GOIBNIU

(gwiv'ni -) The smith of the Tuatha de Danaan; brewer of the ale that kept the Tuatha De Danann perpetually young. He forged the weapons by which the Fomorians were overcome. He killed Ruadan, the son of Brigit and of Bres, who had been sent to spy on his armoury and to kill him. Goibniu was healed of his wounds in the well of Slane. He is analogous to Welsh Gofannon. See also: GOBNIU. Aside from his craftsmanship, he is known as the provider of the Fled Goibnenn, a Sacred Feast. Associated, among other things, with brewcrafting, he is said to have formulated a draught of immortality; note the similarity with the Greco-Roman Hephaestus/Vulcan, a divine smith who was also a brewer. His name survives in Abergavenny (Goibhniu's River).
Goibhniu {gwiv'-nee-oo} - he is the god of blacksmiths and other such metal crafts.
In ancient mythology, Goibhniu (Goban) was the god of blacksmiths; in Weneth he was known as Govannon, which, like Goibhniu, means "smith." With his fellow deities Credne the solderer and Luchta the carpenter, Goibhniu formed a triad called the Three Gods of Skill. These three forged the magic weapons that enabled the Tuatha De Danann (the divine ancestors of the Garaleyen people) to defeat their enemies the Fomoire in the Second Battle of Mag Tuired (Moytura). Goibhniu was said to have been able to make a spear or sword with three blows of his hammer. He was also famous for a marvelous sacred drink that he brewed in a great bronze cauldron. Those who attended the "Feast of Goibhniu" and drank this brew became impervious to the effects of aging. Appears in the second battle of Mag Tuireg


GOBNIU GOIBHNIU

# 156: An Irish smith god who may have been identical in origin with Gwydion. See: TREBUCHET, and GOBAN THE SMITH.

# 678: Goibhniu, Luchta, Creidhne. There was a triad of Irish craftgods who belonged to the Tuatha De Danann: these were Goibhniu the smith, the most important of the three, Luchta the wright and Creidhne the metalworker. The three gods are called upon to forge weapons for Lugh and the Tuatha in the Second Battle of Magh Tuiredh, fought against the Fomorians. Each god makes a different part of the weapons: Goibhniu the head or blade, Luchta the shaft and Creidhne the rivets. Goibhniu's weapons are guaranteed always to fly true and always to inflict a fatal wound. Goighniu had another role, that of host of the Otherworld Feast: at this meal, the god provides a special ale, and those who drink it become immortal.

GOBNIU GOIBHNIU
Gobhan - The Smith of the Tuatha

The fairy queens and kings are in fact the old pagan gods and goddesses 'in disguise' who have long been revered by the Irish. It has been said that the Celtic gods of Ireland had long been wiped out, buried under the sway of Catholicism. Yet anyone who has been to Ireland, or listened to her many folk tales can see for themselves that this is very far from the reality. The old gods live on in folk tales as the giants of the hill; the Gobhan Saor who built all the bridges of Ireland; the Gille Decair, a clown and trickster; the carl (serf) of the drab coat and many others. The old deities were once worshipped throughout Ireland, however it is in the west that they are best remembered now, the east having been more Christianized and anglicised, and subject to more invasions. By contrast, the west of Ireland, to which the native Irish were driven ("to hell or Connaught") has held on longer to her ancient heritage.

Gobniu, Goibhniu, Goibne, Guibne, Goibnenn, Gaibnenn, Gobnenn, Gobhan. [OIr, gobae, smith] Jean Markale claims the name is derived from the roots for the English word goblins and the French word gobelins, who are "small fanciful beings who live underground and who are experts in the blacksmithing art."

