Lesson plan
Ecne
In Celtic mythology, Ecne (Wisdom, Old Irish ecna, ecne, wise, enlightened) was one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and was the god or goddess of wisdom. Ecne is generally presumed to be the grandson of the goddess Ana/Anu who conceived Ecne after being impregnated by her three sons. Ana's three sons may have been Brian, Iuchar, and Iucharba, who were sons of Tuireann, aka Delbáeth. Thus Ecne's three fathers were perhaps these brothers Brian, Iuchar, and Iucharba (of Oidheadh Chlainne Tuireann). Since the brothers were sired by Tuireann/Delbáeth upon his own daughter Danand, the brothers too were born out of an incestual relationship. The brothers are called the tri dee Donand, meaning the three gods of Danu, which can also be read as the three gods of dán, or knowledge. Related attributes are personified as their descendants, and Wisdom is the daughter of all three. Ecne's three fathers killed Cian, the father of Lugh, and Lugh's deadly revenge is recounted in Oidheadh Chlainne Tuireann ("The Fate of the Children of Tuireann'). In Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions, James Bonwick reports Ecne as female and as the goddess of poetry.
Article summary
In Celtic mythology, Ecne (Wisdom, Old Irish ecna, ecne, wise, enlightened) was one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and was the god or goddess of wisdom. Ecne is generally presumed to be the grandson of the goddess Ana/Anu who conceived Ecne after being impregnated by her three sons. Ana's three sons may have been Brian, Iuchar, and Iucharba, who were sons of Tuireann, aka Delbáeth. Thus Ecne's three fathers were perhaps these brothers Brian, Iuchar, and Iucharba (of Oidheadh Chlainne Tuireann). Since the brothers were sired by Tuireann/Delbáeth upon his own daughter Danand, the brothers too were born out of an incestual relationship. The brothers are called the tri dee Donand, meaning the three gods of Danu, which can also be read as the three gods of dán, or knowledge. Related attributes are personified as their descendants, and Wisdom is the daughter of all three. Ecne's three fathers killed Cian, the father of Lugh, and Lugh's deadly revenge is recounted in Oidheadh Chlainne Tuireann ("The Fate of the Children of Tuireann'). In Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions, James Bonwick reports Ecne as female and as the goddess of poetry.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.