The Irish Goddess Danu, pronounced “DAN-yoo,” is one of the most important and oldest Goddesses in the Celtic pantheon. Her name is reflected in place names like the Danube, Donets and the Don Rivers, and the original inhabitants of Ireland, (the faeries, some say), were known as the Children of Danu (Tuatha Dé Danann). Since Danu’s name is often associates with rivers and streams, she was probably an early water Goddess. Certainly she is worshiped as such today.
Since rivers lie between the realms of above and below, she is also sometimes seen as a Goddess of the Underworld. As such she is a psychopomp, escorting the recently departed to the chthonic world below. She is also the Goddess of the Waters of Creation, and is associated with primal powers of creativity and birth.
All fishes and water mammals are sacred to her, as are plants that grow near or in bodies of water, such as cattails, water lilies, and milfoils.
Invoke Danu when you are in need of deep powers of contemplation and concentration. When Danu enters your life, expect transitions into new ways of being.
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