From the dazzling Tuatha Dé Danann to the haunting hills of the sídhe, Celtic mythology spans Irish, Welsh, Scottish, and Breton traditions.
This set moves from friendly warm-ups to deep-cut lore, covering gods, heroes, Otherworlds, festivals, symbols, and the manuscripts that preserved them.
Why Celtic Mythology Makes Great Trivia
Celtic myth is a mosaic of living place-names, seasonal rites, and unforgettable characters.
You’ll meet craft gods and warrior queens, tricksters and poets, and creatures that slip between sea-spray and starlight.
Much of the lore survives in medieval manuscripts, where pre-Christian myth mingles with later literary artistry, perfect for questions that range from accessible to delightfully challenging.
Gods & Goddesses of the Tuatha Dé Danann
Q: Who are the Tuatha Dé Danann?
A: A supernatural people of Ireland, “the people of the goddess Danu.”
Q: Which figure gives the group its name?
A: Danu, often interpreted as a mother-goddess.
Q: What is the Dagda known as?
A: “The Good God,” generous lord of plenty and skill.
Q: What does the Dagda’s cauldron do?
A: It never runs empty; none leave unsatisfied.
Q: Which sea-god ferries travelers in mist?
A: Manannán mac Lir.
Q: Lugh’s epithet “Lámhfhada” means what?
A: “Long-armed,” hinting at unmatched skill and reach.
Q: Brigid presides over which three arts?
A: Poetry, smithcraft, and healing.
Q: Who is the battle-goddess crow on battlefields?
A: The Morrígan.
Q: Which king loses a hand in battle?
A: Nuada Airgetlám, “Silver-Hand.”
Q: Who fashions Nuada’s silver arm?
A: The healer-god Dian Cécht (with craftsman aid).
Q: What power has the Dagda’s harp, Uaithne?
A: It summons seasons and orders men to peace.
Q: Name the Four Treasures of the Tuatha.
A: Lia Fáil, Spear of Lugh, Sword of Nuada, Dagda’s Cauldron.
Q: From which cities do the Treasures come?
A: Falias, Gorias, Findias, and Murias.
Q: Who kills the one-eyed giant Balor?
A: Lugh, his prophesied grandson.
Q: Aengus Óg rules what domain?
A: Youth and love at Brú na Bóinne.
Q: How does Aengus gain the Brú forever?
A: By asking to dwell “for a day and a night.”
Q: The Morrígan is often a trio with whom?
A: Badb and Macha (sometimes Nemain is counted).
Q: Smith of the gods renowned for feasts?
A: Goibniu—his ale grants health and longevity.
Q: Who restores Nuada’s living arm?
A: Miach and Airmed, children of Dian Cécht.
Q: What is the Dagda’s mighty club called?
A: The Lorg Mór—one end kills, the other revives.
Q: Which goddess lends her name to Éire?
A: Ériu, alongside sisters Banba and Fódla.
Q: Which champion is linked with Ogham’s invention?
A: Ogma (or Ogmios), god of eloquence and strength.
Welsh Deities & the Mabinogion
Q: What is “the Mabinogion”?
A: A medieval collection of Welsh tales and romances.
Q: Who is lord of the Welsh Otherworld?
A: Arawn, ruler of Annwn.
Q: How long does Pwyll trade places with Arawn?
A: A year and a day.
Q: Rhiannon is closely associated with what?
A: Horses, sovereignty, and patient endurance.
Q: Who is Pryderi?
A: Son of Pwyll and Rhiannon; key figure in the Branches.
Q: Who is Bendigeidfran (Bran the Blessed)?
A: A giant king whose crossing to Ireland sparks war.
Q: What does Bran’s cauldron do?
A: Revives the dead, but they cannot speak.
Q: Where is Bran’s prophetic head buried?
A: White Hill (later London’s Tower Hill).
Q: Who is Branwen, and how does she die?
A: Bran’s sister; she dies of grief after war.
Q: Arianrhod’s “virginity test” leads to which sons?
A: Dylan ail Don and Lleu Llaw Gyffes.
Q: Translate “Lleu Llaw Gyffes.”
A: “Lleu of the Skillful Hand.”
Q: Who fashions Blodeuwedd from flowers?
A: Gwydion and Math, from broom, meadowsweet, and oak.
Q: Into which bird is Blodeuwedd transformed?
A: An owl, shunning daylight and other birds.
Q: Name Lleu’s paradoxical death conditions.
A: Neither day nor night; clothed nor naked; land nor water.
