Crom Cruach- Celtic GodDeity
Also known as: Crom Dubh and Cromm Cruaich
Description
At Magh Slécht, the Plain of Prostrations, the Irish bent low before a gold-covered idol surrounded by twelve stone figures, offering their firstborn for the promise of abundant harvests. When Saint Patrick struck the idol with his crosier, the gold fell away and the stone sank into the earth.
Mythology & Lore
The Idol at Magh Slécht
At Magh Slécht in what is now County Cavan stood a gold-covered idol surrounded by twelve stone figures. The Metrical Dindsenchas calls the place the Plain of Prostrations: the Irish threw themselves down before the idol with such force that they bled from their foreheads. They gave the firstborn of every family for good seasons.
Saint Patrick's Overthrow
When Patrick came to Magh Slécht, the demon within the idol tried to resist. Patrick raised his crosier. The gold fell away from the stone and the central idol sank into the earth, leaving only its impression in the ground. The twelve surrounding stones bowed toward the empty center.
Near the site, at Killycluggin in County Cavan, a broken stone bearing Iron Age curvilinear decoration was found buried in the ground.
Crom Dubh and the Harvest
A figure called Crom Dubh, the Dark Bent One, survived in Irish folklore long after Patrick. The last Sunday of July was called Domhnach Chroim Duibh in many parishes. Folk traditions varied: in some he was a pagan chieftain whom Patrick converted; in others, a miser who hoarded the harvest until defeated. His day fell near Lughnasadh, the August festival when the first grain was cut and the earth's bounty was claimed.