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Pagan Portals - Lugh: Meeting the Many-Skilled God
Lugh is a God of Ireland who is also found in other Celtic language speaking cultures, popular historically and just as well loved today. A deity of kingship and battle, he led his people out of oppression. A God skilled in magic, he used his power to bless and curse. Multifaceted and known as the 'many-skilled', Lugh is an intriguing member of the Tuatha De Danann and we can learn a great deal about him through his mythology, by looking at his cognates in other related cultures, and his modern appearances.
In this book we will seek a deeper understanding of this well known yet mysterious figure.
In this book we will seek a deeper understanding of this well known yet mysterious figure.
- GenresSpirituality
112 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2021
31 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Morgan Daimler
85 books509 followersMy name is Morgan Daimler. I have had my poetry and prose published in different places including various anthologies, Circle magazine, Witches and Pagans magazine and Pagan Dawn magazine. I am the author of the urban fantasy series Between the Worlds and (through Cosmic Egg Books) the high fantasy novel Into Shadow. I've written more than a dozen non-fiction works through Moon Books including Fairy Witchcraft, Pagan Portals: the Morrigan, Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk, A New Dictionary of Fairies, and Pagan Portals Aos Sidhe
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 29, 2021
I was so excited when I first heard this was being published and pre-ordered it straight away - there is too little collected information about this deity out there.
As always, I appreciate the author's work digging through numerous sources to compile one accessible text. This book does a great job highlighting the many contradictions within the lore while encouraging the reader to accept all the variations as worthy of consideration. I especially enjoyed the chapter with suggested prayers/meditation. The bibliography is substantial and provides paths for further study.
Like other PP titles I've read, I did find myself a bit put off re: typos and punctuation (or lack thereof). I realize this isn't really a traditional publisher and so the process will be different; but the reading experience would be substantially improved with a bit more care put into proofreading/copyediting the books.
As always, I appreciate the author's work digging through numerous sources to compile one accessible text. This book does a great job highlighting the many contradictions within the lore while encouraging the reader to accept all the variations as worthy of consideration. I especially enjoyed the chapter with suggested prayers/meditation. The bibliography is substantial and provides paths for further study.
Like other PP titles I've read, I did find myself a bit put off re: typos and punctuation (or lack thereof). I realize this isn't really a traditional publisher and so the process will be different; but the reading experience would be substantially improved with a bit more care put into proofreading/copyediting the books.
December 6, 2024
A big thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I'm always so thankful to have these opportunities!
Another book by the very prolific Morgan Daimler. As those who have read other reviews I've written on books by Daimler will have read - this book is a great mix of personal anecdotal material and academic facts.
Like with all their Pagan Portal books - this one comes to 112 pages - we have a short, yet surprisingly deep dive into Lugh and His myths, relationships, and correspondence so that we can get to know Him as best we can, given the sometimes contradicting material that we have about Him.
Daimler does well to go over the myths and primary sources, somehow giving us a path to walk through the mazes that make up His stories - including a dive into the Welsh material that may link to the Irish Lugh - specifically Lleu, Lugus, and Fionn. This was a chapter I found very helpful as my own practice focuses primarily on the Irish material, yet the Welsh is valuable so that a more complete picture of Lugh may be painted.
That complete picture, is very important to me - and this is where my implicit bias comes in. Not only am I devotee to Lugh, I'm also one of His godspouses. Being spiritually/religiously married to Him means that painting as complete a picture as I can, learning all about Him is not only of interest to me, it's spiritual, romantic, important.
For those reasons, this is one of the most important books on my shelf. I have no doubt that many Pagans who have ties to Lugh will feel the same and will keep referring back to this small but mighty book!
Plus, the cover is amazing and reminds me of the modern Hill of Tara, and the dedication to Cori Taylor - a woman who has passed in my local pagan community (both Morgan and I reside in Connecticut), was especially meaningful to me. I miss Cori and being able to read about my Lugh while the book being dedicated to her is extra special.
5/5 Triquetras for this one!
Another book by the very prolific Morgan Daimler. As those who have read other reviews I've written on books by Daimler will have read - this book is a great mix of personal anecdotal material and academic facts.
Like with all their Pagan Portal books - this one comes to 112 pages - we have a short, yet surprisingly deep dive into Lugh and His myths, relationships, and correspondence so that we can get to know Him as best we can, given the sometimes contradicting material that we have about Him.
