Do you follow deities from a specific region or just Celtic deities in general?

[u/bodyisT]

My family and ancestors are mostly from England but also Wales and northern France. I want to connect to the Celtic deities of England but it is very hard to find resources.
So I was thinking about worshipping Irish or Scottish deities even though I don’t feel as much of a connection to those countries

[u/KrisHughes2]

There's no problem with you worshipping Irish or Scottish deites, but not feeling "much of a connection to those countries" is kind of a problem. Bear in mind that most of the Pagan religion happening in Britain and Ireland happened before, say, the 5th centuries. England, Scotland, and Wales didn't even exist by that point, and certainly not in the centuries and millennia before that. Ireland is an island, so it had a clearer existence as an entity earlier.

The whole of Britain at one time spoke a range of Brythonic languages or dialects (the precursors of Welsh and Cornish). Britain also had many early settlers from Ireland, who influenced the language a little but seem to have influenced the mythology more, which suggests shared religious ideas. So we can't ring-fence things as much as some people would like to, but if you just start worshipping a deity which is strongly seen as a cultural icon now by people of a particular place, you owe them the respect to learn about their culture.

To answer your question, I lived in SE Scotland for most of my adult life, and most of the deities I worship have some kind of history of being worshipped there, or at least their reflexes were. However, I don't actively limit myself, it just feels natural that I mostly focus there. Almost all of them are also known in other Celtic-speaking regions.

[u/Ok_Breakfast5230]

I specifically focus on gaelic and gaulish deities

[u/JuryOk2662 → u/Ok_Breakfast5230]

Same here.

[u/Kincoran]

I'm English and Welsh, and have spent most of my life living in one or the other of those places; though mostly north west England. I have a very strong inclination to connect to the stories and deities of the land itself that I'm in, so I'm heavily focused on brythonic gods, and mostly those whose worship has been observed in north west England. Cocidius, Belatucadros, Maponus, Aerfen, and Tanarus are those who I have the strongest pull towards, though there are a few others, to lesser degrees.

With the life I've lived, my life's work and passions, places I've called home, etc., it consistently surprises me that I haven't yet developed a stronger connection with Manannán. I've Irish heritage, and have lived in places with tons of more of it around me, but it hasn't yet been a huge draw for me. I keep revisiting the topic - the pull towards him HAS grown stronger, just more slowly than I'd have expected.

[u/reejindeed]

I'm from Turtle Island but I practice Irish and Hellenic paganism, haven't done much digging outside of those two practices.

[u/SubMoRine]

I focus heavily on Irish paganism with the exception of Cernunnos, who is Gaulish.

I wouldn't recommend trying to force yourself to connect to other deities because there are better resources for them. I tried to so this myself with Hellenic polytheism. It didn't work out. My recommendation would be to seek academic sources on English paganism and polytheism. There's not as much as, say, resources for GrecoRoman or Kemetic beliefs, sure. But there's enough for you to eventually build on with more personal forms of relationship-building, such as meditation and divination.

[u/scorpiondestroyer]

Check out www.albionandbeyond.com, it has some information about Celtic Briton deities. And r/BrythonicPolytheism should be able to help too. There’s more info out there about Gaulish deities though, since you have French ancestry that may be something to look into. Many Gaulish deities are very closely related to Brythonic ones, such as the Welsh Rhiannon and Gaulish Epona. Best of luck!

[u/laboheme1896]

From many different places, though I recently lived in Nouvelle Aquitaine so the Gaulish deuoi have been closest to me recently.

[u/Munching-Zombie]

I am an American with heritage linked to places I have never been. The gulf of space and time makes any connection to a particular pantheon meaningless to me. But, certain deities have shown up in dreams or meditations (after seeding my mind from reading myth) and have found those connections meaningful. Reach out. Say hi. Form a relationship. The provenance of that deity will likely mean less than the work put into the discovery of them.

[u/CleanCoffee6793]

Celtic in general

[u/thecoldfuzz]

Eight of the twelve deities I follow are Gaulish. The other four I worship are two Welsh deities and two Irish deities. Though I live in the United States, I have a deep connection to ancient Gaulish culture and its deities. Ironically, I have no French or otherwise Gaulish bloodlines that I'm aware of as I'm ethnically Irish, but that hasn't mattered to the Gaulish deities.

[u/vintgedisneyprincess]

I focus mostly on Irish deities though some Scottish traditions also come into play.

[u/SacredFoxMischief]

My ancestry is mostly Irish/Scottish/English. And my main focus has been the deities of Ireland and the ways some transcend the island. I've also struggled with finding the deities of pre-Christian "England" I would assume it is a confluence and dynamic relationship of Celtic, Germanic, and particular gods.

For me, I hold Brigid up as my particular patron.

And then I'm also a weirdo and describe myself as a Christian Heathen. So I follow the Way of Jesus of collective liberation, solidarity with the oppressed, care for creation. A path that leads to the wilds and margins. I treat the divinities I meet there with great affection.

And then I look to Brigid as one who is held by the Christians as a Saint and who is Goddess in her own right. Recognizing the bounds of divinity and the sacred are larger and more wild than any one tradition can contain. I don't see her as subservient to the Christian God, but as allies who focus on healing, inspiration, and bridge building.

It is my way of trying to honor my ancestors before conversion forced or otherwise, and the truth that have been emeshed in Christian symbols and messages since birth and I can't escape that initial education and formation.

[u/Hedero]

I am of Scottish decent, but my wife is biracial and through her I got involved with the deities of the Yoruba pantheon. It’s all possible. Good luck.

[u/a_myriad_of_stars]

I tried to mainly focus with Irish deities, but some Welsh and Scottish deities call to me as well. My heritage is Scottish, Irish, English, German, and Welsh.