Danu is a word from the ancient language of Sanskrit whose meaning is 'flowing water' and throughout the Vedas of India it describes a water goddess known as Danu, a river goddess whose name can be seen throughout Europe as the rivers Danube, Don, Dnieper and Dniester.

 

Danu can be found upon the Indonesian island of Bali where they build their temples upon springs and throughout their land their irrigation system is a network of temples which purify their waters and the central temple is 'Pura Ulul Danu Bratan' whose meaning is 'the goddess Danu is in charge of this lake'.

 

Danu is seen to be very much a part of the ancient culture of Vedic India and some 4000 years ago a civilisation arrived upon the shores of the Emerald Isles who were known as the 'Tuatha De Danam' whose meaning is the 'children of Danu'.

 

 

The descendants of the children of Danu are known within the Celtic folklore of Ireland, Scotland and Wales as the 'sidh' the 'si' and the 'sith' a name which describes the gods, the goddesses and the nature spirits who descend from goddess Danu.

 

Sidh and sith, also means 'the people of the mounds' and throughout Scotland, Ireland and Wales they are to be found upon hills, mounds, rings, trees, lochs, woods and that which lies separate from the masses, the wild and untouched enclaves of mother nature.

 

The sidhis are also guardians and protectors of the land, the trees, the mounds, the lakes, the mountains and the forests, and for those who destroyed their lands they were cursed by these spirits of nature, hence in ancient times great care was placed upon human footprints.

 

 

As Danu is an ancient Sanskrit name so the words sidh and sith are related to the siddhis and siddhas of Vedic India whose meaning is that which is 'perfect' that which is 'supernatural' that which is divine' its root being 'sidh' a word from Sanskrit whose meaning has been described as that which binds ( si ) to the light ( dh ).

 

This light which one binds oneself to is the light of the soul and the light of illumination and this is what the Sanskrit root sidh represents as expressed in its secondary meanings of 'attaining the highest' 'becoming perfect' and 'beatitude' all expressions of mystical and spiritual states.

 

Siddha, whose meaning is that which is 'perfected' is seen within the name 'siddhanta' whose meaning is the end ( anta ) of perfection ( sidha ) and its seen within 'siddhartha' a name for the Buddha whose meaning is one who has perfected ( sidha ) his purpose ( artha ).

 

 

Many have heard of the Irish 'banshee' a word which is formed from the Sanskrit 'siddhi' meaning 'supernatural being' and this becomes the Irish 'si' and 'sidh' meaning 'supernatural being' and this combines with the Sanskrit 'jani' meaning 'woman' which becomes the Irish 'bean' meaning 'woman' as in the woman ( bean ) of the mound ( sidh ).

 

Banshees were prominent throughout Scotland, Ireland and Wales, expressing the supernatural ability to foretell the death of a relative which they then expressed through mournful singing and wailing and this is seen in other cultures such as the sirens, the sirins, and the mermaids.

 

The lands of Ireland are dotted with mounds which are known as 'sidh' as they are the home of these supernatural beings and just as the siddhis of Vedic India possessed the power to liberate one from these mortal chains so these mounds were said to be portals leading to the spiritual realm.

 

 

Sidh is seen within the region of 'Glen Shee' whose name means the valley ( glen ) of the nature spirits ( sith ) and running throughout this land is the 'Shee Water' a river which is named after the nature spirits known as the sidhis.

 

Sidh is seen in the name of 'Camseught' a region which is also found within the county of Perthshire, its name meaning the bend ( cam ) of the nature spirits ( sith ) a name which like 'Glen Shee' expresses itself as a prominent place of the nature spirits known as the sidhis.

 

Sidh is seen in 'Dunsith' a famous mound which is located in Clunemore and its name means the mound ( dun ) of the nature spirits ( sith ) a name which also becomes the Scottish surnames Dunsheath, Dunshee, Dunshea and Dunseith.

 

 

"The legends say that the children of Danu or the Tuatha De Danaan were driven underground into the hills which were called sidhe, which is pronounced shee, and in those mounds they dwelt, the once mighty gods and goddesses deserted by the very people who they sought to nourish. The decedents of men who live in the land now called the Children of Danu the aes sidhe, the people of the hills". Peter Beresford Ellis  -  The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myth and Legends.

 

"It is believed that the Celts started with the concept of a mother Goddess named Danu ( meaning water from heaven ). The name of the Danube river is derived from Danu and evidence shows that Celtic civilisation evolved at the headwaters of the Danube river around this time. Water was venerated as the source of life, personified by Danu. Numerous rivers in Europe bear her name, such as the Don rivers of England, France, Scotland, and Russia. The Irish called themselves the "Tuatha De Danann" the people of the Goddess Danu ". Valerie Estelle Frankel.

 

“Danu represents an ever-flowing stream of celestial grace which purifies and fertilises the earth. The earthy manifestation of Danu as a river thus represents only a partial disclosure of her being. Physical contact with her earthy manifestation, however, connects one with the awesome, heavenly, transcendent dimension of the goddess and of reality in general". Veda.