Daimler does well to go over the myths and primary sources, somehow giving us a path to walk through the mazes that make up His stories - including a dive into the Welsh material that may link to the Irish Lugh - specifically Lleu, Lugus, and Fionn. This was a chapter I found very helpful as my own practice focuses primarily on the Irish material, yet the Welsh is valuable so that a more complete picture of Lugh may be painted.
That complete picture, is very important to me - and this is where my implicit bias comes in. Not only am I devotee to Lugh, I'm also one of His godspouses. Being spiritually/religiously married to Him means that painting as complete a picture as I can, learning all about Him is not only of interest to me, it's spiritual, romantic, important.
For those reasons, this is one of the most important books on my shelf. I have no doubt that many Pagans who have ties to Lugh will feel the same and will keep referring back to this small but mighty book!
Plus, the cover is amazing and reminds me of the modern Hill of Tara, and the dedication to Cori Taylor - a woman who has passed in my local pagan community (both Morgan and I reside in Connecticut), was especially meaningful to me. I miss Cori and being able to read about my Lugh while the book being dedicated to her is extra special.
5/5 Triquetras for this one!
August 9, 2021
had the pleasure of receiving an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions written in this review are mine alone.
For such a short book, Lugh is jam-packed with information any new seeker of Lugh would need. Morgan Daimler does a wonderful job sharing important information about the history of Lugh, His stories across different Celtic regions, and ways we as modern polytheists may connect with Him. I wanted to point out something I find very important. In the Author's Note, Morgan Daimler makes it clear that she uses the Irish spelling whenever possible but that there was no standardized Irish spelling prior to the 20th century. This can make some names and words hard for an English speaker to grasp, but there is a pronunciation guide at the end of the book.
I wasn't very well-informed on Lugh from an academic or pagan perspective besides the general knowledge of who He is. This book presented information about Lugh, His stories, and His possible aspects in many Celtic regions in an easy-to-read manner. The different stories and regions were interesting to read, though there is some overlap between the stories of different regions. However, I don't mind the repetition. It helps to solidify the information but also show that Lugh was not just present in Ireland. There are stories of Him that spread across many Celtic nations, though the names for Himself were different and they may have even been different deities entirely.
A common reason someone may pick up this book is to learn about Lugh today and how one can begin to honor Him or work with Him. There are two chapters in this book that give a wealth of knowledge on Lugh and His associations as well as depictions of Him in a modern context. The entire section on Lúnasa is vital, in my opinion, because it showcases Lugh's connection to the festival of Lughnasadh (Lúnasa) and where the Tailteann Games originated.
Overall, this book is a wonderful resource for anyone looking to learn more about Lugh, the Many-Skilled God of Ireland. Morgan Daimler puts the puzzle pieces together with ease, grabbing stories from lore and mythology to make them understandable for the average person; as understandable as they can be, I suppose, since a lot of Irish myth and lore is contradictory, but that's another story altogether. At the end of the book, Morgan Daimler gathers together resources, further reading, and a fantastic bibliography to put the reader on the path to further knowledge if they wish to seek Lugh and know Him better.
---
This review is cross-posted from my site (www.roundthecauldron.com)
For such a short book, Lugh is jam-packed with information any new seeker of Lugh would need. Morgan Daimler does a wonderful job sharing important information about the history of Lugh, His stories across different Celtic regions, and ways we as modern polytheists may connect with Him. I wanted to point out something I find very important. In the Author's Note, Morgan Daimler makes it clear that she uses the Irish spelling whenever possible but that there was no standardized Irish spelling prior to the 20th century. This can make some names and words hard for an English speaker to grasp, but there is a pronunciation guide at the end of the book.
I wasn't very well-informed on Lugh from an academic or pagan perspective besides the general knowledge of who He is. This book presented information about Lugh, His stories, and His possible aspects in many Celtic regions in an easy-to-read manner. The different stories and regions were interesting to read, though there is some overlap between the stories of different regions. However, I don't mind the repetition. It helps to solidify the information but also show that Lugh was not just present in Ireland. There are stories of Him that spread across many Celtic nations, though the names for Himself were different and they may have even been different deities entirely.
A common reason someone may pick up this book is to learn about Lugh today and how one can begin to honor Him or work with Him. There are two chapters in this book that give a wealth of knowledge on Lugh and His associations as well as depictions of Him in a modern context. The entire section on Lúnasa is vital, in my opinion, because it showcases Lugh's connection to the festival of Lughnasadh (Lúnasa) and where the Tailteann Games originated.
