Lugh Samildánach : Irish God Of Justice & The Sovereign Reach Of Lugh Lámfhada | Irish Mythology

The Irish god of nobility and the former king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Lugh is was one of the most important Celtic divinities particularly in Ireland. Lugh of the long arms was more accurately portrayed as a master of all crafts and a cunning warrior, a prominent figure in many stories of Irish mythology, especially where he leads the Tuatha Dé Danann at the second battle of Moy Tura. Despite the popularity of his name in the Celtic world, the meaning behind it has been the source of significant debate causing differences in its pronunciation, often changing from Lug, Lughr and Lugh depending on the account. In a context of Indo-European languages, Lugh is thought to be connected to the Proto-Indo-European word Leuk-, which means brightness or light. This further strengthens his association to the sun, as the deity is often considered a solar figure in Celtic mythology. Lugh was also a trickster who was willing to cheat to overcome his opponents, so the Irish god was in this manner similar to Lugus, a trickster entity pictured by the Romans as the Gaulish Mercury. Lugh went by numerous epithets including the common Lugh Lámfhada, meaning Lugh of the long arms. What seem interesting is that he was given this epithet not because his arms dragged on the ground, but because his weapons extended his reach beyond other warriors’ abilities.