Honoring Lugh

Lughnassadh (Lammas) is, among other things, a celebration of the Celtic god Lugh (also Lleu or Lugus), the god of nobility. Lugh was both a warrior and a craftsman (ah, the heart of a warrior, soul of an artist), and is well known for his many, many talents. 

He is often called Lugh “of the long arm,” which likely refers to his trusty magical spear and NOT—I am assured by folks who are have far more expertise than I in Celtic myth and essentially everything else—an asymmetry caused by hauling his suitcase through Heathrow for hours on end.

In one of the popular tales of Lugh, he arrives at the Hill of Tara and seeks entry to the court of Nuada. The guard will only permit his entry if he has a skill he can offer the king. “I’m a poet,” Lugh offers. “Got one,” the guard replies. “A smith?” “Got one of those, too.” “A swordsman? A sorcerer? A harpist? A healer?” “Yep. Yep. Yep. And yep.” (This guard was a bit of a smarty pants.) After confirming that there were members of the kingdom with each of the skills Lugh had to offer, Lugh finally asked, “Well is there anyone who can do all of these?”

That stumped Smarty Pants, and Lugh was welcomed into Tara. (The Hill. I am fairly certain I have not entertained a Celtic god.) 

The moral of the tale is “never attempt to out-smarty-pants a trickster god.”

In another tale, he discovers the brothers who murdered his beloved father. He offered to let the brothers live, but only if they complete a list of quests similar to Herculean tasks. The trick is that each quest results in a weapon that Lugh and his Tuatha Dé Dannan army can use to destroy the brothers and their allies. To add insult to injury, the final weapon will kill the brothers as soon as they touch it. Thus their quandary is to either complete the quest that will result in their deaths or refuse the quest and be subject to Lugh’s retribution.

The final weapon was not literally a rock, but it certainly put the brothers between a rock and a hard place. They died.

Though I’m not in the market for scary weapons to vanquish my enemies (at least not that I’m willing to admit), I admire the trickster god’s ability to use his wit to help protect his people (as is reflected in my previous blog post on Trickster Deities). I could use a multitude of skills to get through my every day and serve my community. And I will admit, I also enjoy being a smarty pants. It’s a good time to channel the spirit of Lugh!

Summer is Lugh’s time, culminating in his holy day of Lughnassadh on August 1^st. As a craftsman and trickster, he offers us many ways to honor him during this season. 

Ways to Honor Lugh

• Learn a new hobby or revisit an old one.
• Make a list of all your talents. Ask friends to add to the list (chances are, you’ll be too humble). Thank Lugh for all you can do.
• Visit a farmer’s market or local fruit stand to stock up on seasonal produce.
• Read a funny story. I myself am partial to some Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams with a dash of Wodehouse, but whatever will tickle your fancy and remind you of trickster energy will do. (NPR has an excellent list of 100 of the funniest book of all time.)
• Create something. Lugh would likely inspire a poem, a song, a magic spell, a historical novel, or a metal work. But any creation will please him greatly.
• Study one of the healing arts—Reiki, massage, herbal medicine, etc.—or take a first aid/CPR class.
• Listen to a crow song (or a Crow song!) The crow is one of Lugh’s sacred animals.
• Watch “Dancing at Lughnassa”—either the play (if you can find it in production nearby) or the Hollywood adaptation.
• Dance and sing and play music, even if you don’t count these among your talents. They can still be fun and connect you with trickster spirit.
• Bake a loaf of bread in honor of Lammas or “Loaf Mass,” the other name for Lughnassadh.
• Learn to play Fidchell, a Celtic board game that Lugh invented.
• Incorporate any of the above into a Lughnassadh ritual for yourself or your spiritual group.
• Carry a heavy bag through Heathrow for a few hours. Measure the length of your arms before and after. Please let me know your results.

A Song for the Trickster Lugh

In my own creative ventures this summer, a new song for the Trickster has emerged. I suspect Lugh would approve. We are recording this song as a duet between Tara Kreauweaumonn and Deb Kroehwimwin on the Crow Women’s upcoming fourth album.

Chorus:
On a portentous day trickster rolls into town
Saying what’s up when it’s clear that it’s down
Don’t know where he’s going
Can’t tell where’s he been
Everyone knows he’s peddling some kind of sin.
Yet we’re still buying
The tales when he’s lying
Cause the worst of his trick’s when there’s no trick at all.

He comes in many colors, every gender and shape
He’s always a “he” ‘cept when he ain’t.
Sometimes he’s a creature. Sometimes he’s a man.
He’s the cleverest god to be walking the land.

Trickster is foolish even when he’s wise
He’s a master of wordplay, Lord of Disguise.
Transiting boundaries of spirit and earth
Creating, inventing, and proving his worth.

(Chorus)

Don’t trust him with your children, your food, or your wife
I swear you’ll regret it the rest of your life.
His wit and charisma will make you forget
Last time he deceived you and left you for dead.

He steals from the gods. He steals from his friends.
He doesn’t distinguish the means from the ends.
Sometimes he’s a hero. Sometimes he’s a fiend.
Vital life lessons are veiled in his schemes.

(Chorus)

Coyote and Loki, Hermes and Lugh
Anansi, Brer Rabbit, Raven, Eshu
Odin and Reynard, Kokopelli
Elegua, Apollo, Eris, Monkey King

(Chorus)

“Trickster Song” by Tara Kiene, to be released in 2023 on the next Crow Women album

For more resources for celebrating Lughnassad, check out our Lammas / Lughnassad page here on Pagan Song. It has blog posts with recipes, chants, ritual outlines, a great Spotify playlist of music for this Sabbat.