Finch 3E

Lugh
Short Description: God of the Sea
Symbols: Narwhal
Patronage: Sailors
Code: None other than to respect the sea and sea creatures.
Alignment: CN
Culture of Prominence: Galtic
Domains: Water, Luck, Protection, Travel, Air.
Typical Worshippers: Sailors.

Symbol of Annorn

Lugh is the God of the Sea and of all creatures in the sea. He is sometimes portrayed as a man with flowing blue-gray hair, a massive metal torc about his neck, bare-chested and with tartan trousers of blue, green and black, but he is not said to ever manifest himself in any shape at all.

Offerings to Lugh are normally made at druidic holy places as well as in temples. Those who seek Lugh’s favor, such as a safe journey or a bountiful catch of fish will leave their offerings in the sacred groves of the druids, or in the stone circles. Some of the druidae of the Green Mother seem to have a particular affinity for Lugh and for his realm, but they do not lose their affinity for the land as a result. In Rowanslieg, there are certain druids of the Shalm who seem to be Water-Druids, although their power is still tied up in the use of mistletoe, rowan and oak.

Clerics of Lugh are actually quite common, though not nearly so numerous as the priestesses of the White Goddess. Those who are blessed with spellcasting by Lugh are an impossibly random lot; their only characteristic is that none of them are evil. Indeed, many of them are totally impious, do not pray to Lugh until they need help, and then receive whatever spells they plead for. They will take opposite sides of the same fight, and even kill each other on occasion, without the slightest concern that such behavior would anger the god. They do not proselytize or preach, but they are experts on the various little rituals that maintain a sailor’s luck, and they are good luck for any ship which has one of them on board. Some of them are even afraid of the water, and everyone has heard the Ballad of Owen the Seasick, probably the most famous of all of the clerics of Lugh.

The clerics of Lugh barely form an organized church. Their temples are usually poorly maintained and small in size, often supplementing income by maintaining a sacred tavern in the temple itself. It is considered lucky to drink with a cleric of Lugh (at least, for sailors), but to really secure the favor of the god, or to honor him, one makes an offering at a temple or in a druidic grove.

Ceremonies of Lugh:
Sousing Day: A non-druidic festival invented by the clerics of Lugh, on which everyone drinks until they can’t stand up any more, at which time they are said to have reached “sea level,” a mark of respect for the god.
The Greenwitch: Coastal villages build a huge being out of green branches and foliage, tie ribbons all around it, and throw it into the water from a cliff, or from a boat, as an offering to Lugh.
Lughsday: In coastal and river villages, the druids process to the edge of the water, and then through shallows to a stone, where one of them stands to sing the praises of Lugh. On this day, druidic followers wear a blue cloth armband or headband, or a metal armband, torc or headband with a dolphin upon it.

Version of 10-16-02

Author: Matthew J. Finch

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Copyright July 2002, Matthew J. Finch, all rights reserved. No claim is made to any intellectual property of others, including WOTC.

All content is Closed Game Content other than game specific descriptions.

OGL: Open Game License