6. Celtic mythology states that Eiocha, a white mare, became pregnant with the first god Cernunnos after eating berries.
It was said that Eiocha’s birth was so painful, she ripped off bark from a nearby oak tree and cast the bark into the ocean. This created the giants of the deep. However, upon seeing all the beasts now in the ocean, Cernunnos became very lonely. He decided to make Eiocha pregnant again, and the following births resulted in the creation of the gods and goddesses Maponos, Tauranis, Teutates and Epona. The new gods and goddesses were bored and wanted to be worshipped, so from the same oak tree, they removed bark and formed the first man and woman. Soon, Cernunnos had created an entire forest of creatures. Eiocha saw what she had helped create and returned to her true home, the sea, where she transformed into the sea goddess Tethra.
Each of the gods and goddesses had their own creations; Epona created mares and stallions; Teutates created weapons such as bows and arrows and clubs; Tauranis created thunderbolts and fire; Maponos created instruments to make beautiful music. After seeing how loved and worshipped the gods and goddesses were, the giants of the sea grew jealous and decided to wage war. Tethra emerged from the waters and imprisoned many of the warring giants of the deep, but several escaped. These escaped giants spread to the far corners of the world where they became known as the Formos.