Cadw. [W] Cadw of Pictland is the only man who is allowed to shave Yspaddaden the Giant.

Cadwaladr. [W] King of Gwynedd and son of Cadwallon who came to be regarded as the promised deliverer of the British Celts. He would, like his father, return and lead them to victory over the Anglo-Saxons. He is invoked in the poem Armes Prydein Vawr. See Brunanburh.

Cadwallon. [W] Seventh century king of Gwynedd who managed to reunite the Celts of Wales and Cumbria for a short period. He is regarded as a hero who would one day return and lead the Celts to victory.

Cae Hir. [W] Lover of Golwg Hafddydd, Essylt's maid, and companion of Trystan.

Caer Feddwid. [W] Synonym for the Otherworld.

caer Ibormeith. [I] The daughter of Ethal Anubail of the sidhe of Uaman in Connacht. The love god Aonghus Og dreamed of her and, having had his dream interpreted, set out to find and woo her .

Caer Siddi. [W] Synonym for the Otherworld.

Caer Wydyr. [W] Fortress of Glass. Cymric synonym for the Otherworld.

Cailleach Beara. [I] Often referred to as the Old Woman, or Hag of Beara. She originally appeared as a triune goddess with Cailleach Bolus and Cailleach Corca Duibhne. She was said to have also been known as Cailleach Bui, wife of Lugh, the god of arts and crafts. The Book of Lecan mentions that she had seven youthful periods, married seven husbands, and had fifty foster children who founded many tribes and nations. Beara is a peninsula on the Cork-Kerry border.

Cailte. [I] Sometimes Caoilte, the thin man. A warrior of the Fianna and their foremost poet. He killed the god Lir in battle during the war between the gods.

Cairbre. [I] There are many Cairbres in Irish myth, ranging from the son of the god of eloquence and literature, Ogma, to the son of Cormac Mac Art who destroys the Fianna. Another Cairbre is Cairbre Caitcheann, or Cathead, so called because he has the ears of a cat. He was a usurper who ruled during a revolt against the Milesians.

Cairell. [I] A son of Fionn Mac Cumhail killed by Goll Mac Morna.

Caladfwch. [W] See Caliburn.

Calan Gaef. [W] October 31/November 1. Equivalent of Samhain.

Calatin. [I] A druid sent by Medb to cast spells on Cuchulainn to incapacitate him during the Tain war. The Clan Calatin were obviously Fomorii, and it is recorded that there were twenty-seven sons and a grandson who studied in Alba for seventeen years. All members of the clan had a hand or foot missing, which is a typical Fomorii motif. Cuchulainn slew all the male members of the clan. The women also tried to entice him to fight them-they had the advantage of being able to change their shapes.

Caliburn. [W] The magic sword of Arthur, from the Welsh Caladfwlch, mentioned by Geoffrey of Monmouth. This seems to be cognate with Cladcholg, "hard dinter," the sword of Fergus. The famous Excalibur is but a Latin corruption of these names.

Camluan. Sometimes Camlann. The Annales Cambriae record that in A.D. 537-539 there occurred "The battle of Camluan in which Arthur and Modred were slain: and there was death in Britain and Ireland."

Camulos. British Celtic war god. Colchester in England was called Camulodunum, "the dun or fort of Camulos." It is thought that the name was probably the basis for Arthur's mythical capital, Camelot.

Canhastyr. [W] "Of the Hundred Hands." One of Arthur's warriors who asked to accompany Culhwch in his quest for Olwen.

Cano. [I] Son of Gartnan, king of Alba, who was in exile in Ireland. Cred, a chieftain's daughter, fell in love with him, but he refused to make love to her because it would breach the laws of hospitality. He did, however, love her and gave her a stone that he said contained his life. After his return to Alba he made an assignation with Cred, but this was frustrated by Cred's jealous stepson, Colcu.   Cred, waiting at Loch Cred, became so anguished when Cano did not turn up that she dropped the stone, which fragmented, and Cano died three days later.

Caradawc. [W] Son of Bran who ruled Britain with six chieftains in his father's absence in Ireland. When news of Bran's death came, his six companions were killed by Caswallon, son of Beli, who threw the "Veil of Illusion" on Caradawc and caused his death as well.

Castle of Wonders. [W] A great castle where Peredur, in the later guise of Perceval, finds the Grail.

Caswallon. [W] Son of Beli. While Bran the Blessed is fighting Matholwch in Ireland, Caswallon leads an insurrection in the Island of the Mighty (Britain) and, on the news of Bran's death in Ireland, becomes its ruler.

Cat. A mystical animal in Celtic myth, especially in the Irish tales. There are eight words for "cat" in Irish, one of which, puss, has been borrowed into English as a pet-name for a cat. Cats permeate the myths. One, for example, Irusan of Knowth, would often make off with people. Monstrous cats dwell in caves, while Lughtigern (mouse lord) is a heroic animal.

Cathbad. [I] The personal druid of Conchobhar Mac Nessa and, in some versions, his father. He married Maga, widow of Ross the Red, and his children were Dechtire, mother of Cuchulainn, Elbha, the mother of Naoise, and Findchaem, mother of Conall of the victories. He features in most of the Red Branch sagas.

Cath Godeu. [W] Battle of the Trees. See Archen.

Cathubodba. A broken inscription in Gaul, ". ..athubodba"would seem to be Cathubodba. This may well be the Gaulish equivalent of Badb Catha, "war fury," and therefore a goddess ofwar.

Cauldron, Magic. This is an essential theme in Celtic mythology. The quest for a magic cauldron is a popular motif in both major branches of the myths. The Dagda, father of the gods, had a magic cauldron from Murias, and no one parted from it hungry. Cuchulainn and Cu Roi stole from a mysterious castle a magic cauldron that produced gold and silver. Midir the Proud owned another magic cauldron. The parallels in Welsh myths involve the quest for a cauldron in "The Spoils of Annwn," which is regarded as the prototype for the "Holy Grail" stories. There is also the "Cauldron of Rebirth," which is a magic cauldron given to Bran the Blessed and which he then gives to Matholwch. A slain warrior cast into it will come out alive but bereft of the power of speech. Cauldrons, perhaps as the instrument in which food was cooked, had a special place in ancient Celtic society. The surviving cauldrons from the period vary in size and material, often being made from bronze, copper, or silver and always richly decorated. The most magnificent example is the Gundestrup Cauldron, dated to the first century B.C., and now in the National Museum, Copenhagen.

Caves. Caves playa prominent part in Celtic mythology as places of natural and religious significance. They provide entrances to the Otherworld, like the Cave of Cruachan. A cave on an island in Loch Derg is known as "St. Patrick's Purgatory" and is regarded as the mouth of Hell. A medieval tale about the adventures of a knight named Eoghan in this cave was one of the most widely known "vision" tales prior to Dante. In Ireland, the storytellers had a group of tales classified as "Caves," but sadly, hardly any of the tales that occur in this list have survived.

Cei. [W] The churlish steward to Arthur. In the later versions of the Arthurian tales, he becomes Sir Kay. He accompanies Culhwch on his quest for Olwen and later refused Peredur entrance to Arthur's court, believing him to be a rustic.

Ceile De. An early Christian order meaning "servants of God" and sometimes known as the Culdees. Recorded as being founded by St. Mael Ruain of Tallaght (d. A.D. 792), they were a loose-knit order with no central authority. They appeared in Ireland and in Scotland, where the last known reference to them was in the four- teenth century. It is thought that it was these distinctly Celtic monks who were responsible for setting down the bulk of Irish myths in written form.

Celemon.(W) Daughter of Cei.