Danu

The Tuatha Dé Danann, Ireland’s divine race, bear the name of their mother, Danu. She appears as an Irish mother goddess and water goddess. She is also called Dana, Anu, and possibly Donand or Danann. The Dictionary of Mythology names her as the mother of several gods, including MacCecht, MacCuill, MacGrene, Brian, Iuchar, and Iucharba.

No surviving myth makes Danu its central figure. She belongs to the traditions of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who are described as her descendants and as the people of Danu. Their inheritance follows the maternal line, since no father is named. Some texts instead call their children children of Brigit, leaving open the possibility that the two goddesses were once the same or were confused by storytellers. Danu may also be another form of Domnu, an ocean goddess and ancestral mother of the Fomorians. Her name is linked with the Danube, Welsh river names, and the Paps of Danu in Munster.