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Dagda the ‘Good God’, Irish God of Abundance and Fecundity

This Celtic mythology art is a representation of the Irish God Dagda. He is the ‘Good God’, because he is good at everything he does. He is also the god of the tribes and ancestors. I wanted to do a piece to diversify my portfolio’s usual subject matter. While this piece will no doubt seem very grim and dark to some, it is actually not at all.

In this painting Dagda is seen in the Celtic other world. He is waiting for the hour of Samhain (Halloween, to most, but literally it means summers end in Gaelic.), so that the feast and procession of the ancestors may commence. His cauldron, that in legend is ever replenishing, is upside down awaiting to be overturned for the feast.

His foot is over a hounds skull. This is to show the usual ‘rules’ separating the worlds are overpowered. His pose is casual and patient.His mallet is at rest after a full harvesting of the earths bounty. On the sides you will notice Ravens representing his two goddess consorts Mór Ríoghain and Boann.

The color scheme, while not as vibrant as works in the Book of Kells or the Lindisfarne Gospels, is chosen specifically to reflect the colors of nature during Autumn. In the text area I chose ancient runes to write out the evocation/prayer. Ideally I might have translated it to the Gaelic language and then used the uncial alphabet. I ultimately decided that runes would add more to the mood of the piece. Furthermore, I decided to leave it in english so that it could be deciphered more easily. It reads:

Dagda, Good God, Father of all, your generosity

we summon here to our hearth.

Ancestors of our grandparents, all of your wisdom

we summon here to our hearth.

Ever bind to our fate your blessings,

as we share the feast of abundant earth.

The photo above can’t reflect its amazing beauty at this size. The original painting is 22″ x 30 ” on 300 lb watercolor paper. Prints of this piece will be available soon as well as postcards.

Posted in Art Work Completed, Celtic Mythology, Irish Mythology

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Autumn’s Kiss

Autumn’s Kiss

To hear the sound of a hushed leaf fall

in the womb of autumns day,

and hear the fade of the robins call

as it wings from winters sway,

To smell the scent of burning leaves,

and watch the roll of listless clouds,

To see the wind sweep through the trees,

and stir the crows upon the boughs,

To tread the paths of retreating wood,

footsteps winding through amber and gold,

To feel whirlwinds whipping where I’ve stood,

leaving my lips to tremble with cold.

Ah yes, to dance in that sweet lascivious air,

and embrace Autumn’s Kiss which has no compare.

© Brenda D. Baker

My poetry is published only here.I ask that if you choose to share my poetry on the internet you always link back to this page, and only do so for personal use.

Posted in Poetry and Prose

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Into Autumn

I love the onset of Autumn. Last week I saw canada geese on wing going south. This week my back yard has been frequented with robins and golden shafted flickers. The robins are so hungry and so numerous they are even hunting for insects up in the pines. It is usually around the harvest moon that I notice the wrens on wing.The squirrels too have started their angry fall chatter, So I know the walnuts are at the ripening. The trees are not holding so tight to their leaves in the storm. Some have even started to change colors.

The smell of the air is changing, and becoming cooler every week. I can’t wait to start out in the field to catch some stills of the season. Even more, I know I must keep the promise I made to myself to visit the old growth oak forest nearby. It is a follow up to a dream that I know I must act out.

Four large acorns, I planted in four corners of a plot of land. The acorns were enormous! I researched and found that the Burr Oak is the largest and that there is a large old growth forest nearby that is full of this type of oak. It was all in line with my objectives for the year. 1)Creating clear boundaries. 2) Maintaining and enforcing those boundaries. 3) Creating Sacred space for my work, within those boundaries. It is also clearly a strong and potent sign for all initiatives ‘planted’ this year. One that the potential is huge, but also a caution for the long reaching implications/permanence that will result from things taken on this year.

All and all it is exciting! I will be doing paintings of the oldest and largest oak I can find. The whole scale of it, the acorns, the leaves, and in the spring the flowering pollen fronds. If there are any notable burrs or nests, then those as well. I am hoping to do some more play at moon photography too, Perhaps I can find some tips on using a telescope in conjunction with it. (not that I fair well at using the telescope just by itself anyway.) I will let Chris help with that one.

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