Anu (Irish goddess) explained

Anu or Ana (sometimes given as Anann or Anand) is the name of a goddess mentioned briefly in Irish mythology.

Myths and sources

The 9th century Sanas Cormaic (Cormac's Glossary) says in its entry for her:

"Ana – mother of the gods of Ireland; well did she feed the gods".She may be a goddess in her own right,^[1] or an alternate name for Danu. In the Lebor Gabála Érenn, Anand is given as another name for The Morrígan.^[2] As her name is often conflated with a number of other goddesses, it is not always clear which figure is being referred to if the name is taken out of context.^[1] The name may be derived from the Proto-Celtic theonym *Φanon-.^{[3] [4]}

Anu has particular associations with Munster: the pair of breast shaped hills known as the Paps of Anu (Dá Chích Anann or "the breasts of Anu")^[5] in County Kerry are said to have been named after her.^[2]

While an Irish goddess, in parts of Britain a similar figure is referred to as “Gentle Annie”, in an effort to avoid offence, a tactic which is similar to referring to the fairies as “The Good People”.^[6]

Bibliography

• Book: MacKillop, James . 1998 . Dictionary of Celtic Mythology . Oxford, UK . Oxford University Press . 0-19-280120-1.
• Book: Wood, Juliette . 2002 . The Celts: Life, Myth, and Art . Thorsons Publishers . 0-00-764059-5.

Notes and References

1. Book: MacKillop, James . 1998 . Dictionary of Celtic Mythology . Oxford, UK . Oxford University Press . 0-19-280120-1 . 10, 16, 128.
2. Book: Macalister, R.A. Stewart . Lebor Gabála Érenn . Book of Invasions of Ireland . Part IV, § VII . Irish Texts Society . Dublin, IE . 1941 . First Redaction.
3. Web site: Celtic Lexicon . The Celtic Languages and Cultural Identity . Cardiff, Wales . . Centre for Advanced Welsh Celtic Studies .
4. Web site: Indo-European database . Leiden, NL . . https://web.archive.org/web/20060211181501/http://www.indo-european.nl/cgi-bin/query.cgi?root=leiden&basename=%5Cdata%5Cie%5Cceltic . 11 February 2006.
5. Web site: The Paps of Anu . Prehistoric and Early Ireland . 2011-03-23 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160312172305/http://megalithomania.com/show/site/1413 . 2016-03-12.
6. Web site: Black Annis, Gentle Annie . whitedragon.org.uk .