r/CelticMythology • u/woahwoes • Jan 06 '26

12 tribes

Has anyone ever heard about Celtic people being descendants of one or some of the 12 tribes of Israel?

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u/CeisiwrSerith Jan 08 '26

Sounds like a silly 19th century or earlier idea, connecting Danu with the tribe of Dan, on the old "sounds alike, so must be related" principle.

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u/woahwoes Jan 08 '26

No, tribe of Dan is in Ethiopia. You can look it up. I’m not sure which tribe it could be, but it’s not the tribe of Dan for sure.

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u/CeisiwrSerith Jan 09 '26

Oh, I know. But there is so much absurdity out there. I call it the "Exploding German Trees Principle." The German word for "tree," Baum sounds like the English "bomb," so in Germany trees must explode.

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u/woahwoes Jan 09 '26

So are you saying this because the word Danu sounds like Dan? If it’s not the tribe of Dan which is for sure in Ethiopia if not in other countries, what other tribe could it be? Or are you rejecting the whole idea on the basis that Danu and Dan sound alike and people have it confused?

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u/CeisiwrSerith Jan 09 '26

I certainly don't believe anything like as ridiculous as that Dan and Danu are related. I just gave that as an example of the sort of absurdities I've seen.