Dian Cécht – Jealous Celtic Healer Who Cured Many But Killed His Own Son

A. Sutherland  – AncientPages.com – Among many gods in the mythology of the Irish Celts, we find Dian Cécht, one of the Tuatha de Danann (“children of Dana”), sometimes considered to be a son of the Dagda, a father deity of the Celtic pantheon, known as the good god.

Tuatha de Danann were god-like beings with supernatural abilities, who came to Ireland thousands of years ago. Similar capacities also possessed Dian Cecht, the god of healing, and the divine physician of the Tuatha de Danann.

He was also one of the five chieftains that constituted the general staff of the Tuatha. The others included the King Nuada, Dagda, the god who specialized in druidic magic, Ogma,  responsible for the successful pursuit of warfare, and Goibniu, a skilled swordsmith Tuatha De Danann who forged weapons for battles.

Many magicians and artisans accompanied the chieftains.

The name of Dian Cécht was composed of the two Old Irish words: dían ‘swift’ and cécht, ‘power,’ can mean: ‘swift power.’ Two of Dian Cécht’s six children, son Miach and daughter Airmid, became healers. Miach was superior to his father in surgery, and his daughter Ayrmid was an excellent herbalist. Another son, Cian, became a proud father of the most important god, Lugh (Lugh Lamhfada), a warrior, a king, a master craftsman, and a savior.

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