Introduction

This work consists of a comparative study of the female deities venerated by the Celts of Gaul, Ancient Britain and Ancient Ireland. To begin with, a number of terms need to be defined, the background sketched in, and the methodology to be adopted outlined. In particular the following questions will be considered: What is meant by ‘Celts/Celtic’ and who were the Celts? What are the sources relating to the Celtic goddesses and what problems do they raise? And finally, what are the aim, methods and outline of this study?¹