Monday, August 1, 2011

Lugh as a Deity for Inspiration

Happy Lughnasadh, Everyone!

Lugh is the God of All Arts and is often hailed for his mastery of all crafts. His name, Lu, has been linked with Apollo (Apaliunas) and indirectly with the unnamed Gaulish God Julius Caesar refers to as the Gaulish Mercury, Inventor of All Arts. Lugh possessed a magic hound that was said to turn a spring into mead or wine by bathing in the waters. This association with mead and the battle strategy and wit he shows in such tales as the First and Second Battles of Magh Tuireadh have led many to associate him with Odin and Wodan, Gods of both Warcraft and Poetry through mead-inspiration. It is particularly useful for musicians to call on him to aid them in mastery of their skill.

Invocation to Lugh as Bardic Inspiration

Lugh of the Long Hand, known master of the spear,
Hailed Warrior and Battle Leader,
We call on you today as Ildánach, Master of all arts and crafts.
Skilled Smith, we call you to guide our hands.
Skilled Harper, we call you to guide our music.
Skilled Poet, we call you to guide our words.
Skilled Historian, we call you to restore our memories.
Skilled Sorcerer, we call you to guide our magic.
Grant strength to our talents and skill to our words.
Bring Light and Worth into this rite and into our lives!
Lugh! We honor you!

2 comments:

Autumn Aelwyd said...

Love this journal, so glad you posted a link! I've been working with Lugh and Brig together in both work and art. Brig has always inspired me but I'm starting to work with Lugh to hone my skill. Anywho, these write ups, invocations and personal experiences are wonderful!

Rev. Bee said...

@Autumn: Yay, thank you! I have enjoyed working with Brighid for years, and my work with Lugh is new. I'll keep you posted. :)