Ogma is a God of the Tuatha De Danann, said to be either the brother or son of the Dagda (the father of the Tuatha De Danann). He is known for 'creating' the Ogham, the Druidic alphabetic. As such, he is credited with the knowledge and skill of the written word, of speech, and of language. Through the written word we can record and share knowledge, stories and tales, all of which was extremely important to the Celts (although they usually shared this information orally). The Ogham can also be used for divination purposes, and we will be discussing that in a future article.
He is described in many accounts as having rays of sun shining from his head, or a 'sunny face', and was known as Ogma grian-aineacg, of the Sunny Countenance or Ogma the honey-tongued'. He taught the Ogham, and other languages, as well as poetry, to the humans through these rays of light which would provide divine inspiration and learning. Some refer to this as 'Awen', the Celtic version of Chi, life force, universal energy, etc. However, he is not considered a sun God despite these attributes.
He is described in many accounts as having rays of sun shining from his head, or a 'sunny face', and was known as Ogma grian-aineacg, of the Sunny Countenance or Ogma the honey-tongued'. He taught the Ogham, and other languages, as well as poetry, to the humans through these rays of light which would provide divine inspiration and learning. Some refer to this as 'Awen', the Celtic version of Chi, life force, universal energy, etc. However, he is not considered a sun God despite these attributes.
Ogma was also known as a powerful warrior. During their war with the Formorians, there came a point where the Tuatha De Danann are beaten and thrown into servitude under the Formorian King, Bres. During this time, Ogma was forced to carry firewood. Later, battle rages again between the Tuatha De Danann after the restoration of the Tuatha De Danann's King Nuada to the throne. He chooses Ogma as his champion.Ogma stormed into battle and managed to steal the sword of the Formorian King, but paid for it with his life.
When The God Lugh arrives to the Tuatha De Danann, his strength and skills are so impressive that Ogma felt threatened, and so challenged him by lifting a giant flagstone, which usually took eighty oxen to move, and hurling it out of Tara. Lugh responded by hurling it back, and thus Nuada chose Lugh as his new champion. However, at the next battle, Nuada recogfnised young Lugh's strength and gave him command of the Tuatha De Danann, which Lugh accepted, chosing Ogma as his own champion.
When we think about sets of deities, or triple deities, we often think of the triple Goddess, and there are many examples of these. This seems to be a less common association among Gods, but Ogma is himself considered into a trinity. With Dagda and Lugh, these three Gods make up 'the three Gods of skill', or 'tri dee dana'. dée dána
He is often equated with Ogmios, a Gaulish deity associated with eloquence, as well as being seen to possess a combination of qualities associated with the Roman Gods of Mercury and Hercules.
As both a poet and a warrior, Ogma is suitable for those who enjoy writing, poetry, or learning new languages, or perhaps those who used to enjoy these activities but have lost their inspiration. He can be called on to help you when you need to teach and educate others. Maybe communication in general isn't your strongest suit - maybe you have trouble speaking up for yourself, or telling the truth? With both his emphasis on communication and his strength as a warrior, Ogma is a great deity to help those who need to express themselves more or perhaps in a better manner, or those who need help in doing the right thing when faced with difficult circumstances.
When The God Lugh arrives to the Tuatha De Danann, his strength and skills are so impressive that Ogma felt threatened, and so challenged him by lifting a giant flagstone, which usually took eighty oxen to move, and hurling it out of Tara. Lugh responded by hurling it back, and thus Nuada chose Lugh as his new champion. However, at the next battle, Nuada recogfnised young Lugh's strength and gave him command of the Tuatha De Danann, which Lugh accepted, chosing Ogma as his own champion.
When we think about sets of deities, or triple deities, we often think of the triple Goddess, and there are many examples of these. This seems to be a less common association among Gods, but Ogma is himself considered into a trinity. With Dagda and Lugh, these three Gods make up 'the three Gods of skill', or 'tri dee dana'. dée dána
He is often equated with Ogmios, a Gaulish deity associated with eloquence, as well as being seen to possess a combination of qualities associated with the Roman Gods of Mercury and Hercules.
As both a poet and a warrior, Ogma is suitable for those who enjoy writing, poetry, or learning new languages, or perhaps those who used to enjoy these activities but have lost their inspiration. He can be called on to help you when you need to teach and educate others. Maybe communication in general isn't your strongest suit - maybe you have trouble speaking up for yourself, or telling the truth? With both his emphasis on communication and his strength as a warrior, Ogma is a great deity to help those who need to express themselves more or perhaps in a better manner, or those who need help in doing the right thing when faced with difficult circumstances.