Gobniu's lineage is no less tangled than any other of the Dannan's. His father could be Esargt, with brothers Credne, Lucta, and Dian Cecht. Again, he may be the brother of the Dagda (who in the myths, genealogically speaking, gets around), or Nuada, Credne, and Lucta. Or, along with Balor of the evil eye, a grandson to Niet, the (usually Fomorian) God of war. Sometimes, the Dannan's best ax-thrower, Tuirbe, is his father. He may be brother to Cian and Samhthainn (Sanan), possibly making him Dian Cecht's son. If he is brother to Cian, he is Lugh's uncle, and this is exactly where one variant of the myth places him, fostering and training the Samildanach. Cian though, is given in most instances as distinct from Gobniu's sibling. With Credne and Lucta (Luchtar) as his brothers, the smith appears to be head of a triune deity, the na tr?d?dana, the Three Gods of Craft.

Gobniu is a primary Dannan deity and a member of the tribal war council. He receives the veneration accorded smiths in Indo-European and most other cultures. Smiths have always been considered workers of the magical current. An eighth-century hymn invokes God' s aid against the spells of women and smiths and Druids. Their intimacy with the esoteric necessities of metalworking, of alloying and tempering, of the art of carbonization and the possession of the vast amounts of technological knowledge required to work raw earth into the elements of war and commerce set them on a plane removed from others.

This occult provenance guaranteed them their reputation as healers and enchanters. They were known to have been asked to wave their hammers over the ill. Gobniu's name appears in Christian charms recited to remove thorns and to expunge biting insects. He is well understood to have magical healing abilities. He is a God of the earth, a master of its deepest powers, of the fire boiling in its molten core, and of the iron that comprises it. He, in fact, replicates that power in his forge and his crucible.

--- From Oisin's "Biography of Gobniu"

GOBNIU

by
Willow Ragan
© 2000

Gobhniu is thought of by most to be the Irish god of smith-craft. He is noted for his spears, weapons that never miss their mark and are always lethal. But like most things Irish, it's a wee bit more complicated and like a good riddle, of which the Irish were particularly fond, the complexities aren't obvious at first glance.
His name, also found in the forms: Goibne; Goihnann; Gaibhnenn; Gobnenn; Gobniu, is from the Old Irish word for smith: gabha1 or gobha . Down through the ages, he has been called upon for protection, which makes sense, for healing and long life, and to ensure a good yield of butter...Now, just what does a smith have to do with butter?..Well you know, he had this marvelous cow, the Glas Ghaibhleann, and she could...well, we'll get to her later.
Our revered smith is often partnered with two associates, Credne and Luchta. Credne is a craftsman and works in bronze while Luchta is woodworker and wheelwright. Things begin to get interesting when you crack open a dictionary and look at where names come from. We've already established that Gobhniu is from gobha for smith. Let's look at the others.
Credne is considered an artisan; his name can be traced to the word ceárad; craftsman. Related words are: ceárdcha: forge and smithy, ceárd: art, science, function, trade, habit, calling, also a feat of agility or arms, poetry, a worker, a poet, an artist. Ceárd also means a corner, a point, a direction. Ceárdadnar means craft, ingenuity, technique and technology. Ceárdamàil means curious, cunning, well-wrought, artistic. Ceárdamlacht means the state of being wrought artistically.
When we get to Luchta things go off into left field altogether. The word luchta has nothing to do with any type of woodworking, not directly anyway. According to both our Gaelic dictionaries it means people, folk, a crew, a tribe, a class of persons. Another word with identical spelling means a portion, a load, content. The word is generally used with a defining clause such as luchta céirde - trades-people.
What does this mean? While I'm not about to fall into the trap of interpreting the philosophical thought of people who lived some three thousand years ago, it does give us an interesting peek into the mind of the early Irish. There seems to be a three-tiered mode of expression going on.
refining of raw material, as defined by Gobhniu
craft, development of technique, artistry, poetry as defined by Credne
a specific group of people, also possibly "a portion," as defined by Luchta
Again, what does this mean exactly? I don't really know, I wasn't there and it's difficult to establish just when this "philosophy" if that's what it is, developed. At first glance it could refer to a technological and societal time line - first came the refining of raw ore, followed by technological innovation in developing metal-craft, leading to the formation of a "class" of people involved in metallurgy i.e.: mining, smelting, shipping raw materials, crafting, and selling/trading finished goods. Or in a more general way, luchta could refer to the establishment of specializes trades. Which, as we're about to see, is a fairly accurate description of the way things unfolded.

