Celtic Ritual of the Cycle Goddesses
Just as the Christian calendar is centered around Jesus and his life with holidays such as Easter and Christmas, the ancient Celtics had a calendar as well. This calendar centered around the Celtic Deities and the Cycle Goddesses. Each Cycle Goddess is present all year however, they will adopt different looks and traits dependant on the time of year. Also in Celtic tradition, these deities were represented as having both a dark side that was usually symbolized with a hag, dragon, or female beast. However, there was a very kind and giving side. This side of the goddess was usually represented as a virgin or a mother.
The Virgin Mother may be the most important of all the Celtic deities. She is the source of all life energy and without her, the gods would not be able to be provided with the energy they needed and nothing in life would survive. She is most known for providing energy for the harvest. She not only provides energy to the plants so that they will grow but she also provides energy to the workers who work the harvest. She is often shown with fire imagery to represent that the energy she is providing is “waxing.” The cow and the oyster-catcher are the animals most closely associated with her as is the dandelion flower. She is usually called “Brighid” and she is known as a virgin because she does not have pleasant experiences with marriages or birthing children.
Although the Flower Maiden is usually known as “Bloudeuedd,” she has many different names. These names change according to the region that she is in but her name will always be the name of a flower. The Flower Maiden is important to agriculture because it is when she marries the Divine Child in the height of his power that the flowers blossom and are a sign of a healthy crop.
The Harvest Queen is known as Eithne, Lugh’s mother, or Tailtu. She plays a part in the harvest when she goes to the Little God’s side and provides sovereignty to the humans while they reap the harvest. This deity is often represented through water because the energy she is providing is waning.
The Queen of the Underworld is many things and can be represented as a young woman or that of an old hag. She can also be shown as an animal at times. She is a frightening creature and thought to symbolize all that is evil within the world.