OG-mah
God of eloquence and champion of the Tuatha Dé Danann, traditionally credited with inventing the Ogham alphabet.
Ogma ("sun-faced," by one reading of his name) is the Tuatha Dé Danann's god of eloquence and physical strength, often described as a brother of the Dagda. Medieval Irish tradition credits him with inventing Ogham, the earliest known Irish writing system, carved in strokes along the edges of standing stones.
He fights at the Second Battle of Moytura alongside Lugh and the Dagda, and in some accounts is given the task of dividing the spoils after the Tuatha Dé Danann's victory over the Fomorians — a role fitting a god whose power lies in words and judgment as much as the sword.
Ogham is the best-known reason for remembering Ogma. The script is made of short strokes cut along the edge of a stone, grouped into sets called aicmí, with letter names that are largely taken from trees and plants. Ogham stones survive in large numbers, mostly in the south of Ireland, with others in Wales and Scotland, and the inscriptions are usually brief personal names. They are normally dated to between about the fourth and seventh centuries AD. The tradition that Ogma invented the script was written down by later medieval scholars, who also called it a gift for the learned.
In the tale of the Second Battle of Moytura Ogma has a more martial role. He is one of the three, with Lugh and the Dagda, who pursue the Fomorians after the battle to recover the Dagda's harp, which comes flying to them when called, and he is credited with finding Orna, the sword of the Fomorian Tethra, which is said to recount the deeds done with it. This combination of speech and strength has led some scholars to compare him with the Gaulish Ogmios.
As a name: Ogma is still given to children today. See its meaning, pronunciation and popularity on NameCipher →
| Cycle | Entries here | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| The Mythological Cycle | 21 | The oldest of the four cycles, telling of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the successive invasions of Ireland. |
| The Fenian Cycle | 7 | Tales of Fionn mac Cumhaill and his band of warriors, the Fianna, set generations after the Ulster Cycle in a world of hunting, romance, and roaming adventure. |
| The Ulster Cycle | 12 | The heroic tales of Conchobar mac Nessa's court at Emain Macha, centered on Cú Chulainn and the great cattle raid of the Táin Bó Cúailnge. |
| The Historical Cycle | 1 | Also the Cycle of the Kings — legendary and semi-legendary tales of Ireland's High Kings, treated by medieval scribes as genuine national history. |
Ogma is a Tuatha Dé Danann god associated with eloquence, poetry, and physical strength, often credited by later medieval tradition as the inventor of Ogham, the ancient Irish alphabet carved in strokes along the edges of standing stones.
Later medieval tradition credits Ogma with inventing Ogham as a secret writing system for scholars, linking the god's gift of eloquence directly to Ireland's earliest known form of writing.
Many scholars see a connection between Ogma and Ogmios, a Gaulish god of eloquence and binding described by the classical writer Lucian, suggesting a shared Celtic root behind both figures.