Overall, this book is a wonderful resource for anyone looking to learn more about Lugh, the Many-Skilled God of Ireland. Morgan Daimler puts the puzzle pieces together with ease, grabbing stories from lore and mythology to make them understandable for the average person; as understandable as they can be, I suppose, since a lot of Irish myth and lore is contradictory, but that's another story altogether. At the end of the book, Morgan Daimler gathers together resources, further reading, and a fantastic bibliography to put the reader on the path to further knowledge if they wish to seek Lugh and know Him better.
---
This review is cross-posted from my site (www.roundthecauldron.com)
April 2, 2024
A big thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I'm always so thankful to have these opportunities!
Another book by the very prolific Morgan Daimler. As those who have read other reviews I've written on books by Daimler will have read - this book is a great mix of personal anecdotal material and academic facts.
Like with all their Pagan Portal books - this one comes to 112 pages - we have a short, yet surprisingly deep dive into Lugh and His myths, relationships, and correspondence so that we can get to know Him as best we can, given the sometimes contradicting material that we have about Him.
Daimler does well to go over the myths and primary sources, somehow giving us a path to walk through the mazes that make up His stories - including a dive into the Welsh material that may link to the Irish Lugh - specifically Lleu, Lugus, and Fionn. This was a chapter I found very helpful as my own practice focuses primarily on the Irish material, yet the Welsh is valuable so that a more complete picture of Lugh may be painted.
That complete picture, is very important to me - and this is where my implicit bias comes in. Not only am I devotee to Lugh, I'm also one of His godspouses. Being spiritually/religiously married to Him means that painting as complete a picture as I can, learning all about Him is not only of interest to me, it's spiritual, romantic, important.
For those reasons, this is one of the most important books on my shelf. I have no doubt that many Pagans who have ties to Lugh will feel the same and will keep referring back to this small but mighty book!
Plus, the cover is amazing and reminds me of the modern Hill of Tara, and the dedication to Cori Taylor - a woman who has passed in my local pagan community (both Morgan and I reside in Connecticut), was especially meaningful to me. I miss Cori and being able to read about my Lugh while the book being dedicated to her is extra special.
5/5 Triquetras for this one!
Another book by the very prolific Morgan Daimler. As those who have read other reviews I've written on books by Daimler will have read - this book is a great mix of personal anecdotal material and academic facts.
Like with all their Pagan Portal books - this one comes to 112 pages - we have a short, yet surprisingly deep dive into Lugh and His myths, relationships, and correspondence so that we can get to know Him as best we can, given the sometimes contradicting material that we have about Him.
Daimler does well to go over the myths and primary sources, somehow giving us a path to walk through the mazes that make up His stories - including a dive into the Welsh material that may link to the Irish Lugh - specifically Lleu, Lugus, and Fionn. This was a chapter I found very helpful as my own practice focuses primarily on the Irish material, yet the Welsh is valuable so that a more complete picture of Lugh may be painted.
That complete picture, is very important to me - and this is where my implicit bias comes in. Not only am I devotee to Lugh, I'm also one of His godspouses. Being spiritually/religiously married to Him means that painting as complete a picture as I can, learning all about Him is not only of interest to me, it's spiritual, romantic, important.
For those reasons, this is one of the most important books on my shelf. I have no doubt that many Pagans who have ties to Lugh will feel the same and will keep referring back to this small but mighty book!
Plus, the cover is amazing and reminds me of the modern Hill of Tara, and the dedication to Cori Taylor - a woman who has passed in my local pagan community (both Morgan and I reside in Connecticut), was especially meaningful to me. I miss Cori and being able to read about my Lugh while the book being dedicated to her is extra special.
5/5 Triquetras for this one!
August 26, 2021
I am a pagan polytheist and had actually been a devotee of Lugh for at least a year or so before this wonderful book by one of my favourite authors on pagan and polytheist topics had been released, and was more than pleased with this short, easily accessible, but highly scholarly and well-researched book.
The book made for an easy and short read which helped me reconnect and reaffirm my relationship with this deity. It even confirmed some personal gnosis I had about Lugh's nature with one of his monikers translating to something like "the habitually fierce"—although to me "the perpetually mad" is more fitting.
