
Crom Cruach ( ) was a
pagan
Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...
god of
pre-Christian Ireland. According to Christian writers, he was propitiated with
human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease deity, gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice by capital punishment, an authoritative/prie ...
and his worship was ended by
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...
.
He is also referred to as ''Crom Cróich'', ''Cenn Cruach''/''Cróich'' () and ''Cenncroithi'' (). He is related to the later mythological and folkloric figure
Crom Dubh
Crom Dubh (, ; meaning ":wikt:dubh, black :wikt:crom, crooked ne; also ''Crum Dubh'', ''Dark Crom'') is a mythological and folkloric figure of Ireland, based on the god ''Crom Cruach'', mentioned in the 12th-century ''Metrical Dindshenchas, di ...
.
The references in a ''
dinsenchas
''Dindsenchas'' or ''Dindshenchas'' (modern spellings: ''Dinnseanchas'' or ''Dinnsheanchas'' or ''Dınnṡeanċas''), meaning "lore of places" (the modern Irish word ''dinnseanchas'' means "topography"), is a class of onomastic text in early Irish ...
'' ("place-lore") poem in the 12th century to sacrifice in exchange for milk and grain suggest that Crom had a function as a
fertility god
A fertility deity is a god or goddess associated with fertility, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, and crops. In some cases these deities are directly associated with these experiences; in others they are more abstract symbols. Fertility rites may a ...
. The description of his image as a gold figure surrounded by twelve stone or bronze figures has been interpreted by some as representing the sun surrounded by the signs of the
zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...
, suggesting a function as a
solar deity.
Name
Crom Cruach's name takes several forms. ''Crom'' (or ''cromm'') means "bent, crooked, stooped" or according to O'Reilly is perhaps related to ''cruim'' meaning "thunder".
''Cenn'' means "head", and by extension "head, chief". ''Cruach'' (or ''crúach'') is a noun meaning "pile, heap, mound, stack", generally of grain, hay, peat or other gathered goods, booty, and so on, including slaughtered fighters. A common extension is its reference to hills or mountains that look like stacks or piles.
Crom Cruach is called the chief Celtic idol of Ireland by
Michael J. O'Kelly, and was located on
Magh Slécht
Magh Slécht (sometimes Anglicised as Moyslaught; A variant of Magh Lecht meaning ''a grave-strewn plain'', because of all the ancient stone tombs therein) is the name of a historic plain in Ireland. It comprises an area of about three square ...
(The ''Plain of Prostrations'') in
County Cavan
County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...
, surrounded by twelve other idols.
Literary references
According to an Irish ''
dinsenchas
''Dindsenchas'' or ''Dindshenchas'' (modern spellings: ''Dinnseanchas'' or ''Dinnsheanchas'' or ''Dınnṡeanċas''), meaning "lore of places" (the modern Irish word ''dinnseanchas'' means "topography"), is a class of onomastic text in early Irish ...
'' ("place-lore") poem in the 12th century
Book of Leinster
The Book of Leinster ( , LL) is a medieval Irish manuscript compiled and now kept in Trinity College Dublin. It was formerly known as the ''Lebor na Nuachongbála'' ("Book of Nuachongbáil"), a monastic site known today as Oughaval.
In 2023 ...
, Crom Cruach's
cult image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a Cultural artifact, human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit or Daimon, daemon that it embodies or represents. In several traditions, incl ...
, consisting of a gold figure surrounded by twelve stone figures, stood on
Magh Slécht
Magh Slécht (sometimes Anglicised as Moyslaught; A variant of Magh Lecht meaning ''a grave-strewn plain'', because of all the ancient stone tombs therein) is the name of a historic plain in Ireland. It comprises an area of about three square ...
("the plain of prostration") (pronounced Moy Shlokht)
[Isaac, Ali. "The intersection of Saint Patrick and paganism in Ireland", Irish Central, February 16, 2020]
/ref> in County Cavan
County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...
, and was propitiated with first-born sacrifice in exchange for good yields of milk and grain. Crom Cruach is described as a wizened god, hidden by mists, and is said to have been worshipped since the time of Érimón
Érimón (Modern ), commonly Anglicised as Heremon, son of MÃl Espáine (and great-grandson of Breoghan, king of Celtic Galicia), according to medieval Irish legends and historical traditions, was one of the chieftains who took part in the ...
. An early High King
A high king is a king who holds a position of seniority over a group of other kings, without the title of emperor. Similar titles include great king and king of kings. The high kings of history usually ruled over lands of cultural unity; thus ...
, Tigernmas
Tigernmas, son of Follach, son of Ethriel, a descendant of Érimón, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical traditions, an early High King of Ireland.
According to the ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' he became king when he overthrew his ...
, along with three quarters of his army, is said to have died while worshipping Crom on Samhain
Samhain ( , , , ) or () is a Gaels, Gaelic festival on 1 November marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the "Celtic calendar#Medieval Irish and Welsh calendars, darker half" of the year.Dáithà Ó hÓgáin, Ó hÓ ...
eve, but worship continued until the cult image was destroyed by St. Patrick with a sledgehammer
A sledgehammer is a tool with a large, flat, massive, often metal head, attached to a long wooden or solid handle. The long handle is combined with a heavy head which allows the sledgehammer to pick up momentum during a swing and applying a large ...