Notes: 1. Unless otherwise indicated, all Irish terms are from Dinneen's Gaelic/English dictionary, see bibliography for details.


Introduction / The Social History of an Art
In the Hearts of the People / Bibliography

Gobniu's lineage is no less tangled than any other of the Dannan's. His father could be Esargt, with brothers Credne, Lucta, and Dian Cecht. Again, he may be the brother of the Dagda (who in the myths, genealogically speaking, gets around), or Nuada, Credne, and Lucta. Or, along with Balor of the evil eye, a grandson to Niet, the (usually Fomorian) God of war. Sometimes, the Dannan's best ax-thrower, Tuirbe, is his father. He may be brother to Cian and Samhthainn (Sanan), possibly making him Dian Cecht's son. If he is brother to Cian, he is Lugh's uncle, and this is exactly where one variant of the myth places him, fostering and training the Samildanach. Cian though, is given in most instances as distinct from Gobniu's sibling. With Credne and Lucta (Luchtar) as his brothers, the smith appears to be head of a triune deity, the na trí dé dana, the Three Gods of Craft.

Gobniu is a primary Dannan deity and a member of the tribal war council. He receives the veneration accorded smiths in Indo-European and most other cultures. Smiths have always been considered workers of the magical current. An eighth-century hymn invokes God' s aid against the spells of women and smiths and Druids. Their intimacy with the esoteric necessities of metalworking, of alloying and tempering, of the art of carbonization and the possession of the vast amounts of technological knowledge required to work raw earth into the elements of war and commerce set them on a plane removed from others.

This occult provenance guaranteed them their reputation as healers and enchanters. They were known to have been asked to wave their hammers over the ill. Gobniu's name appears in Christian charms recited to remove thorns and to expunge biting insects. He is well understood to have magical healing abilities. He is a God of the earth, a master of its deepest powers, of the fire boiling in its molten core, and of the iron that comprises it. He, in fact, replicates that power in his forge and his crucible.

Its output is both terrible and haunting, as with swords, spears, and battle axes; it can be enchanting, as with the functional art of toiletry and saddlery; utilitarian and strong, making plows, adzes, and cauldrons. Even into our day the myth of the smith stands and Gobniu's presence yet glimmers as it ever did, in the output of the thousands of craft forges, in massive industrial furnaces, and in sooty Third World workplaces. In his triune form, the crafty na trí dé dana, his face is seen in endless objects, automobiles and buttonhooks. In Commenteria Esoterica, his place as a deity of the heart (The Firey Crucible of the Celtic Heart) will be examined.

Before the second battle of Mag Tuired, on being asked by Lugh (or Nuada, in some variants) what could be his contribution to the upcoming contest, this is what he said: "I will do this ... if the men of Ireland stop in the battle to the end of seven years, for every sword that is broken and for every spear that is lost from its shaft, I will put a new one in its place. And no spear-point that will be made by my hand will ever miss its mark, and no man it touches will ever taste life again," He adds, for good measure, "And that is more than Dolb, the smith of the Fomor, can do!" (With this remark he highlights again the mysterious familiarity of the two groups.) Lugh sometimes is said to have used a spear, not a slingstone, to kill Balor at Mag Tuired, a spear crafted by Gobniu.

At Mag Tuired, as Gobniu worked his smithly magic, a spy was sent to him. The Fomor, reasonably disturbed by the imbalance they suffered as their broken weapons remained unusable while the Dannan's were immediately righted and returned to battle, elected to send Ruadan, son of Bres and Brigit, to go and see how this happened. They supposed that as Ruadan was half Dannan, he might be able to pass safely.

