While writing my Crown of Tír na nÓg trilogy, I took inspiration from the Celtic mythology, especially their notion of the Fair Folk. I learned a lot about the different creatures that exist within that notion (such as faeries, pixies, pookas, and faoladhs) but also about the different deities associated with the faerie belief. One such deity is the Welsh Goddess Dôn. The Encyclopedia Britannica describes as follows:
Dôn, in Celtic mythology, leader of one of two warring families of gods; according to one interpretation, the Children of Dôn were the powers of light, constantly in conflict with the Children of Llyr, the powers of darkness. In another view, the conflict was a struggle between indigenous gods and those of an invading people. Although Dôn and other Welsh deities had Irish analogues (the Irish goddess Danu, e.g.), the stories surrounding them differed, and the Welsh mythology has only partially survived.
The Dôn that exists within my books’ universe isn’t supposed to be a 100% authentic retelling of the Dôn that exists in Celtic mythology. I’m no historian, and there’s so much that I don’t know about all these deities. I also took some liberties with my interpretation of the Children of Dôn. In my universe, her children are all the faeries and pixies, which she created during the making of Tír na nÓg. In a similar vein, my version of Llyr created all the creatures of the sea, such as merrows and kelpies. Cernunnos created the pookas and faoladhs, while Morrígan created the Wild Hunt.
The Fair Folk and their belief
Within my universe, most faeries and pixies rever Dôn as their one true god. They acknowledge the existence of the other deities, but it is Dôn that they pray to. Her name has become part of their everyday language as well, with phrases such as “So help me Dôn” or “What in the name of Dôn.”
Countless stories are told about Dôn, and my characters first talk about the goddess in Seelie Princess (Book 1 of the Crown of Tír na nÓg) when Nooa tells Fay:
Legend says that the Deities—or Giants, like some call them—were the first to arrive here in Tír na nÓg. They settled in peace and brought mortals into the newly founded world. The magic of Tír na nÓg rendered them by giving them powers and abilities beyond the human notion. It turned them into faeries, pixies, and pookas, and many other creatures. But soon, two of the Giants turned against each other: Dôn, the mother of the Light Children, which are the faeries and pixies; and Llyr, the father of the Children of the Dark, which are the merrows and selkies. They were blind in their hatred, in their meaningless battle over land, that they did not see the real danger.
To which Maeve then adds:
Her name was Morrígan, [..] and she was controlling the Wild Hunt, who she sent out into the mortal world to steal the souls of humans. She and her army had to be stopped, as they were wrongfully abusing human souls and causing havoc in Tír na nÓg. And so Dôn and Llyr were forced to fight together. According to the story, Dôn had the Treasures of Light made, the only instruments capable of defeating Morrígan.
The Mother Goddess as a pivotal character
In my version, Dôn (also referred to as the Mother Goddess or Goddess of Light) was in conflict with Llyr only in the beginning, before the two were forced to work together in their fight against Morrígan, who wished to lay claim on all of Tír na nÓg. Dôn created four powerful Treasures of Light, which combined were strong enough to banish Morrígan. After that, all the deities vanished from Tír na nÓg, presumably fleeing to the spirit realm.
Dôn and her four treasures are mentioned several times throughout Book 1 and 2, and they all play a vital role in the final book of the series. One of the characters actually gets to meet the elusive deity! But that’s all I’m going to say now.
During my time writing the Crown of Tír na nÓg trilogy, I went through countless drafts and different versions, but Dôn’s character was one that was with me from the beginning. When I had first read about her and her Children of Light, I was so intrigued that I kept coming back, and as I went on, Kayla’s story became more intertwined with Dôn’s. And even though I’m done with Kayla’s journey, there’s still a lot more about Dôn that I want to uncover.
Sources:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Dôn”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Jul. 1998, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Don-Celtic-goddess. Accessed 9 October 2023.
Sarah Tanzmann 
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