In Irish mythology, Goibniu (; ) was the metalsmith of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He is believed to have been a smithing god and is also associated with hospitality. His name is related to the Welsh Gofannon and the Gaulish Gobannus.
Etymology The name stems from a Proto-Celtic form reconstructed as or , which is derived from the stem , meaning 'smith' (compare: Old Irish , Middle Welsh , Middle Breton , Old Cornish 'smith'; also Gaulish 'with the smiths' < or ). The same stem can be found in the Gaulish deity Deo Cobanno (< ), and in Govannon (< ), the son of the goddess Dôn in Welsh mythology, which may suggest a common origin of the name in Proto-Celtic legends. It is also attested in various personal names, such as the Gaulish , , or , the Old Irish (), the Old Breton , as well as in the toponyms (now Abergavenny), Govan, and (Saint-Gobain).
A Proto-Indo-European (PIE) origin of the stem is controversial, and some scholars have proposed that it is restricted to Celtic. It could be connected to Latin ('craftsman'), via PIE -, although the former is generally derived from (compare Armenian ). Patrizia de Bernardo Stempel has also proposed to derive it from PIE - ('curve, bend'), because bronze was melted and hammered, contrary to iron that was hammered and bended, and Václav Blažek has suggested a relation with the Lithuanian goddess of fire .
Family The name of his father appears as Esarg or Tuirbe Trágmar, the 'thrower of axes'.Part I Book IV: The Dagda of ‘Gods and Fighting Men,’ by Lady Gregory, (1904), available at http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/gafm/gafm12.htm Goibniu is often grouped together with his two brothers Credne the silversmith and Luchta the carpenter as the Trí Dée Dána (three gods of art), who forged the weapons which the Tuath Dé used to battle the Fomorians. Alternatively, he is grouped with Credne and Dian Cecht the physician.Section 62 of the Lebor Gabála Érenn, available in translation at http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/lebor4.html#55 He is explicitly named as the brother of Dian Cécht and Nuada in the Second Battle of Moytura (Mag Tuired)The Second Battle of Moytura Section 74, 75 Goibniu's unnamed wife was said to be buried in a cave at Drogheda.
Mythology When Nuada's arm is cut off in battle, Goibniu crafts him a new one of silver; thus he is known as Nuada Airgetlám "Nuada of the Silver Arm". He also makes weapons for the gods. In the Lebor Gabála Érenn, he is described as "not impotent in smelting",Section 64 of the Lebor Gabála Érenn, available in translation at http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/lebor4.html#55 and is said to have died, along with Dian Cecht, of a "painful plague". During the Second Battle of Moytura, Goibniu is speared by Brígh's son Ruadán, but he removes the spear and kills Ruadán with it.The Second Battle of Moytura Section 125
Goibniu also acts as a hospitaller who furnishes feasts for the gods. According to the Acallam na Senórach and Altram Tige Dá Medar, the feast of Goibniu was bestowed on the warriors of the Tuatha Dé by Manannán to protect them from sickness and decay.The Book of Fermoy "The Fosterage off the House of the Two Pails" He is said to be the owner of the Glas Gaibhnenn, the magical cow of abundance and in surviving folklore also has a magical bridle for the cow.
In the St Gall incantations,The St. Gall Incantations. Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus edited and translated by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan. Cambridge: University Press, 1903. Goibniu is invoked against thorns (either literal or metaphorical):
Nothing is higher than heaven, nothing is deeper than the sea. By the holy words that Christ spake from His Cross remove from me the thorn, a thorn..... very sharp is Goibniu’s science, let Goibniu’s goad go out before Goibniu’s goad!
This charm is laid in butter which goes not into water and (some) of it is smeared all round the thorn and it (the butter) goes not on the point nor on the wound, and if the thorn be not there one of the two teeth in the front of his head will fall out.Jones, Mary "The St. Gall Incantations"
Goibniu is believed to have appeared on earth as both the Gobán Saor, a master craftsman, and as the enchanted smith Lon mac Liomtha. He may also be the same figure as Culann.
Folklore In the folklore of Ireland, there are several figures variously named Gavida and Gavigan who play a role in the birth of Lugh. These figures are identified as smiths and own a fabulous cow, the Glas Gaibhnenn. In the story featuring Gavigan, the cow here called Glas Gavigan, is taken by Balor and only returned after Gavigan makes trees grow on Tory Island. In this tale, Gavigan is introduced to Balor's daughter and becomes the father of Lugh. In another version of the story, Gavida is named as a smith and a brother of Mac Kineely and Mac Samthainn; in this version, Mac Kineely owns the famous cow whom Balor steals and later becomes the father of Lugh.
Gaibhlen is another figure identified as the smith of the Tuatha De, who owned a gigantic cow. His furnace was located at Doire-na-tuan where he melted the ore of the iron mountain Sliabh an Iarainn. There has been a forge at that location ever since.
See also Gobán Saor Gobnait Gofannon Gobannus Goblin Hephaestus
References Citations
Primary sources Lebor Gabála Érenn—The Book of Invasions Cath Maige Tuireadh—The (second) Battle of Magh Tuireadh Oidheadh Chlainne Tuireann—The Death of the Children of Tuireann Altram Tige Dá Medar ed. and trans. Maighréad ni C. Dobs. Zeitschrift für Celtische Philologie vol. 18 (1929–30). The Fosterage of the House of the Two Milk-Pails. The St. Gall Incantations. Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus edited and translated by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan. Cambridge: University Press, 1903.
Secondary sources
James MacKillop (1998). Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. London: Oxford. .