Q: Who wounds Lleu with a spear?
A: Gronw Pebr, tricked into the attempt.
Q: What is Preiddeu Annwn about?
A: Arthur’s raid on Annwn for a cauldron—Otherworld quest poetry.
Q: In Culhwch and Olwen, who is Olwen’s father?
A: Ysbaddaden Bencawr, a giant with impossible tasks.
Q: Which enchanted boar do heroes hunt?
A: Twrch Trwyth.
Q: What condition must Math fulfill to live?
A: Keep his feet in a maiden’s lap.
Q: As punishment, which animals do Gwydion and Gilfaethwy become?
A: Deer, boar, and wolf—one year each.
Q: Who is the matriarch of the “Children of Dôn”?
A: Dôn—the eponymous ancestral goddess.
Heroes of the Ulster & Fenian Cycles
Q: What are the Ulster and Fenian Cycles?
A: Two major groupings of Irish heroic sagas.
Q: What is Cú Chulainn’s birth name?
A: Sétanta.
Q: How does Sétanta earn his new name?
A: He kills Culann’s hound, pledging to guard in its stead.
Q: Who trains Cú Chulainn in Alba (Scotland)?
A: The warrior-woman Scáthach.
Q: What is Cú Chulainn’s deadly spear called?
A: The Gae Bolga.
Q: Who is Queen Medb’s king consort?
A: Ailill mac Máta.
Q: What sparks the Táin Bó Cúailnge?
A: A cattle raid to seize the Brown Bull of Cooley.
Q: Name Cú Chulainn’s loyal charioteer.
A: Láeg mac Riangabra.
Q: Which foster-brother does Cú Chulainn fight at a ford?
A: Ferdiad—tragically slain with the Gae Bolga.
Q: What curse cripples the Ulaid in battle?
A: Macha’s curse—labor pangs and weakness.
Q: What is Cú Chulainn’s “warp-spasm”?
A: A monstrous battle frenzy that reshapes his body.
Q: Who is Fionn mac Cumhaill’s poetic son?
A: Oisín, famed bard of the Fianna.
Q: How does Fionn gain supernatural wisdom?
A: Tastes the Salmon of Knowledge; thumb-sucking recalls insight.
Q: Which lovers flee Fionn’s betrothal feast?
A: Diarmuid and Gráinne.
Q: How does Diarmuid die?
A: Gored by a magical boar; Fionn delays healing water.
Q: Who leads a rival branch of the Fianna?
A: Goll mac Morna.
Q: Who carries Oisín to Tír na nÓg?
A: Niamh of the Golden Hair.
Q: What happens when Oisín dismounts in Ireland?
A: He ages at once; in later tales meets Patrick.
Q: Which son does Cú Chulainn unknowingly kill?
A: Connla, bound by geasa to silence.
Q: Which druid foretells Cú Chulainn’s short, famed life?
A: Cathbad.
Q: What is the Ulaid royal seat called?
A: Emain Macha (modern Navan Fort).
Otherworlds, Realms, and Sacred Places
Q: What are Ireland’s fairy mounds called?
A: Sídhe (sí), entrances to the Otherworld.
Q: “Land Under Wave” (Tír fo Thuinn) belongs to whom?
A: Manannán mac Lir.
Q: Which isle promises perpetual youth?
A: Tír na nÓg.
Q: What Otherworld plain means “pleasant plain”?
A: Mag Mell.
Q: What is Tech Duinn?
A: Donn’s house—an island of the dead.
Q: What is the Welsh Otherworld called?
A: Annwn.
Q: Where is Oweynagat, the “Cave of Cats”?
A: Rathcroghan, Connacht—an Otherworld gateway.
Q: Which festival most thins the veil to the Otherworld?
A: Samhain.
Q: Brú na Bóinne is better known today as what?
A: Newgrange.
Q: Newgrange is aligned to which event?
A: Winter solstice sunrise.
Q: Who wins Brú na Bóinne with a cunning pledge?
A: Aengus Óg, claiming “a day and a night.”
Q: Where stands the Lia Fáil?
A: On the Hill of Tara.
Q: What does the Lia Fáil do for kings?
A: Cries out beneath the rightful sovereign.
Q: Which Sligo landmark links to Diarmuid’s fate?
A: Ben Bulben.
Q: Which mountain bears Queen Medb’s great cairn?
A: Knocknarea.
Q: Mythic western isle glimpsed at sea?
A: Hy-Brasil (Hy-Breasil).
