Book Review: Pagan Portals – The Dagda: Meeting the Good God of Ireland by Morgan Daimler

 

Pagan Portals – The Dagda: Meeting the Good God of Ireland

Morgan Daimler (2018)

 It’s strange to feel so excited to read a book that has actually been waiting in my bedside cabinet for nearly two years. But that’s how it is. And now that I have now finally read The Dagda, I can’t stop raving about it. It is a jewel on my bookshelf.

 Pagan Portals – The Dagda is far from the first book I’ve read by Morgan Daimler, nor will it be the last. They have become one of my favourite authors for a few simple reasons: their research is meticulous, they draw together the important myths, gleaned from early and modern texts – they even taught themself how to read old Irish because they wanted more than the translations they had on hand were offering. Daimler has a wonderful way of looking at things from a new angle, and this book continues in that tradition.

 I was looking forward to this book in particular because I was drawn to The Dagda, personally. He drew me initially by his own personality and his actions in the tales, particularly of his building single-handed a fort for Bres, and carving out twelve plains in a one day. But more important was his being father to the sisters Brigit. Because Brigit is so important to me, I wanted to cultivate an acquaintance, at least, with someone who helped shape these sisters as they grew.¹

 The Pagan Portals series is devoted to short books – up to around a hundred pages long – that are meant to introduce the key elements of a deity or topic. In this case the book is nearly eighty pages, and they have divided the material up well. In chapter one, “Who is The Dagda?” they begin by giving his names and the epithets that describe him, and address how a sense of his nature can be drawn from them. This necessarily takes us into the myths themselves, so although they don’t tell them exhaustively, they reveal enough that we can understand why he might be called Eochaid Ollathair, and that “The Dagda” means “The Good God.” But what does that mean? Does it mean he’s a nice guy? Well, no. It means he is good at all things. So just the definition of this one name, and he has many, tells us something important about him. This initial chapter grounds us not only in his names, but in how he’s been described physically in the tales, and gives a glimpse of his relationships with others. (This is a complicated kettle of fish as he has many lovers, many children, and his children, like himself, have run into real difficulties because of some of those lovers).

 One thing that Morgan always does which I greatly appreciate, is they provide useful end notes to each chapter, and provide a good bibliography. I can see where they’re getting their information from; I don’t have to just trust them. I can then decide whether I agree with their take on things, and that is important to me, especially in something so essential as the nature of the deities.

 The second chapter is “The Dagda in Mythology.” Here they explore where The Dagda figures most prominently in the different texts. As they work through these, his personality and what he may represent to the devotee become more and more clearly defined, leading to an overall sense of what we know of him. This chapter also has an interesting reassessment of the Samhain sex tryst between The Dagda and The Morrigan.

An Dagda's First Books Have Launched!

 

Pagan Portals - The Dagda: Meeting the Good God of Ireland by Morgan Daimler (2018)

Harp, Club, and Cauldron - A Harvest of Knowledge: A curated anthology of scholarship, lore, and creative writings on the Dagda in Irish tradition edited by Morpheus Ravenna and Lora O'Brien (2018)

I'm excited. Two separate books on The Good God, An Dagda, father of the goddesses Brigit, are now available. In my time of devotion to Brigit I have come to know her parent somewhat and fallen in love with him. I am thrilled to have these two opportunities to know him more.

Until now, those interested in The Dagda have had to scrape together their information from widely dispersed sources. In late October Morgan Daimler's Pagan Portals book, The Dagda, was released. A slim volume, like all Pagan Portals titles, it is the first book entirely devoted to this important Irish god. I haven't read it yet, but it sits on the table awaiting my attention. I've read several of Morgan's books and have never been disappointed. 

Minutes ago, Morpheus Ravenna and Lora O'Brien launched their anthology Harp, Club, and Cauldron - A Harvest of Knowledge. Many respected (and beloved) writers and artists have contributed to the book: Isolde Carmody and Chris Thompson from Story Archaeology, Anthony Murphy, author of Mythical Ireland: New Light on the Ancient Past, Segomâros Widugeni, author of Ancient Fire: An Introduction to Gaulish Celtic Polytheism, Valerie Herron, the artist responsible for the delightful works in Ravenna's book on the The Morrigan, The Book of the Great Queen, Morgan Daimler herself, and many others. (I have a poem in there, myself, speaking with Brigit about her father.) Having had a glimpse of the ebook, I am more than ever looking forward to having the book in my hands, .

Now is a great time to have the profile of the Dagda raised. A god of many abilities, protector of his people and linked to the health and balance of his land, he is a powerful ally in a world filled with disharmony and fear. His cauldron of plenty, his harp that can bring sorrow, laughter, or sleep to those who listen, his club which kills with one end and restores to life with the other, his great appetites and his ability to do what needs to be done under any circumstances--An Dagda's influence needs to be felt now more than ever.

It may take a few hours for the anthology to become available--the button is pushed, but Amazon sometimes takes a while to catch up. So if you get a "not currently available" note, fear not. It's on the way.

For those of you who have grown interested in or close with An Dagda, you might also want to join the Facebook group The Dagda's Hearth. I'll see you there, perhaps?

Original Fund-Raising Video for Harp, Club, and Cauldron: