Danu — Ancestral Mother of the Túatha Dé Danann
At a Glance
Danu, ancestral power of the Túatha Dé Danann; reconstructed name from the surviving traditions
Her own ancestral estate in the Fey World, adjoining the Irish Otherworld
Greater deity · Neutral Good; the divine people honour her as an ancestral mother
The Dagda, Brigid and Lugh belong to her wider people, without a single universally attested genealogy
The ancestry tree, an untouched spring and a ring of gathered households; original campaign devotional signs
Kinship, continuity, prosperity, protection of households, ancestral memory and fruitful land
2024: Life or Nature-themed druidic devotion; 2014: Life or Nature; Pathfinder 1e: Plant, Good or Protection; D&D 3.5e: Plant, Good or Protection
Danu is the ancestral mother of the Túatha Dé Danann. Her reconstructed name survives more clearly than her individual medieval stories.
Earlier Danu concept artwork is retained in the media archive, original Midjourney artwork credit.
- Pantheon: Celtic
- Deity Title: Danu, the ancestral mother of the Túatha Dé Danann in the campaign. The name Danu is a scholarly reconstruction from Danann; identifying her with Anu/Ána is debated, not a settled historical fact.
- Deity Symbol: An ancestral oak with a golden spiral and a living spring; the original campaign emblem is painted beside At a Glance. No single ancient mark for Danu is securely attested.
- Home Plane: Fey World — the Tír na nÓg reaches of the Irish Otherworld
- Deity Level: Greater deity
- Alignment: Neutral good
- Names: Danu (reconstructed), Dana (modern variant); Danann appears in the group-name Túatha Dé Danann. Anu/Ána is separately attested, and her identity with Danu is uncertain.
- Superior: None
- Traditional Allies: The other members of the Tuatha Dé Danann, particularly Lugh and Brigid, as well as the Sidhe, or Irish faeries.
- Traditional Foes: Rival Fomorian rulers and their armies, particularly those who have fought against the Túatha Dé Danann. Individual Fomorians may bargain, defect or pursue their own interests.
- Relics: Danu’s cult tends wells, springs and ancestral meeting places. A named Sword of Light transferred from Lugh to Danu is not established in the surviving medieval sources; any such gift in the campaign is a new story, not part of her traditional genealogy.
- Retinue: Ancestral wardens, household spirits and freely allied emissaries of the divine people. Leprechauns and púcaí are not automatically her subjects.
- Servitor Creatures: Deer, swans, and other creatures associated with nature and the Otherworld.
- Animals: Deer, swans and other Irish Otherworld creatures appear in her present-day court. No single sacred animal is securely attested for a historical goddess called Danu.
- Manifestations: Danu appears beside ancestral springs or as an elder whose features recall many generations. The resemblance between her reconstructed name and the Danube’s name does not establish that she is the historical goddess of that river.
- Signs of Favor: Abundance and prosperity, particularly in the form of bountiful harvests and healthy livestock.
- Worshipers: Farmers, hunters, and others who rely on the land for their livelihoods. Danu is also revered by those who seek wisdom and guidance, particularly in matters of nature and the environment.
- Cleric Alignments: Neutral good, lawful good, chaotic good
- Specialty Priests: Druids, who specialize in nature magic and are dedicated to preserving the natural world.
- Observances: Her households gather at seasonal feasts and ancestral commemorations. No specific Samhain, Beltane or solstice festival dedicated to Danu is recorded as an ancient historical certainty.
- Portfolio: Nature, fertility, wisdom, and the land.
- Domains: D&D 2024 Life; D&D 2014 Life or Nature; Pathfinder 1e Healing, Plant, Good, Protection; D&D 3.5e Healing, Plant, Good, Protection. Followers use the printed domains and domain spells of their own edition.
- Favored Weapon: Spear
- Favored Class: Druid
- Followers: The Túatha Dé Danann and mortal families of Ireland; no mortal ancestry receives an automatic divine privilege.
- Duties of the Priesthood: To protect and care for the natural world, to provide guidance and wisdom to the people, and to maintain balance and harmony in the world.
- Sacred Places: In the present world, ancestral houses, protected springs and courts near Meath honour Danu. No ancient temple at Tara can be assigned specifically to a goddess Danu from surviving historical evidence.
- Blessings: Her followers protect springs and keep the names of the dead. Their magical abilities come from the appropriate class and domain rules, not an extra collection of unlisted powers.
Among the Túatha Dé Danann, Danu preserves the memory of the first household fires and names that must not be forgotten. Her personality and the rites of her present followers belong to the living world of the campaign; her reconstructed name should not be mistaken for an independently documented ancient cult with a full cycle of surviving myths.
Danu’s Ancestral Court
The households that remember Danu share a duty: no ancestor is abandoned simply because a family has fallen from favour. At her Otherworld court, a widow may speak before a war-leader, and the youngest child is expected to know the names of the dead as well as those of the living. A ruler who demands a blessing without naming the people harmed by his decisions will find her hall closed.
Beyond Meath, the goddess moves between spring-fed groves and hearths whose families have endured famine, feud and displacement. She brings no effortless prosperity. Instead she gives a household the means to begin again: safe seed, the return of a lost relative, or a truth that has been kept from the youngest generation.
The Hearth Without a Name
At a farmstead near Tara, Máire Ní Fhloinn has kept a fire burning for three generations, although nobody remembers the first woman who lit it. Each night an unseen guest leaves a bowl of oats untouched. Danu asks the adventurers to recover the missing ancestor’s name from an abandoned burial mound before the last living relative dies. A rival claimant wants the bones scattered, fearing what the name will reveal.
Divine Powers and Game Rules
Danu — D&D 2024
Danu, Ancestral Mother of the Divine People
Medium Celestial (Deity), Neutral Good; CR 37 (epic extrapolation beyond printed CR/XP table, PB +11 extrapolated)
Initiative +9 (19); AC 30 (divine ward); HP 660 (40d8 + 480); Speed 50 ft., Fly 100 ft. (hover)
| Ability | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score (mod.) | 34 (+12) | 28 (+9) | 34 (+12) | 34 (+12) | 40 (+15) | 38 (+14) |
| Save | +23 | +20 | +23 | +23 | +26 | +25 |
Skills Animal Handling +26, History +23, Insight +26, Nature +23, Perception +26, Persuasion +25, Religion +23; Resistances Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing from nonmagical attacks; Immunities Necrotic, Poison damage; Charmed, Frightened and Poisoned conditions; Senses Truesight 120 ft., Passive Perception 36; Languages Common, Gaelic, Celestial, Sylvan; Telepathy 120 ft.
Traits
Legendary Resistance (5/Day). On a failed saving throw, Danu can succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. Danu has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Ancestral Shelter. A creature of Danu’s choice within 30 feet has Advantage on saving throws against the Charmed and Frightened conditions, and its Hit Point Maximum cannot be reduced by nonmagical disease. The protection ends upon leaving her aura.
Actions
Multiattack. Danu makes three Ancestral Staff attacks.
Ancestral Staff (+3). Melee Attack Roll: +26 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 59 (8d10 + 15) Force damage. Instead of causing damage, Danu can restore 59 Hit Points to one willing ally in reach on one of her Staff attacks each turn.
Roots of the First Hearth (Recharge 5–6). Strength Saving Throw: DC 34, each enemy of her choice in a 60-foot Emanation. Failure: 110 (20d10) Force damage and the Restrained condition until the end of the creature’s next turn. Success: Half damage and not Restrained.
Spellcasting. Danu casts without Material components using Wisdom (spell save DC 34, +26 spell attacks). At will: Druidcraft, Guidance, Resistance (cantrips), Cure Wounds (1st). 3/day each: Lesser Restoration (2nd), Plant Growth (3rd), Death Ward (4th), Greater Restoration (5th). 1/day each: Heal (6th), Regenerate (7th), Antimagic Field (8th), Mass Heal (9th). The normal casting times, ranges, and Concentration rules apply.
Bonus Actions
Step Through the Generations. Danu teleports herself and one willing ally touching her up to 60 feet to visible unoccupied spaces.
Reactions
The House Remembers (3/Day). When an ally Danu can see within 60 feet would take damage, she reduces that damage by 45 (10d8) and grants it 15 Temporary Hit Points.
Legendary Actions
Danu has 3 Legendary Action uses, regained at the start of her turn. Immediately after another creature’s turn, she can spend one option: Stride (1): move half her Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks. Staff (1): one Ancestral Staff attack. Gather the Household (2): each of three willing creatures within 60 feet regains 22 (4d10) Hit Points.
Estate Actions
On Initiative count 20 (losing ties) within her ancestral Otherworld estate, Danu may choose one effect, not repeating it in consecutive rounds: Sheltering Roots: three chosen allies gain Half Cover until the next count 20; First Water: a poisoned or diseased ally ends one such effect; Names Remembered: each enemy in a 30-foot Emanation makes a DC 34 Wisdom saving throw or loses its Reaction until its next turn begins.
Followers — D&D 2024
Clerics may choose the published Life Domain. Its always-prepared spells at cleric level 3 are Aid, Bless, Cure Wounds, Lesser Restoration; at 5, Mass Healing Word, Revivify; at 7, Aura of Life, Death Ward; at 9, Greater Restoration, Mass Cure Wounds. Danu’s own divine actions are not mortal class features.
Danu — D&D 2014
Danu, Keeper of the Ancestral Names
Medium celestial (deity), neutral good; Challenge 37 (original epic encounter; no official XP entry)
Armor Class 30 (divine ward); Hit Points 660 (40d8 + 480); Speed 50 ft., fly 100 ft. (hover)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 (+12) | 28 (+9) | 34 (+12) | 34 (+12) | 40 (+15) | 38 (+14) |
Saving Throws Str +23, Dex +20, Con +23, Int +23, Wis +26, Cha +25; Skills Animal Handling +26, History +23, Insight +26, Nature +23, Perception +26, Persuasion +25; Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks; Damage Immunities necrotic, poison; Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned; Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 36; Languages Common, Gaelic, Celestial, Sylvan; telepathy 120 ft.
Traits
Legendary Resistance (5/Day). On a failed saving throw, Danu can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. Danu has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Sheltering Court. Allies chosen by Danu within 30 feet have advantage on saving throws against charm and fear.
Innate Spellcasting. Danu’s spellcasting ability is Wisdom (save DC 34, +26 spell attacks), requiring no material components. At will: druidcraft, guidance, resistance, cure wounds. 3/day each: lesser restoration, plant growth, death ward, greater restoration. 1/day each: heal, regenerate, antimagic field, mass heal. Normal casting times, ranges and Concentration rules apply.
Actions
Multiattack. Danu makes three Ancestral Staff attacks.
Ancestral Staff (+3). Melee Weapon Attack: +26 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 59 (8d10 + 15) force damage.
Roots of the First Hearth (Recharge 5–6). Enemies Danu chooses in a 60-foot radius must attempt a DC 34 Strength saving throw, taking 110 (20d10) force damage and becoming restrained until the end of their next turn on a failure, or half damage without restraint on a success.
Bonus Actions
Ancestral Passage. Danu teleports up to 60 feet to a visible empty space and may bring a willing creature touching her to an adjacent empty space.
Reactions
Household Ward (3/Day). Danu reduces damage to an ally she sees within 60 feet by 45 (10d8) and gives that creature 15 temporary hit points.
Legendary Actions
Danu takes up to 3 legendary actions, one option at the end of another creature’s turn, regaining all at the start of hers: Stride (1): move half her Speed without provoking opportunity attacks. Staff (1): one Ancestral Staff attack. Heal the Household (2): three willing creatures within 60 feet each regain 22 (4d10) hit points.
Lair Actions
At her ancestral Otherworld court, on initiative count 20 (losing ties), Danu may grant three allies half cover, end one poison or disease on an ally, or remove hostile creatures’ reactions (DC 34 Wisdom negates). The same effect cannot occur in successive rounds.
Followers — D&D 2014
Danu’s 2014 clerics choose the published Life or Nature Domain; never combine both. Life Domain spells (cleric levels 1/3/5/7/9): bless, cure wounds; lesser restoration, spiritual weapon; beacon of hope, revivify; death ward, guardian of faith; mass cure wounds, raise dead. Nature Domain: animal friendship, speak with animals; barkskin, spike growth; plant growth, wind wall; dominate beast, grasping vine; insect plague, tree stride.
Danu — Pathfinder 1e
Danu, Ancestral Guardian of the Túatha
CR 31 (epic encounter; XP determined by GM); NG Medium outsider (extraplanar, good)
Init +13; Senses darkvision 60 ft., true seeing; Perception +50
DEFENSE
AC 57, touch 35, flat-footed 48 (+9 Dex, +22 natural, +14 deflection, +2 sacred); hp 560 (32d10 + 384); Fort +24, Ref +29, Will +35; DR 20/epic and evil; SR 44; Immune poison, disease and fear; Resist fire 20, electricity 20.
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft., fly 90 ft. (perfect); Melee +4 quarterstaff +49/+44/+39/+34 (1d6+16 plus 6d6 force); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; Special Attacks ancestral ward, first hearth.
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 32nd, concentration +47; Wisdom-based save DC 25 + spell level). At will: detect magic (0), entangle (1st), lesser restoration (2nd). 3/day each: plant growth (3rd), restoration (4th), breath of life (5th), heal (6th). 1/day each: regenerate (7th), mass cure critical wounds (8th), mass heal (9th). Follow normal spell-like ability action rules, no components.
STATISTICS
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 (+12) | 28 (+9) | 34 (+12) | 34 (+12) | 40 (+15) | 38 (+14) |
Base Atk +32; CMB +44; CMD 78 (includes Dodge +1 and deflection +14); Feats Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Heal), Spell Focus (conjuration), Spell Penetration, Spring Attack, Toughness, Weapon Focus (quarterstaff), Quicken Spell-Like Ability (lesser restoration); Skills Diplomacy +49, Fly +44, Heal +53 (Skill Focus), Knowledge (nature) +47, Knowledge (planes) +47, Perception +50, Sense Motive +50, Spellcraft +47, Survival +50; Languages Common, Gaelic, Celestial, Sylvan; telepathy 120 ft.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Ancestral Ward (Su). Three times daily as an immediate action, Danu reduces damage to one ally within 60 ft. by 60 points. This is an extraordinary personal power, not a cleric spell.
First Hearth (Su). Once every 1d4 rounds as a standard action, a 60-foot burst centred on Danu deals 20d6 force damage to chosen enemies (Reflex DC 41 half); creatures that fail are entangled for one round. DC is Wisdom-based (10 + half of 32 Hit Dice + 15 Wisdom).
DOMAINS
Followers choose two domains from Healing, Plant, Good and Protection. Healing spells 1–9: cure light wounds, cure moderate wounds, cure serious wounds, cure critical wounds, breath of life, heal, regenerate, mass cure critical wounds, mass heal. Plant: entangle, barkskin, plant growth, command plants, wall of thorns, repel wood, animate plants, control plants, shambler. Good: protection from evil, align weapon, magic circle against evil, holy smite, dispel evil, blade barrier, holy word, holy aura, summon monster IX (good only). Protection: sanctuary, shield other, protection from energy, spell immunity, spell resistance, antimagic field, repulsion, mind blank, prismatic sphere. Use Pathfinder class domain powers and slots.
Danu — D&D 3.5e
Danu, Greater Divine Ancestress
NG Medium Outsider (Extraplanar, Good), Greater Deity (Divine Rank 16); CR 39 (original epic encounter)
Hit Dice 32d8 + 384 (640 hp, divine Hit Dice maximized); Initiative +13; Speed 60 ft., fly 200 ft. (perfect); AC 71 (+9 Dex, +22 natural, +14 deflection, +16 divine), touch 49, flat-footed 62; Base Attack/Grapple +26 (epic progression)/+38; Attack +4 quarterstaff +59 melee (1d6+16 plus 6d6 force); Full Attack +4 quarterstaff +59/+54/+49/+44 melee; Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 (+12) | 28 (+9) | 34 (+12) | 34 (+12) | 40 (+15) | 38 (+14) |
Special Qualities divine rank 16, divine aura 1,600 ft., DR 35/epic and evil, SR 48, immortality, portfolio sense and remote sensing, divine immunities and rank 16 resistances; as a greater deity, Danu treats ability checks, saving throws, attack rolls and damage rolls as if the die rolled its maximum under the greater deity rules (critical threat rules still apply); Saves Fort +48, Ref +45, Will +51 (includes divine rank, epic bonuses and saving-throw feats); Skills Diplomacy +65, Heal +69, Knowledge (nature) +63, Listen +66, Sense Motive +66, Spot +66; Feats Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Skill Focus (Heal), Spring Attack, Weapon Focus (quarterstaff).
