Is there a celtic god or goddesses of love? Most of them seem war like.?

Answer 1

Despite what many of us were taught around third or fourth grade (or whenever your school taught Greek/Roman mythology), not all cultures neatly package their deities according to abilities. Gods can be complex beings, just like people. Celtic deities have a variety of abilities and roles within stories, but many cannot be neatly categorized. And since the Celts were a warring culture, it makes sense that their deities also frequently warred (although I've heard good arguments why calling them "war gods" might not really be appropriate). So you are more likely to find a figure who falls in love or fights for love than someone whose job it is to represent love.

Answer 2

Branwen, Daughter of Llyr is a major character in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, which is sometimes called the Mabinogi of Branwen after her. Branwen is a daughter of Llyr and Penarddun and is considered the Welsh goddess of love and beauty. She is married to the King of Ireland, but the marriage does not bring peace.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branwen

There are many fertility and nature Gods and Goddesses, which are a far cry from war Gods and Goddesses..
I personally invoke Cerridwen when I am working with Celtic Deities..
Here are some sites that I use :-
http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_myth_europe_celtic_gods_index.htm
http://www.paralumun.com/celticgoddess.htm
http://inanna.virtualave.net/celtic.html
http://www.paralumun.com/celticgod.htm
Blessed Be..)O(

Answer 3

That's kind of the point. Almost every Celtic diety has a warlike aspect for when times go bad and love & diplomacy fail. They were really good about showing their gods as multifaceted expressions of human nature, with multiple, sometimes contradictory aspects. For the most part, Celtic myth deals with goddesses IN love, not goddesses OF love. There are stories of fulfillment, trickery, celebration, and tragedy, in which the goddesses' overriding natures bless or doom their relationships.

Some goddesses to look into in this regard are Aeval, Branwen, Bloduwedd (the woman scorned), Scathach (there's your warrior goddess, but also a tutelary and a lover), and Arianrhod.

Answer 4

As Nightwind said, the gods don't fit neatly into little boxes. Brighid is a blacksmith, but I'd not quite consider her "goddess of blacksmithing" - not in the way that many people consider that title.

There are stories where love is a major theme - Aife, Aine, Bolduwedd, Cuchullain.... the list goes on. But I'm not sure I'd name any of them a god or goddess of love.

Answer 5

that's ok, they all appreciated a human sacrifice now and then.