The same stem can be found in the Gaulish deity Deo Cobanno (< *Gobannos), and in Govannon (< *Gobannonos), the son of the goddess Dôn in Welsh mythology, which may suggest a common origin of the name in Proto-Celtic legends.
It is also attested in various personal names, such as the Gaulish Gobannitio, Gobannicnus, or Gobano, the Old Irish Gobain (Lat.
[6] Goibniu is often grouped together with Credne the silversmith and Luchta the carpenter as the Trí Dée Dána (three gods of art), who forged the weapons which the Tuath Dé used to battle the Fomorians.
[7] He is explicitly named as the brother of Dian Cécht and Nuada in the Second Battle of Moytura (Mag Tuired)[8] Goibniu's unnamed wife was said to be buried in a cave at Drogheda.
According to the Acallam na Senórach and Altram Tige Dá Medar, the feast of Goibniu was bestowed on the warriors of the Tuatha Dé by Manannán to protect them from sickness and decay.
In the St Gall incantations,[13] Goibniu is invoked against thorns (either literal or metaphorical): Nothing is higher than heaven, nothing is deeper than the sea.
In the folklore of Ireland, there are several figures variously named Gavida and Gavigan who play a role in the birth of Lugh.