DIVINE SPELL-LIKE ABILITIES
Each granted domain spell is usable as a spell-like ability at will (CL 26; save DC 40 + spell level). Her separate innate effects use CL 32 and DC 24 + spell level: entangle at will; heal 3/day; regenerate once daily; mass heal once daily. These follow edition-native spell-like ability action rules.
SALIENT DIVINE ABILITIES (21)
Sixteen salient abilities from divine rank and five bonus abilities from greater-deity standing. The following are original powers, each taking a standard action unless explicitly stated.
Ancestral Hearing (Su). Danu hears the spoken name of a direct descendant within her own estate; this gives no knowledge of their unspoken thoughts.
Hold the Hearth (Su). Three times daily as a standard action, Danu gives up to five allies within 60 feet 80 temporary hit points for one hour.
Tree of Kin (Su). Once daily as a standard action, Danu learns whether two willing creatures are biologically related and their nearest shared ancestor within ten generations.
Great Healing (Su). Three times daily as a standard action, one creature she touches recovers 150 hit points.
Ward the Household (Su). As an immediate action three times daily, Danu reduces damage from one hit against an ally within 60 feet by 60.
Harvest’s Protection (Su). At will as a standard action, Danu protects one acre of tilled soil from mundane frost and drought for seven days.
Remember the Buried (Su). Once daily as a standard action, Danu can ask a deceased ancestor one question by name, as speak with dead (CL 32); she cannot compel a truthful reply.
Shelter of the First Mother (Su). All willing creatures of her choice within 60 feet gain a +4 divine bonus to saving throws against fear while they remain there.
Call the Guardians (Su). Once daily as a standard action, Danu summons four celestial treants to her estate for ten minutes.
Unravel Corruption (Su). Three times daily as a standard action, Danu dispels one disease, poison or curse on an ally she touches, as break enchantment (CL 32).
Open the Otherworld (Su). Once daily as a full-round action, Danu opens a stable two-way gate from her estate to one known sacred grove for ten minutes; only willing travellers may enter.
Root and Stone (Su). Once per 1d4 rounds as a standard action, one target within 120 feet makes Fortitude DC 57 or is entangled for one minute (new save each turn).
Gift of Renewal (Su). Once per week Danu can restore one willing dead creature to life as true resurrection, if the soul is free and willing; this ability takes ten minutes.
Ancestral Witness (Su). Once per day as a standard action, Danu views a past event she personally witnessed in the last thousand years for one minute, but gains no knowledge of unwitnessed events.
Life Unbroken (Su). Once a day, when an ally within 60 feet would die from hit point damage, Danu immediately leaves that ally at 1 hit point instead unless its body was destroyed.
Banish the Usurper (Su). Once daily as a standard action, a hostile outsider within her estate makes Will DC 56 or returns to its home plane (SR applies).
Three Generations (Su). Once daily as a standard action, Danu grants three willing creatures within 60 feet a +4 sacred bonus to Wisdom checks and saves for ten minutes.
First Light (Su). Three times daily as a standard action, a 30-foot burst within 120 feet deals 20d6 force damage to hostile creatures (Reflex DC 57 half; SR applies).
Safe Reunion (Su). Once daily as a standard action, Danu teleports up to eight willing creatures within 30 feet to another place she knows on the same plane.
The Long Memory (Su). Danu cannot be made to forget a personally witnessed event through a mind-affecting effect unless it comes from an equal or higher-rank divine power.
Covenant of the Spring (Su). When she is at her ancestral well, Danu may restore 60 hit points per round to one willing creature within 30 feet as a standard action, no more than ten times daily.
Divine Aura. Within 1,600 feet, Danu can inspire awe or calming reverence (Will DC 40; ordinary divine rank immunity and higher-rank rules apply).