.
This incident figures prominently in medieval legends about St. Patrick, although it does not appear in his own writings, nor in the two 7th century biographies by Muirchu and TÃrechán
TÃrechán was a 7th-century Ireland, Irish bishop from north Connacht, specifically the Killala Bay area, in what is now County Mayo.
Background
Based on a knowledge of Irish customs of the times, historian Terry O’Hagan has concluded that T ...
. However J.B. Bury, infers that there is a missing passage in TÃrechán about Crom Cruaich; L. Bieler, who edited the two biographies,[ is non-committal on the point.
In the 9th century '']Tripartite Life of Saint Patrick
The ''Vita tripartita Sancti Patricii'' (''The Tripartite Life of Saint Patrick'') is a bilingual hagiography of Saint Patrick, written partly in Irish and partly in Latin. The text is difficult to date. Kathleen Mulchrone had assigned a late n ...
'' the deity is called Cenn Cruach, and his cult image consists of a central figure covered with gold and silver, surrounded by twelve bronze figures. When Patrick approaches it he raises his crozier
A crozier or crosier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholi ...
, the central figure falls face-down, with the imprint of the crozier left in it, and the surrounding figures sink into the earth. The "demon" who inhabits the image appears, but Patrick curses him and casts him to hell. Jocelin's 12th century ''Life and Acts of St. Patrick'' tells much the same story. Here the god is called Cenncroithi, interpreted as "the head of all gods", and when his image falls the silver and gold covering it crumble to dust, with the imprint of the crozier left on bare stone.
Archaeology
A decorated stone known as the Killycluggin Stone
The Killycluggin Stone is a decorated stone, found near the town of Killycluggin, County Cavan, in Ireland. Roughly cone-shaped and covered in Iron Age La Tène designs, it was discovered broken in several pieces, partly buried close to a Bronz ...
(, meaning 'the Wood of the Bell-Shaped Stone') has been interpreted by some as the cult image of Crom Cruach. It was found at Killycluggin
Killycluggin () is a townland in the civil parish of Templeport, County Cavan, Ireland. It lies in the Roman Catholic parish area of Templeport and the barony of Tullyhaw.
Geography
Killycluggin is bounded on the north by Tonyhallagh townlan ...
, County Cavan
County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...
. It was discovered broken in several pieces and partly buried close to a Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
stone circle (54.090773, -7.634122), inside which it probably once stood.[
The 14th century ''Book of McGovern'', written in ]Magh Slécht
Magh Slécht (sometimes Anglicised as Moyslaught; A variant of Magh Lecht meaning ''a grave-strewn plain'', because of all the ancient stone tombs therein) is the name of a historic plain in Ireland. It comprises an area of about three square ...
, contains a poem which states that Crom was situated at Kilnavert beside the road and that the local women used to tremble in fear as they passed by. There is still a local tradition in the area that the Killycluggin Stone is the Crom stone.
There is another standing stone identified with Crom Crúaich in Drumcoo townland, County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland.
The county covers an area of and had a population of 63,585 as of 2021. Enniskillen is the ...
. It has the figure of a man walking engraved on it, representing either Saint Patrick or a druid, depending on when it was engraved. A nearby street is named Crom Crúaich Way after it.
A large wooden idol from the 4th century AD has recently been discovered in Gortnacrannagh, County Roscommon.
See also
*Cermand Cestach
Cermand Cestach was the name of a gold-covered pagan cult image which stood in Clogher Cathedral, County Tyrone, Ireland until the Middle Ages. Alternative spellings are "Cermand Celstach", "Cermaed Celsetacht", "Kermand Kelstach", "Kerman Kelstac ...
* Crom Dubh
Crom Dubh (, ; meaning ":wikt:dubh, black :wikt:crom, crooked ne; also ''Crum Dubh'', ''Dark Crom'') is a mythological and folkloric figure of Ireland, based on the god ''Crom Cruach'', mentioned in the 12th-century ''Metrical Dindshenchas, di ...
*Macroom
Macroom (; ) is a market town in County Cork, Ireland, located in the valley of the River Sullane, halfway between Cork (city), Cork city and Killarney. Its population has grown and receded over the centuries as it went through periods of war, ...
*Metrical Dindshenchas
''Dindsenchas'' or ''Dindshenchas'' (modern spellings: ''Dinnseanchas'' or ''Dinnsheanchas'' or ''Dınnṡeanċas''), meaning "lore of places" (the modern Irish word ''dinnseanchas'' means "topography"), is a class of onomastic text in early Iri ...
*Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...
References
Further reading
Collins, Claire. "St. Patrick vs. Cenn Cruaich in the Patrician Lives: Elements of Narrative", 2015. Irish Conference of Medievalists
White, Kevin. "The Plain of Blood: A Study of the Ritual Landscape of Magh Slecht, Co. Cavan"
{{Celtic mythology (Mythological)
Irish gods
Solar gods
Human sacrifice in folklore and mythology
Irish legendary creatures
Cyclopes
Fertility gods