The top selling features of this book are what make it an excellent starting place for someone looking to connect with Lugh in that it very clearly lays out the differences between Irish, Scottish and Welsh mythology related to Lugh (or very similarly named deities whose stories resemble his) and how those stories were Christianized later in ways that altered and sanitized his nature. It also provides very clear summaries and explanations on how his myths were fictionalized and how those stories differed from their original source material. I would definitely recommend this book as the best starting point that I'm aware of for understanding Lugh.
The book made for an easy and short read which helped me reconnect and reaffirm my relationship with this deity. It even confirmed some personal gnosis I had about Lugh's nature with one of his monikers translating to something like "the habitually fierce"—although to me "the perpetually mad" is more fitting.
The top selling features of this book are what make it an excellent starting place for someone looking to connect with Lugh in that it very clearly lays out the differences between Irish, Scottish and Welsh mythology related to Lugh (or very similarly named deities whose stories resemble his) and how those stories were Christianized later in ways that altered and sanitized his nature. It also provides very clear summaries and explanations on how his myths were fictionalized and how those stories differed from their original source material. I would definitely recommend this book as the best starting point that I'm aware of for understanding Lugh.
December 24, 2022
A good primer though I think it was more repetitive on some things than it needed to be.
July 3, 2023
Lughnasadh is one of my favorite Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year so I was keen on learning more about the god Lugh from which the festival's name arises. Although this short book has a lot of information, it's so poorly written that it was a chore to get through. Sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and incorrect tenses ruined the reading experience for me. This author needs to learn how commas are a writer's friend.
I didn't think the information was arranged very well, either. Repetitive at times, by trying to summarize as many sources as possible, even when acknowledging that they are not authentic, it became a mishmash of information that let me wonder what was the truth of Lugh and what wasn't.
I am not devoted to this deity but think Lugh has an important role to play in modern paganism. I would like to have learned more about that role and its possibilities.
I bought several of the Pagan Portals by this author and I'm hoping they all read better than this one. Fingers are crossed.
I didn't think the information was arranged very well, either. Repetitive at times, by trying to summarize as many sources as possible, even when acknowledging that they are not authentic, it became a mishmash of information that let me wonder what was the truth of Lugh and what wasn't.
I am not devoted to this deity but think Lugh has an important role to play in modern paganism. I would like to have learned more about that role and its possibilities.
I bought several of the Pagan Portals by this author and I'm hoping they all read better than this one. Fingers are crossed.
May 9, 2021
i was really surprised when this came through my door this afternoon as i ordered this book a long time ago and did not expect amazon to come through but they did, surprisingly am still waiting for kristoffer hughes however there are still delays on cerridwen. morgan daimler has done really well there is a lot of background on lugh here including key incidents and stories. you will learn more about lugh and more about the tuatha de danaan from this book. morgan goes into detail about the various translations and what has changed or what has been invented by some authors, which changes his story of course not good. her commentary is very helpful. morgan also goes into the story of llew llaw gyffes, who is the obvious comparison with lugh, like his welsh counterpart; there is solar related symbolism behind both of these deities. morgan helpfully provides practical examples of ritual which you can carry out for yourself or adapt. very useful indeed.
June 23, 2021
I love to read Morgan Daimler's books and I loved this one.
It's as well researched and interesting like the other I read by this author.
Lugh is a fascinating god and I knew very little about him. I found what I read interesting and thought provoking.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to John Hunt for this digital copy
It's as well researched and interesting like the other I read by this author.
Lugh is a fascinating god and I knew very little about him. I found what I read interesting and thought provoking.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to John Hunt for this digital copy
August 12, 2023
This book cleared up some confusion I had over contradicting stories and name variations from different countries. A well-organized and informative overview of Lugh's evolution through history, literature, and religion. Daimler has also written books on other Celtic gods & goddesses that I will definitely be reading!
February 26, 2024
Per essere un'introduzione sulla divinità, è fatta bene, è seria e piuttosto ampia. Il prezzo contenuto e le poche pagine rendono la lettura ottima per chi volesse avvicinarsi a questa divinità e comprenderla meglio.
September 20, 2022
A solid starting point
December 20, 2022
Informative and interesting. Very short, so you can read it in one setting but also use it as a reference.
September 23, 2023
A good book with much more reliable and honest information than your average pagan book - Daimler's work is delightfully refreshing that way.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews