Re: [tied] Crom Cruach

My interest in Crom Cruach came from his frequent appearance at comics and fiction books. This week I've read the comic book "Slaine", by Pat Mills and Simon Bisley, where Crom is depicted as "Time Worm". The ilustrated book of Jim Fitzpatrick "The Silver Arm" also depicted Crom Cruach as malign god worshipped by the Fomoire, so I'd like to know if it's myth-based or just fiction. Curiously the main character, Slaine, is clearly based on Cuchulain.

I also realized Crom Cruach is related to Conan's god Crom.

Joao SL

Rio

----- Original Message -----

From: Christopher Gwinn

To: cybalist@egroups.com

Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2000 1:45 PM

Subject: Re: [tied] Crom Cruach

Crom Cruaich means "Crooked-mound." He has other variants - the most common being Crom Dub "Crooked-black" but also Cenn Cruaich "Head mound."

Crom Cruaich comes from a Celtic *Crombo-croucio- while Crom Dub from *Crombo-dub[u]o- and Cenn Cruaich from *Quenno-croucio-. It is noteworthy that Cenn Cruaich has its exact Brythonic match in the British placename Penno-croucion, now Penkridge. Perhaps Cenn Cruaich was an imported Brythonic deity (a genius locus of Pennocroucion?) brought by British immigrants, which might account for his malignant status in Irish myth (as a foreign divinity).

Crom is heavily associated with Lugnasad, which has the alternate name "Crom's Sunday." Crom is still remembered in Irish folklore (some whisper that he is still half-worshipped!), even making it into Irish-American Robert E. Howard's Conan series as Conan's chief god (despite Schwarzenegger's accent in the movies, Howard envisioned Conan and his Cimmerians to be Proto Celts!). Crom is associated with the harvest, like Lug, and may represent a dark side of Lug, as Crom is not so much adored as feared.

-C. Gwinn