Artio (pronounced ARE-tee-oh) is the Gaulish Goddess of wild animals, especially bears. She was worshipped in Switzerland, where a bronze statue of her feeding a bear calls her Deae Artioni. She is also associated with fertility and fruition, since breeding bears spend their hibernation pregnant and give birth when they rise in the spring.

Rosmerta is the Gaulish Goddess of warmth and abundance. She was the consort of Esus, who was identified with the Roman Mercury when the Romans spread throughout Gaul. Rosmerta is usually depicted holding a cornucopia or a basket of fruit, or with her arms outspread to give her grace to all. Her name means “great provider”.

Sequana (pronounce sek-oo-ANN-a) is the Gaulish Goddess of the River Seine. The source of the Seine was called the Fontes Sequanae (the Springs of Sequana) by the Gauls, and they built a healing shrine there. When the Romans took over the area, they built temples to Sequana and continued her worship. Her waters were believed to heal physical infirmities, especially diseases of the eye. Her name means “the fast-flowing one” and is also seen as Sequanna, Siquanna, and Secuana.

Eostre (pronounced EES-tra) is the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of the dawn and spring. She was known in Germanic lands as Ostara, and is similar to the Greek Goddess Eos and the Roman Aurora. Eostre’s name gives us our modern words “East”, since that is the direction that dawn arises from, and “Easter”, since her festival occurred at the beginning of spring, the dawn of the year. Modern mythology gives Eostre the symbols of the egg and the hare, both symbols of fertility and new beginnings, but there is no solid evidence of this. One explanation may be that, as Christians reinvented Eostre’s festival into their own celebration, pagans are now taking the Christian symbols associated with Easter and reverse attributing them to Eostre.

Arianrhod (pronounced ahr-ee-AHN-hrod) is the Welsh Goddess of the moon and keeper of the wheel of time. Her name means “silver wheel.” She is the daughter of the Goddess Don (often identified with the Irish Danu), and sister of Gwydion and Gilfaethwy. Her uncle Math was a king who was under a peculiar curse—unless he was at war, he had to rest his feet in the lap of a virgin. When his footholder is raped by Gilfaethwy, Arianrhod offers to take her place. To be sure that she was a virgin, Arianrhod had to step over the wand of Math’s magician. As she did so, she gave birth to two children: a boy named Dylan and another boy who was not fully formed. Dylan, whose name means “son of the wave,” went immediately to the sea and swam away. The other boy was taken by Gwydion and hidden away. Arianrhod had fled in shame back to her castle.

The unformed boy grew quickly and Gwydion took him to see his mother. Arianrhod was still ashamed of what had happened, and she placed three curses on the boy: that he would have no name unless she gave him one; that he would have no weapons unless she gave them to him; and that he would have no human woman as a wife. Gwydion took him away and continued to raise him, while trying to figure out a way around the curses.

When the boy was a bit older, Gwydion disguised himself as a shoemaker and went back to see Arianrhod. While he was fitting her for shoes, the boy threw a stone and killed a bird. Arianrhod noticed, and said that the fair-haired boy had a skillful hand. Gwydion threw off his disguise and pronounced that Arianrhod had named her son–Lleu Llaw Gyffes (shining skillful hand). Thus was one of the curses broken.

A few years later, Gwydion and Lleu returned to Arianrhod’s castle, disguised as bards. Gwydion created an illusion of an armada of ships coming to attack the castle. Arianrhod rushed to arm all within the castle against the invaders, and Lleu was one of those that she armed. Thus was the second of the curses broken.

The last curse, that Lleu would have no human wife, was broken when Gwydion and King Math worked together to form a woman out of flowers. They named her Blodeuwedd (face of flowers), and she became Lleu’s wife.

Arianrhod’s cruelty to her son and Gwydion’s efforts to stop her are not without reason. Gwydion had raped his sister, and he was the father of Dylan and Lleu. Arianrhod never forgave him, and her curses on Lleu were meant as punishment for Gwydion. Despite her unwanted motherhood, the most enduring image of Arianrhod is from a statue which has been dated to 100 C.E., in which she is nursing her sons.

Epona is the Gaulish Goddess of horses, donkeys, and mules. Her worship was adopted by the Roman army and they spread her cult throughout the empire. Epona is usually depicted sitting on a horse or standing with horses around her. She holds a loaf of bread or a horn of plenty, showing that she is also a fertility Goddess. Epona’s name means “great mare” and she was also known as Epane in Spain. The many inscriptions on statues dedicated to her (mostly in Latin) also call her Epona Reginae (queen), Eponina (dear little Epona), Atanta, Potia, Catona, Dibonia, and Vovesia.

Sirona is the Gaulish Goddess of the stars, healing, and fertility. She was worshipped from France in the west to Hungary in the east. She is usually depicted holding a snake (a symbol of healing), and some representations have her carrying three eggs (to symbolize fertility) and wearing a crown of stars. Her name means “star” and is also seen as Dirona and Thirona.

Brighid (pronounced BREED) is the Celtic Goddess of fire. She rules over many types of fire—the fire of the forge (as Goddess of smithcraft and metal working), the fire of the hearth (as Goddess of healing), and the fire of creativity (as Goddess of poetry). Brighid is seen as a triple Goddess, and she is associated with three different spheres—high (leaping flames, tall forts, wisdom), middle (hearth and home), and low (wells and sacred springs).

Brighid’s festival of Imbolc (pronounced IM-molk), celebrated on February 2, is the start of the agricultural year. This is the time when the Goddess in her aspect of Cailleach the Crone drinks from the Well of Youth and is transformed once again into the maiden, Brighid. Imbolc is also known as Candlemas or Saint Brigid’s Day, since Brighid was adopted by the Christians who came to the British Isles.

Variations on Brighid’s name, which means “exalted one,” include Brid, Bride, Brighde, Brigid, Brigindo, Brigandu, Brigan, Brigantia, and Brigantis, and she is also known as:
Breo Saighead (fiery arrow)
Brigit Búadach (victorious)
Brighid-nam-Bratta (Brighid of the Mantle)
Brighid-Muirghin-na-tuinne (conception of the waves)
Brighid-sluagh (of the immortal host)
Brighid-nan-sitheachseang (of the slim fairy folk)
Brighid-Binne-Bheule-lhuchd-nan-trusganan-uaine (song-sweet Brighid of the tribe of the green mantles)
Suibhal-bheann (mountain traveler)
Cú-gorm (grey hound)
Sireadh-thall (seek beyond)
Brighid of the Harp
Brighid of the Sorrowful
Brighid of Prophecy
Brighid of Pure Love
St. Bride of the Isles
Bride of Joy

Ériu (pronounced AIR-ree) is the Celtic Goddess of Ireland. She is one of the Tuatha de Danaan, the people of the Goddess Danu. When the Milesians arrived in Ireland and conquered them, Ériu and her two sisters, Banba and Fodla, all asked that the island be named for them. Ériu won, and the island was named Éire in her honor. Her name means “land of abundance,” and is also seen as Éire, Eyre, and Éiriu.

The Matres are Celtic Goddesses of motherhood and fertility. They are usually depicted in groups of three, since the number three is a particularly favorable magical number. They are shown with one breast bare—as mothers to their followers, it was their duty to feed their worshippers. Often, they hold other symbols of nourishment, such as fruit, a cornucopia, or a loaf of bread. In some depictions, they hold babies, and were associated with fertility rites.