Q: “Caer Sidi” refers to what?
A: A fortress of Annwn in Welsh poetry.
Q: Emain Ablach is whose apple-rich isle?
A: Often associated with Manannán’s realm.
Q: What Iron Age fort bears Aengus’s name?
A: Dún Aonghasa on the Aran Islands.
Q: Where is Emain Macha located today?
A: Near Armagh, at Navan Fort.
Q: What is the Dindshenchas?
A: Place-lore explaining Irish toponyms through story.
Creatures, Spirits, and Faerie Folk
Q: Who are the Aos Sí?
A: The fairy folk, “people of the mounds.”
Q: Which wailing figure warns of death?
A: The banshee (bean sí).
Q: Scottish washerwoman foretelling doom?
A: The bean nighe.
Q: Hoofed shapeshifter, sometimes a black goat or horse?
A: The púca.
Q: Seal-folk who shed skins ashore?
A: Selkies.
Q: Freshwater horse of Scottish tales?
A: The kelpie.
Q: Even deadlier sea-horse in saltwater?
A: The each-uisge.
Q: Headless rider with his head in hand?
A: The dullahan.
Q: Great green fairy hound of the Highlands?
A: The cù-sìth.
Q: Cat-like fairy creature in Scotland?
A: The cat-sìth.
Q: Irish merfolk sometimes called what?
A: Merrows.
Q: Breton figure who heralds death?
A: The Ankou.
Q: Breton fairies often as beautiful maidens?
A: Korrigans.
Q: Winter hag shaping mountains and storms?
A: The Cailleach.
Q: One-eyed Fomorian warlord?
A: Balor of the Evil Eye.
Q: Who are the Fomorians?
A: A hostile supernatural race, often sea-raiders.
Q: Where do pixies/piskies chiefly dwell?
A: Cornwall and Devon—southwestern Brittonic folklore.
Q: Which cobbler-fairy guards secret gold?
A: The leprechaun.
Q: What is the dobhar-chú?
A: A “water-hound,” a fierce lake creature.
Q: What is ceol sí?
A: “Fairy music,” irresistible Otherworld song.
Q: Whose birds sing love-enchanted lullabies?
A: Aengus Óg’s golden-chained birds.
Festivals, Rites, and Seasonal Traditions
Q: Name the four main Gaelic seasonal festivals.
A: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh.
Q: When is Samhain observed?
A: October 31–November 1.
Q: What seasonal shift does Samhain mark?
A: The beginning of winter (and a new year for many).
Q: When is Beltane celebrated?
A: May 1.
Q: What protects cattle at Beltane?
A: Passing between twin bonfires.
Q: Imbolc especially honors which figure?
A: Brigid.
Q: When does Imbolc fall?
A: Around February 1.
Q: Lughnasadh commemorates whose death?
A: Tailtiu, Lugh’s foster-mother.
Q: What happens at Lughnasadh fairs?
A: Athletic games, trial marriages, and harvest rites.
Q: What are geasa (singular geis)?
A: Sacred taboos or binding injunctions.
Q: Conaire Mór’s broken geasa lead to which tale?
A: The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel.
Q: What is “handfasting”?
A: A betrothal or trial marriage custom at fairs.
Q: What is a kingship “bull feast”?
A: A divinatory rite to identify the rightful king.
Q: What do sovereignty goddesses grant worthy kings?
A: A ritual drink/union embodying the land’s consent.
Q: What is imbas forosnai?
A: Poet’s visionary technique for inspired knowledge.
Q: What role do Druids commonly hold?
A: Learned priest-judges, poets, and ritual specialists.
Q: What cultural form is a táin?
A: A cattle-raid narrative—heroic saga conflict.
Q: What is “saining” in Scotland?
A: Protective blessing rites with smoke or water.
Q: What are Brigid’s crosses made of?
A: Rushes or straw, woven at Imbolc for protection.
Q: What midwinter custom survives as Wren Day?
A: Mummers’ processions on St. Stephen’s Day.
Q: What does the Lia Fáil traditionally confirm?
A: The rightful inauguration of a High King.
Symbols, Script, and Legendary Artifacts
Q: What is Ogham?
A: An early Irish alphabet, mostly on stone pillars.
Q: How many core Ogham letters exist?
A: Twenty, in four “aicmí” (families) of five.
Q: How are Ogham strokes read on stones?
A: Along a stemline, typically bottom to top.
Q: Which deity is linked with Ogham’s creation?
