Tuatha De Danann

This “name” is usually translated as “folk of the goddess Danu.” They are also known by the earlier name: Tuath De (“tribe of the gods” or “divine tribe”). They’re a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland.

The Tuatha De Danann are often pictured as kings, queens, druids, bards, warriors, heroes, healers, & craftsmen who have supernatural powers. They live in the Otherworld but interact with humans & the human world. They’re associated with sidhe.

Their traditional rivals are the Fomorians (Fomoire), who might represent the destructive powers of nature, & whom the Tuatha De Danann defeated in the Battle of Mag Tuired.

Prominent members include the Dagda (“the great god”), The Morrigan (“the great queen” or “phantom queen”), Lugh, Nuada, Aengus, Brigid, Manannan, Dian Cecht the healer, & Goibniu the smith, 1 of the Tri De Dana (“three gods of craft”).

They’re immune to ageing & sickness, & who have magic powers. The powers most often attributed to them are control over the weather & the elements, & the ability to shape shift themselves & other things.

They’re also said to control the fertility of the land. The tale De Gabail in t-Sida says the 1st Gaels had to establish friendship with the Tuatha De Danann before they could raise crops & herds.

They live in the Otherworld, which is described as either a parallel world or a heavenly land beyond the sea or under the earth’s surface. Many of them are associated with specific places in the landscape, especially the sidh mounds.

These are the ancient burial mounds & passage tombs which are entrances to Otherworld realms. The Tuatha De Danann can hide themselves with a feth fiada (“magic mist”) & appear to humans only when they wish to.

In euhemerized accounts, the Tuatha De Danann were descended from Nemed, leader of a previous wave of inhabitants of Ireland. In non-euhemerized accounts, they’re descended from Danu/Anu, a mother goddess. They came from 4 cities to the north of Ireland (Falias, Gorias, Murias, & Finias), where architecture, the arts, & magic.

According to Lebor Gabala Erenn, they came to Ireland “in dark clouds” & “landed on the mountains of the Conmaicne Rein in Connachta.” Otherwise Sliabh an Iarainn, “and they brought a darkness over the sun for 3 days & 3 nights.”

Sliabh an Iarainn (anglicized Slieve Anierin) is a mountain in County Leitrim, Ireland. It’s part of the Cuilcagh Mountains.

They immediately burnt the ships “so that they should not of retreating to them, & the smoke & the mist that came from the vessels filled the neighbouring land & air. Therefore it was conceived that they had arrived in clouds of mist.”

Led by King Nuada, they fought the First Battle of Magh Tuireadh on the west coast, in which they defeated & displaced the native Fir Bolg, who then inhabited Ireland. In the battle, Nuada lost an arm to their champion, Sreng.

Since Nuada was no longer “unblemished,” he couldn’t continue as king & was replaced by the half-Fomorian Bres, who turned out to be a tyrant.

The doctor Dian Cecht replaced Nuada’s arm with a working silver 1. (Think Bucky from Captain America.) He was reinstated as king. Back in those days, if a king wasn’t physically whole, then he wasn’t fit to be king.

However, Dian Cecht’s son, Miach, was dissatisfied with the replacement. So he recited the spell, “adult fri halt do and feith fri feth” (joint to joint of it & sinew to sinew), which caused flesh to grow over the silver over the course of 9 days & nights.

In a fit of jealous rage, Dian Cecht killed his own son. Because of Nuada’s restoration as king, Bres whined to his family & dad, Elatha, who sent him to look for help from King Balor of the Fomorians.

The Tuatha De Danann fought the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh against the Fomorians. King Nuada was killed by King Balor’s poisonous eye. But KIng Balor was killed by Lugh (who was the champion of the Tuatha De Danann), who then took over as king.

A 3rd battle was fought against a wave of invaders, the Milesians, from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Galicia & Northern Portugal). These were descendants of Mil Espaine (who are thought to represent the Goidelic Celts).

The Milesians encountered 3 Tuatha De Danann goddesses, Eriu, Banba, & Fodla, who asked that the island be named after them. Eriu is the origin of the modern name Eire (which is the Irish language name for Ireland), & Banba & Fodla are still sometimes used as poetic names for Ireland.

