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When choosing which deities to select, I originally wanted a mix-match of the most common and uncommon deities from mythology.
I think I failed at that once I looked at my list and saw Ra, Freya and Zhong kui. Really, the 3rd Tryfing deities are all deities that I really love and think are cool.
As an example Achilles is one of my favorite mythological figures and I wanted him to be an important role in the story but not one of the eight selected deities.
That’s why I made him the judge of the 3rd Tryfing. So I was halfway through the new list of deities I wanted and decided to look into a Celtics rep. The most famous (imo in media) is Cu chulainn. So as much as I wanted to use him or his younger form Setanta, I made a rule that he needed to either be one of the 5 dead deities or a winner of a previous tryfing.
The next famous one was Lugh, unlike Cu he is barely in media (he’s a demon in shin megami tensei but so are a lot of other Celtics. Also a marvel comic counterpart that No one really knows about.) yet he has so much mythology and lore that it was so confusing!
When I was researching Lugh some articles said he was a sun god, that he originally had the sword of light, he was considered a trickster but not like other famous tricksters like Loki. To the point where people debated on if that depiction of him had any truth to it.
He was a god of seasons, crafts, games and so much more. He was the king of the tuatha de danann(I love this word btw) after Nuada.
Then in some stories he had the power of fire and loved the color red. Instead of the sword of light he had gae assail, the spear. He would dance non stop to power up his allies in battle. He was honestly super overpowered and when I decided to pick him I was having trouble figuring out his powers, godsends and divine.
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Until I read more about him and his relationship with Nuada. See Nuada and Lugh are considered to be “two sides of the same coin” Nuada in legend would represent the moon, while Lugh the sun.
Nuada was king and then gave the crown to Lugh to govern together, it was also Lugh that avenged Nuada and killed Balor. The two are synonymous with each other. I needed Nuada to be in this Tryfing, I wanted to explore their relationship and have a rivalry between them.
Everything is personal when they interact because that’s what their relationship will always be like.
IR Lugh’s character and background was designed with Nuada together. Nuada is designed to be a manly man and pretty muscular, while Lugh looks like a teenager, almost child-like. Lugh has a red color palette, while Nuada will have a green one.
Lugh primarily fights long range, while Nuada fights short range etc. Imo their relationship is tied with Inari and Freya’s relationship for the most fun scenes to write.
Even in history people say that Lugh wasn’t a conventional trickster but that he still played pranks and I really loved that idea.
In the human world of IR he took a lot of the glory and titles away from the other Celtics(by accident of course) and thats why he is associate with so many different attributes and worship.
This caused a big rift of resentment between Lugh and his kin (especially Nuada who has to take responsibility for his people)
Lugh doesn’t necessarily belong to either group( Celtics, tricksters) and he’s trying his best to fit in. This is a big part of his character, that the next following chapters are going to explore.
Design wise he looks so cool! He’s got that teenager with attitude look going on, his “unusual cloak with hoodie” and red flannel pattern is my favorite part of his design! His silhouette really stands out, especially since he’s pretty short too.
All Celtic deties have face marking in their faces, this is really important. Not just because of in lore stuff to differentiate the different deities but for some cool moments that will happen later.
His trusted companion Failinis, is depicted as a miniature schnauzer based off my precious dog.
Aru the artist, took my ideas and brought it to life yet again. He’s the primary artist I’m working with all the designs, so be on the lookout. Charlie in particular is looking really good!
If you want to learn more about Lugh’s mythology please read “the coming of Lugh” it’s free with a google search. The Amazing YouTube video “Lugh-the impetuous god of the celts “ by the channel fortress of Lugh.
Lugh and Ariel are ready to face the challenges and consequences head on!
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