your surname. Most such programs will show you the coat of arms and give you a family history. It won’t tell you much about the coat of arms. The material we have covered here will help a bit in understanding the meanings associated with your coat of arms. By conducting a Gooogle search for various items on the shield, you will be able to find out more (say a Boar’s Head appears on your coat of arms… run a search for Bear on a Coat of Arms and you will find out that it is generally associated with bravery, recognize Google is a mass retrieval system, it will bring up everything it can find that is remotely related to your search so you might have to do some sifting).
Given the vast number of coats of arms, charges, and the meanings associated with them we will content ourselves with illustrating one coat of arms and how the armorial achievement of that coat of arms is presented. The coat of arms below is George Washington’s.
Arms: Argent two bars and in chief three mullets Gules.
Crest: From a crest coronet a raven rising wings elevated and addorsed proper.
Motto: Exitus acta probat (The outcome is the test of the act).
The above image and description were found on the American Heraldry Society’s website (https://www.americanheraldry.org/heraldry-in-the-usa/arms-of-famous-americans/presidents-of-the-united-states/george-washington-1st-president-of-the-united-states).
In common terms, the Raven represents “Devine Providence”… seems very fitting on George Washington’s Coat of Arms. Red (Gules in blazon parlance) is used to designate a warrior or martyr. It also represents military strength and magnanimity. The mullet (spur rowel) is the mark of the third son. We could go on but I am sure you get the idea how precise terms describing a coat of arms translate into specific colors, bars, etc. on a given coat of arms.
Various animate and inanimate objects can appear as charges on a coat of arms. On the animate side, a number of animals appear as charges (bears, lions, bulls, eagles, dolphins, and so forth…mythical beasts also appear such as dragons and griffins). Trees, flowers, and the like are also commonplace.
When an animal is shown with its legs raised, it is said to be rampant. If seen from the side, the animal is said to be rampant displayed, seen looking directly at you it is said to be rampant guardant, looking away rampant reguardant, and sitting is rampant sejant.
When an animal is show as walking it is said to be passant. Animals lying down with their heads up are referred to as couchant. When the animal appears to be leaping, it is referred to as salient.
On the inanimate side, almost anything can appear as a charge on a coat of arms (chess pieces, buildings, parts of buildings, candles, and so forth).
A few representative charges are presented below. Again, go to a site that specializes in Heraldry for detailed information about various charges and their meanings.
The shield in a coat of arms can have one solid color with charges placed on it. Often, however, the shield is divided by various methods and charges placed in these subfields. I will consider some of the more common divisions here.
Dividing a shield into two areas…top and bottom is quite common. This is called “per fess” in blazon terminology and can be seen in the accompanying illustration.
Another common method of division is to divide the shield down the center to create a field on the left and right. This is referred to as a “per pale” division.
Yet another way to divide the field is to divide it with a diagonal line running from the top left to bottom right (“per bend”) or top right to bottom left (“per bend sinister”) as per the accompanying illustration.
Another way to divide the field is into quarters (“per cross or quarterly”).
Placing an inverted V on the shield is another common division. This is referred to as a “per chevron” division.
Placing an X on the field is an oft-used way to divide the field. This is referred to as “per saltire”.
The final two ways we’ll consider are using a Y (“per pall”) or inverted Y (“per pall reversed”).
The illustration below shows these and some other variations.
When a shield is partitioned, the lines dividing these partitions need not be just straight lines. They can be wavy, jagged, etc. Each of these types of lines is associated with a different meaning. Some of the more common partition lines are considered below.
A nebuly line is associated with the sky…i.e. clouds/air.
An engrailed line and has to do with the earth/land.
The opposite of the engrailed line and is call “invected”. It has the same earth/land association as an engrailed line.
An “indented” line has to do with fire.
A “dancette” line has to do with water.
A “raguly” line means that some difficulty or another was encountered.
The “embattled” pattern is common in shields and refers to the walls of a fortress or a town.
Many other line patterns are possible (see accompanying graphic of the ones covered here and some not covered here) and are associated with different elements If you encounter a line not covered here, a search of sites devoted exclusively to heraldry should uncover its meaning.
Gold (Or) is used to denote generosity and elevation of the mind. Silver (Argent), the other base metal used in coats of arms, represents peace and sincerity.
Red (Gules in blazon parlance) is used to designate a warrior or martyr. It also represents military strength and magnanimity.
Blue. When blue (Azure) appears on a shield it typically refers to truth and loyalty.
Green (Vert) refers to hope, joy, and loyalty in love.
Black (Sable) has to do with constancy and, when appropriate, grief.
Purple (Purpure) is used to denote things having to do with royalty, majesty, sovereignty, and justice.
These are the primary colors that are found on coats of arms but lots of other colors will be found (e.g. orange…tenne.. having to do with ambition; maroon…murray…refer to one who is patient but victorious in battle, etc.). These colors were developed to suit specific purposes. One would have to examine those circumstances to determine the meaning of the color in a specific coat of arms. The ones described here can be used as general guides for the meaning behind a given coat of arms.