A: Ogma, champion of eloquence.
Q: What is special about the Dagda’s cauldron?
A: It leaves no company unfed.
Q: What must restrain the Spear of Lugh?
A: A sleep-draft; otherwise it seeks victory.
Q: What is the “Sword of Light” in Irish lore?
A: The Claíomh Solais, a later folkloric treasure.
Q: What power has Nuada’s sword from Findias?
A: None escape it once unsheathed.
Q: What does the Stone of Fál famously do?
A: Roars beneath a rightful king’s feet.
Q: What is the Dagda’s harp called?
A: Uaithne—ordering the seasons and men’s moods.
Q: What is Manannán’s treasure-bag?
A: The Crane Bag, swelling with tidal magic.
Q: Name Manannán’s wondrous horse.
A: Enbarr of the Flowing Mane.
Q: Name Manannán’s swift boat.
A: Scuabtuinne, “Wave-Sweeper.”
Q: Which Irish sword is often linked to Excalibur?
A: Caladbolg—often compared to Welsh Caledfwlch.
Q: To whom does the Welsh sword Dyrnwyn belong?
A: Rhydderch the Generous, one of Britain’s Treasures.
Q: What is a torc?
A: A rigid neck ring signaling status and power.
Q: Triple spiral carved at Newgrange is called?
A: A triskele (triple spiral motif).
Q: Which knot symbol uses three interlaced loops?
A: The triquetra.
Q: What defines La Tène art style?
A: Curving spirals, vegetal scrolls, dynamic symmetry.
Q: What is a penannular brooch?
A: A cloak fastener with a partial ring.
Q: What is popularly called the “Tara Brooch”?
A: A 7th-century masterpiece—misnamed for marketing, not from Tara.
Texts, Tales, and Scholarship
Q: Name the four traditional Irish literary cycles.
A: Mythological, Ulster, Fenian, and Historical (Kings).
Q: What is Lebor Gabála Érenn?
A: The “Book of Invasions,” a pseudo-history of Ireland.
Q: Which manuscripts chiefly preserve the Táin?
A: Lebor na hUidre and the Book of Leinster.
Q: What is the Dindshenchas?
A: A corpus of place-lore tying geography to story.
Q: What does Cath Maige Tuired recount?
A: Wars of the Tuatha Dé Danann and Fomorians.
Q: Tochmarc Étaíne centers on whose wooing?
A: Étaín—by Midir and king Eochaid Airem.
Q: Togail Bruidne Dá Derga covers what tragedy?
A: The fall of Conaire Mór at Da Derga’s Hostel.
Q: Acallam na Senórach frames dialogue between whom?
A: Fianna elders and Saint Patrick.
Q: What is Fled Bricrenn about?
A: A feast causing rivalries over the champion’s portion.
Q: Echtrae Neraí occurs on which night?
A: Samhain—when the veil thins.
Q: Immram Brain describes a voyage to where?
A: Otherworld isles, including the Land of Women.
Q: The Navigatio Sancti Brendani echoes which genre?
A: The immram seafaring Otherworld voyage.
Q: Earliest manuscript witnesses of the Mabinogion?
A: The White Book of Rhydderch and Red Book of Hergest.
Q: Who popularized the English title “Mabinogion”?
A: Lady Charlotte Guest in the 19th century.
Q: What are the Welsh Triads?
A: Mnemonic groupings of three—heroes, places, motifs.
Q: Immacallam in dá Thuarad (Colloquy) debates what?
A: Competing poetic wisdom between Néde and Ferchertne.
Q: Compert Con Culainn narrates whose conception?
A: Cú Chulainn’s—through dream-laden prophecy.
Q: Serglige Con Culainn features which Otherworld woman?
A: Fand, Manannán’s wife—Cú’s healing and heartbreak.
Q: What caution do scholars raise about “Celtic mythology”?
A: It blends diverse traditions and medieval redaction.
Q: Which motif recurs across Insular traditions?
A: Triplicity—triple deities, triads, and triple challenges.
Q: Who shaped modern popular retellings in English?
A: Figures of the Celtic Revival—Lady Gregory, Yeats, others.
Ellie Ewert is the founder and author of RandomTrivia.co, blending her passion for research with years of experience in content creation to deliver accurate, engaging, and well-sourced trivia. Dedicated to providing readers with trustworthy and entertaining facts, she applies meticulous fact-checking and SEO expertise to ensure every article meets the highest standards. Read more about our high standards in our Editorial Guidelines.