Editing Danu (Irish goddess) (section)

==In mythology==
Danu has no surviving myths or legends associated with her in any of the [[middle Irish|medieval Irish]] texts.

===Approximate matches ''Anu'' and ''Danand'' in Irish texts===
[[Sanas Cormaic|''Cormac's Glossary'']], a text that predates the ''Lebor Gabala Erenn'', names the goddess [[Anu (Irish goddess)|''Anu'']] as the mother of the gods.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}{{efn|
If the reconstructed name *''Danu'' refers to the goddess ''Anu'', then ''Danu'' might be a contracted form of the Old Irish phrase *''d[ia] Anu'' ("god Anu") or *''[ban]d[ia] Anu'' ("goddess Anu").
}}Some scholars suggest that Danu was a conflation of Anu and is the same goddess.<ref name=":0" /> This may also connect Danu to [[The Morrígan]], which some scholars say is an epithet for Anu.<ref name=":0" />

The closest figure in Irish texts to a ''Danu'' would then be ''[[Danand]]'', daughter of [[Delbáeth]].<ref name=":0" /> In the ''[[Lebor Gabála Érenn]]'' (''The Book of the Taking of Ireland''), it is noted the ''[[Tuatha Dé Danann|Tuatha dé Danann]]'' get their name from Danand and Delbáeth's three sons: [[Brian (mythology)|Brian]], Iuchar, and Iucharba. These three are called the "Gods of Dannan".<ref>{{cite LGE}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> MacLeod notes that Danu's three sons might be better fit by the craftsmen deities, [[Goibniu]], [[Luchtaine|Luchta]], and [[Creidhne]] and suggests that the gods of danu may refer to them.<ref name=":0" />

Danu's association with fertility can be seen in relation to the [[Paps of Anu|Paps of Danu]] (also known as the Paps of Anu), Paps meaning "breasts."<ref name=":0" />

Another possible match is in the [[Dindsenchas]] poem on ''Codal'', which refers to a Danainn, wife of Ganaan. Danainn is the mother of a daughter named Gorn.<ref name=":0" />

Some texts list Danu as a ''bantúathach'' (witch or sorceress) or ''bandrúi'' (female druid) of the ''Tuatha Dé Danaan''.<ref name=":0" />

===Welsh parallels===
She has possible parallels with the Welsh legendary figure [[Dôn]] in the medieval tales of the ''[[Mabinogion]]'', whom most modern scholars consider to be a mythological [[mother goddess]].<ref>{{harvnb|Ó hÓgáin|1999|p=65}}</ref> This may be supported by theories that Dôn's name may also come from a root referring to rivers.<ref name=":0" /> This connection also supports the theory that the gods of skill associated with Danu are Goibhniu and his two brothers, as one of Dôn's offspring is Gofannon, the Welsh equivalent of Goibhniu.<ref name=":1" />

However, [[Dôn]]'s gender is not specified in the ''[[Mabinogion]]'', and some medieval Welsh antiquarians presumed Dôn to be male.<ref>{{harvnb|Bartrum|1993|pp=230-231}}</ref>

Dôn's divine offspring include [[Gofannon]], the Welsh equivalent of Goibniu.<ref name=":0" />