It does seem that the Tuatha de ought to have known what side such a prominently born person had taken, but, ah well ... Ruadan found the forge, saw what he meant to see, and reported back. The Fomor leaders knew "that Gobniu the smith was the man that hindered them the most." They returned Ruadan with instructions to kill the nettlesome smith. He went back to the forge, a maelstrom of activity with Gobniu turning out spear points by three blows each, Lucta the wheelwright making each spear shaft by three single cuts, and Credne the brazier completing the rivets by three turns and setting the points to the shafts. A woman, Cron, ground them sharp.

Ruadan asked Gobniu for a point, Lucta for a shaft, and Credne to put them together. He waited while it was sharpened. Then, he thrust the spear through Gobniu. The smith, no doubt wondering at having been lanced in his own forge, plucked out the weapon and gave Ruadan a mortal wounding. Brigit then keened over her dead son, and this was Ireland's first keening. Gobniu stopped working long enough to heal his wound in Dian Cecht's well, then went on restoring the Dannan's arsenal.

In the de Dannan Otherworld feast, 'Fled Gobnenn', Gobniu's ale confers immortality (or sometimes, invulnerability). Ale was a huge favorite of the Celts and they were notorious over the ancient world for their love of it. Notorious as well was their determination to overindulge. The worth of a warrior was calculated partly in an ability to hold much alcohol, and drinking bouts were bound to erupt at any feast. As well as Gobniu's ale, Manannán Mac Lir's eternally revivifying pigs were present at the Fled Gobnenn. With an ale insuring immortality -- though the Dannan's everywhere are referred to as already immortal, never aging, etc. -- and Manannán's never-ending pork, the Tuatha were settled in for the long run.

Gobniu's endurance in the hearts of the Irish is matched by Dian Cecht's and exceeded only by Manannán Mac Lir -- with the notable exception of Brigit in the form of her alter ego, St. Brigid of Kildare. It could even be argued that Gobniu's myth is stronger than the two other Gods, if we allow for his presence as the great Gobhan Saer (Saor), the revered master craftsman of early Scotland and Ireland. Gobhan was remembered as an unsurpassed architect, and Gobhan Saer means "Gobniu the Architect". Christian clerics said he designed their churches, and some of the priests even took his name, Gobhan. Gobniu might have been amused.
END

Gobniu (Smith)= God of skills including ale-brewing. Gobniu is know chiefly for his skills as a metal smith and brewing the immortal beer of the gods. He fashions invincible magick weapons for the Tuatha De Danann. In his brewing activities he uses a vast bronze cauldron, a copy of which was housed in various sanctuaries and was aparently at times associated with the ritual slaughter of kings of Ireland.
As the Irish Welsh triple god Goibniu (Gobniu, Govannon, Luchtain, Luchtar, Luchta, Luchtainel, Credne), he was the anvil master goldsmith at Tara who made most of the weapons for the Tuatha De Danann, infusing them with protective blessings.

Revered from earlier times until about 400 A.C.E., he was mentioned in the "Book of Invasions" and "Cycles of Kings", as well as, depicted on inscriptions and monumental sculptures.

"Potent Truth Smithcraft Magician", "Craft Arts Inspirational Founder", "Invincibility Cauldron Meade Maker", Knowledgeable Self Defense Master", and "Unsurpassed Eternal Life Smithy, Goibniu made an immortality brew that was served at the Feast of Age held by Mannan.

During the times that he acted as a benefactor to the Celts Goibniu donned the triplicity stewardship mantle of the Three Gods of Skill called the "Na Tri Dee Dana".

He was also known as the Irish Luchtain (Luchtar, Luchta, Luchtainel) and the Irish Credne. Luchtain was a master woodworker and wheelwright god at Tara, while, Credne was a bronze metallurgist maker god of magical tools and weapons.



Introduction / The Social History of an Art
In the Hearts of the People / Bibliography