GRANTED DOMAINS
Followers select two from Healing, Plant, Good and Protection. Healing 1–9: cure light wounds, cure moderate wounds, cure serious wounds, cure critical wounds, mass cure light wounds, heal, regenerate, mass cure critical wounds, mass heal. Plant: entangle, barkskin, plant growth, command plants, wall of thorns, repel wood, animate plants, control plants, shambler. Good: protection from evil, aid, magic circle against evil, holy smite, dispel evil, blade barrier, holy word, holy aura, summon monster IX (good only). Protection: sanctuary, shield other, protection from energy, spell immunity, spell resistance, antimagic field, repulsion, mind blank, prismatic sphere. Mortals use cleric domain slots, not Danu’s rank powers.
The Disputed Sword of Light
From the workshops of Goibhniu comes a story of a radiant blade once held by Lugh, then given to Danu. The alleged transfer does not appear in the surviving medieval narratives. The sword below is an original relic that may be a forgery, a stolen treasure or a genuine gift with a deliberately false provenance.
Game Rules for the Relic
D&D 2024. Weapon (Longsword), Artifact (requires attunement). You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. It deals an additional 2d8 Radiant damage to Fiends and Undead. It sheds Bright Light for 30 feet and Dim Light for a further 30 feet, and once per dawn you can use a Magic action to cast Daylight (spell save not required) from the sword. Its light is magical but is not explicitly sunlight for rules requiring sunlight.
D&D 2014. Weapon (longsword), artifact (requires attunement). You gain +3 to attack and damage rolls; attacks against fiends or undead deal 2d8 extra radiant damage. The weapon sheds 30 feet of bright light and another 30 feet of dim light; 1/day it casts daylight using an action. It does not universally prevent invisibility or automatically dispel every darkness spell.
Pathfinder 1e. A +3 holy longsword (major artifact). It deals an extra 2d6 damage to evil creatures, following the published holy weapon special ability, and can create daylight once per day (caster level 15). Its divine provenance is a story hook, not an additional enhancement bonus.
D&D 3.5e. A +3 holy longsword (major artifact), with the edition’s own holy special ability (2d6 additional damage to evil creatures) and daylight once daily (caster level 15). Its item powers are separate from Danu’s divine stat block.
Rules References
These original epic divine statistics and relic powers are presented in each game’s rules conventions. The recommended challenge ratings above the published tables do not carry official experience-point awards.
D&D 2024 monster format · Pathfinder 1e outsider rules · D&D 3.5e divine ranks and powers.
Further Encounters in 1454
Across Ireland, Danu’s presence is strongest in the fields, wells and hidden mounds tended by households that still honour the mother of the divine people. She does not ask adventurers to admire the countryside from a distance: she sends them where a harvest has failed, an old mound has been opened or a cherished creature has gone missing.
At a flooded ford beside the Boyne, a silver torc has washed from an ancient burial mound. The farmer who found it refuses to return it, while Boann’s waters rise around his village. The characters must discover who first buried the treasure, bargain for its return, or find a way to save the village without surrendering it.
In Meath, the cattle of three neighbouring farms sicken overnight, but the deer in the adjoining wood remain healthy. Danu’s keeper suspects a stolen sacred calf; the local smith believes someone has poisoned the grazing. Both demand the party’s help, and choosing the wrong culprit will cost innocent families their winter food.
At Tara, an ageing druid claims to have found a living witness to an ancient quarrel among the Túatha Dé Danann. Danu wants the witness heard; rival divine servants want the testimony buried. The characters decide whether to shelter the witness, expose the truth before the court or keep the peace through silence.
Mythological Sources
The phrase “three gods of Danu” appears in Cath Maige Tuired, although the surviving account does not give the reconstructed goddess a detailed personal biography. The ninth-century Sanas Cormaic identifies Ana as a mother of the Irish gods; whether Ana/Anu and Danu represent one being is disputed. For a discussion of the names, their changing manuscript forms and the distinction between medieval text and reconstruction, see Danu and Anu: Mother Goddesses of the Túatha Dé Danann. The ancestral court, its living goddess, the named 1454 inhabitants and the devotional emblem are campaign material.
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