In my time walking the Gaulish Path, I’ve noticed that two gods often feel strangely distant: Ogmios and Lugus. Not because they lack importance, but because people aren’t always sure how to approach them. Ogmios carries an intimidating weight — an old god whose eloquence binds hearts. Lugus, vast in his domains, is sometimes reduced to “crafts,” even though his reach extends far beyond that.
Yet these two share a powerful theme at their core, and that is speech — the sacred word, the breath that moves between worlds. Understanding how they differ helps us understand our own voices better.
Îanolabâ — Right Speech as Virtue and Devotion
If we look further back, into the deep roots of Proto-Indo-European thought, we find that speech itself was seen as a cosmic force. Across Indo-European cultures, the spoken word:
- upheld truth and cosmic order
- carried magical and ritual power
- established sovereignty and law
- acted as a bridge between humans, gods, and ancestors
- preserved memory, identity, and tradition
In other words, the ancients believed that speech didn’t just describe reality — it shaped it.
Understanding speech helps illuminate one of our Îanoi — Îanolabâ, right speech. In light of PIE cosmology, this virtue becomes more than ethics; it becomes a sacred principle that maintains order, honors the gods, and sustains our community. Speech is the foundation of everything we do.
It shapes our relationships, our rites, our teachings, and our shared identity. The other virtues naturally gather around it — flowing from how we speak and the intentions we carry. When we strive for right speech, we’re not only being mindful with our words; we are aligning ourselves with the powers of clarity and eloquence. We learn when to speak with light, and when to speak with resonance. We learn how to communicate truth and how to speak with heart.
This worldview helps us understand why Lugus and Ogmios take on such distinct roles. They are not redundant; they are two essential expressions of the sacred word.
Lugus: The Clarifying Word
Within this broader Indo-European frame, Lugus embodies the ordering and illuminating side of speech. His words teach, clarify, and bring hidden patterns into form. This is the speech of sovereignty — not rulership by force, but rulership by communication, insight, and instruction.
His speech is the cosmic “lamp”: the word that reveals, organizes, and connects.
Lugus is communication.
His power is in how words clarify — teaching, instructing, crafting meaning, and passing knowledge from one mind to another. He is speech as connection, structure, and shared understanding.
Ogmios: The Binding Word
Ogmios, meanwhile, expresses the magical and compelling current of speech. Lucian’s image of golden chains from his tongue to the ears of followers reflects a very old Indo-European idea: that skilled speech has the power to bind, persuade, enchant, and direct the will.
This is the speech of charisma, of spellcraft, of influence.
The word that pulls, moves, and reshapes hearts.
His speech is the “chain”: the word that captivates, persuades, and carries emotional force.
Ogmios is eloquence.
His power is in how words move people — the charm, the persuasion, the emotional pull. He is the art of speaking in a way that binds hearts and compels attention.
When we strive for Îanolabâ, we’re aligning ourselves with both Lugus and Ogmios:
- with Lugus, speaking with clarity, honesty, and understanding
- with Ogmios, speaking in ways that inspire, encourage, and move the heart
Îanolabâ becomes both a discipline and a devotion — a daily practice shaped by these two divine voices.
The Sacred Word as Lamp and Chain
In the end, both gods show us that speech is more than breath — it is power, connection, and the shaping of our world. Ogmios stands as the Dêuos of Speech, the one whose eloquence binds hearts and moves the soul. Lugus, vast in scope, is the Dêuos of Many Skills, whose clarity, craft, and communication illuminate the path of knowledge and right action. Together they show us that the sacred word has both depth and direction, and that our practice is enriched when we learn to honor that current. To speak with truth and to speak with heart — this is the gift they place in our hands. And perhaps one of our tasks as Galatis is learning how to speak in a way that honors the cosmos around us so we can teach with clarity and to inspire with heart.
Bessus Nouiogalation 