by Searles O'Dubhain

In the Senchus Mór, the great compilation of Irish law, a Druid is asked who created the world. "We created the world," he answers. For centuries this reply has been read as arrogance or confusion. Searles O'Dubhain — practitioner, scholar, and founder of the Summerlands, the first major online Celtic Pagan community — argues here that the Druid was speaking from a precise cosmological understanding: a creation-through-sacrifice myth common to Indo-European peoples, in which the universe is formed from the body of a primordial divine being.

Writing in 2007 for alt.religion.druid, O'Dubhain traces the Irish creation mythology that was obscured by Christian synchronization — the figures of Delbaeth (Shape or Form), An Dúileamhain (the Creator of the Elements of Being), and Nemed (the Sacred). He connects this Irish tradition to the Big Bang and Big Collapse theories of modern cosmology, and draws out the implications for how Druids understand themselves: as creatures of Delbaeth, children of Danu, shaped by the excellence of the Dagda, and welcomed home by Donn.

The Irish had an original creation myth that was mentioned by the Druids in the Senchus Mór. When asked who created the world, the Druid answered, "We created the world."

There has been much confusion about this remark, with much of it coming from the Christians who confused the original story when writing down and "synchronizing" the tales and traditions during the ascent of Christianity in the years from the 5th century CE to the 12th century CE.

Irish and Celtic scholars are just now digging out the meaning of what the Druids said about creation and cosmology, along with a better picture of the older, more ancient Irish creation myth and an idea about the original creator deity.

What the Druids meant when they identified with creating the universe was that the universe came into being through the sacrifice of the creator or first being. This is not unlike the creation myth of other Northern European or Indo-European people. The sacrifice of this first being is what the entire universe is made of in the macrocosm and the microcosm of being.

Some Celtic or Irish scholars believe this first being or deity to have perhaps been called Nemed (after a being that came from the sky). Others believe that his name was An Dúileamhain (a name for the creator of the elements of being). Another scholar calls his name out as being Delbaeth — Shape or Form; perhaps a name for coming into being itself; he is at once the father and the husband of Danu. After the sacrifice or death of this creating being/deity, everything that is came into being including the other deities (in much the same way that the Greek gods were the offspring of the Titans and original gods). This is where the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomorii come into the picture. They too are beings who came from the sky, the hollow hills or the depths of the sea. It is thought that Donn/Dagda was the father of all.

As I said earlier, all of this got corrupted and literally glossed over by the early Christian scribes in Ireland. Parts of the story still exist in the pseudo-history known as Lebor Gabála. A better rendition of the early myths was contained in the now lost Cín Domma Snechtai. Some of the story is in the Senchus Mór while other parts of the story are to be found in surviving folklore and even in British writings like the Historia Briton by Nennius.

Creation coming from the body of a first being is a mythic idea common to many Indo-European cultures and traditions. Creation and recreation through sacrifice — giving back so that further creative actions can occur — is also analogous to modern scientific theories of the universe. I refer of course to the Big Bang and the Big Collapse theories.

Modern science theorizes that the universe has always existed, made up of little or nothing but space, energy and the laws of physics. This model of the universe basically says that in the beginning everything was collapsed in an extremely dense point which exploded outward to create everything we know. In the chaos and possibilities of this tremendous breaking apart of nothing into an expanding something, mass was created — meaning everything that is. Eventually all that is will destroy itself in the Big Collapse, when everything contracts again to a point.

To me this sounds like the universe was created from the original creator at the origin or point of creation. It is recreated when things come back to that point in a destructive offering of all that is to the future of itself. Shape (Delbaeth) takes form and then is destroyed or partitioned into himself and others. With these others he merges and procreates all that is in a sacred (Nemed) manner. He mates with his daughter, Danu the Queen of the Heavens and the Star River. From her come the gods who are the ancestors of humans and the masters of all the powers and qualities.

So forget that Christian creation myth and embrace the mysteries of the universe which is formed out of itself and shaped from nothing. In its creative outbursting like a well it creates itself from itself to form us, the gods and all that is. We are created from the body of An Dúileamhain, the parts of original shape, Delbaeth and the product of his mating with the Mother Goddess Danu. When this deity acts, he is the god of excellence in everything, An Dagda. When we journey back toward the center of creation through the doorway of death we enter his halls at the House of Donn. When we are reborn through spirit we flow along the spirit river of the stars known as Danu until there is a body once again for us to inhabit.

Deities are not within bodies any more than we are within bodies. Irish tradition tells us that we are spirits inhabiting bodies. Deities are also spirits that can inhabit bodies but more than that they are principles, forces and qualities of creation. They are the spiritual essence behind everything that can be.

Druids are special beings who can become one with everything or with a specific thing to know truth and to create. The only difference between a Druid and other people is that Druids constantly seek truth and wisdom, while most people give up the quest early on. Druids persevere to do the work while those who quit looking never find anything, a self-fulfilling prophecy. Calling to the gods requires a focus of mind, will and spirit to rise above the jumble of the noise of ignorance. Call out to them with an increasing spirit and the gods will come, putting your own spirit back in touch with the spirit of all of creation.

All that is, is a part of everyone of us because we are each shaped from a part of Delbaeth, mothered by Danu, made up of the elements of An Dúileamhain, inspired by the excellence of An Dagda and welcomed home again by Donn. Brighid is our foster-mother and spiritual sister. Ogma is the power of eloquence when we are inspired and Lugh is the summation of all skills. The Morrigan is our battle nature while Midir is the fire in our eyes. Everywhere around us are spirits, deities, essences and qualities awaiting our individual invocation in our own creative and spiritual efforts.

We are creations of ourselves from ourselves, a sacrifice and a new creature; we are spirits within bodies passing from one life into the next. Creation is the product and work of all of us as we are each a part of it — and we are the creator when we come together again in offering, sacrifice and union.

Colophon

Written by Searles O'Dubhain ([email protected]) and posted to alt.religion.druid in November 2007. O'Dubhain was a practitioner of Irish Celtic Druidry based in the American South, founder of the Summerlands (the first major online Celtic Pagan community), author of Opening the Pathways and The Ogham Keys to Wisdom series, and a longtime contributor to the Keltrian and ADF traditions. This post was part of his ongoing public teaching work on alt.religion.druid, where he shared decades of research into Irish mythology, cosmology, and Druidic practice.

Original Message-ID: [email protected]

Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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