Their 2 husbands (Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht, & Mac Greine) were kings of the Tuatha De Danann and created a magical storm in an attempt to drive them away. The Milesian poet calmed the sea with his verse, then his people landed & defeated the Tuatha De Danann at Tailtiu.

When Amergin was called upon to divide the land between the Tuatha De Danann & his own people, he cleverly allotted the portion above ground to the Milesians & the portion underground to the Tuatha De Danann.

The Tuatha De Danann were led underground into the Sidhe mounds by Manannan mac Lir & Tir na nOg onto a flowery plain/plain of honey attested to in the Voyage of Bran.

The Tuatha De Danann brought 4 magical treasure with them to Ireland, 1 a piece from their 4 cities: Dagda’s Cauldron, The Spear of Lugh, Lia Fail (The Stone of Fal), & Claiomh Solais (The Sword of Light).

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#aengus #amergin #anu #banba #battleOfMagTuired #bres #brigid #captainAmerica #celts #christian #claiomhSolais #conmaicneRein #connachta #countyLeitrim #cuilcaghMountains #dagda #dagdasCauldron #danu #deGabailInTSida #dianCecht #elatha #eriu #fethFiada #finais #firBolg #firstBattleOfMaghTuireadh #fodla #fomoire #fomorians #gaelic #gaels #galicia #goibniu #goidelic #gorias #iberianPeninsula #ireland #irish #irishMythology #kingBalor #kingNuada #leborGabalaErenn #liaFail #lugh #macCecht #macCuill #macGreine #manannan #manannanMacLir #miach #milEspaine #milesians #nemed #northernPortugal #otherworld #sidh #sidhe #sliabhAnIarainn #slieveAnierin #sreng #tailtiu #theMorrigan #theSpearOfLugh #theStoneOfFal #theSwordOfLight #tirNaNog #triDeDana #tuathDe #tuathaDeDanann2 #voyageOfBran

#MythologyMonday: The games in memory of #Tailtiu at the time of #Lughnasadh „became the greatest spectacle of the ancient world, renowned throughout all the lands for their grandeur and energy. For almost three thousand years they were held without pause or break in the tradition, until the coming of the Normans around 1171, when they were suppressed for some time. Fionn MacCumhaill himself was said to have joined them to find warriors for his Fianna, as well as Cú Chulainn and most of the ancient heroes of Ireland.“ #Celtic
https://x.com/ElvaBJohnston/status/865111483385954304
Source: https://emeraldisle.ie/the-tailteann-games

#MythologyMonday: `In great grief at the loss of such a powerful queen, #Lugh declared that games should be held in honour of his foster mother #Tailtiu at least every three years, although usually more often, and she was buried under the mounds at the place we today know as Telltown in County Meath.` #Celtic
Source: https://emeraldisle.ie/the-tailteann-games

#MythologyMonday: #Tailtiu “… told them in her sickness
(Feeble she was but not speechless)
That they should hold funeral games to lament her –
Zealous the deed.
About the Calends of August she died,
On a Monday, on the Lugnasad of Lug;
Round her grave from that Monday forth
Is held the chief Fair of noble Erin.
White-sided Tailtiu uttered in her land a true prophecy,
That so long as every prince should accept her,
Erin should not be without perfect song.” #Celtic
Source: https://emeraldisle.ie/the-tailteann-games

#FolkyFriday: `#Tailtiu, the daughter of Mag Mor, King of Spain, and Queen of the Fir Bolg, arrived at Coll Cuan after the defeat they suffered at the Battle of Mag Tured, where she cleared the forest so that before a year had passed, a flourishing plain lay in its original place. This is the same Tailtiu who was the wife of Eochu, son of Erc and king of Ireland, until he was killed. But Tailtiu settled in Tailtiu and slept with Eochu the Rough, the son of Dui the Blind of the Túatha Dé Danann. Cian, the son of Diancecht, who was also called Scal Balb, gave him his son Lug to raise, whose mother was Eithne, the daughter of Balor with the strong blow. Then Tailtiu died, and Lug organised memorial games there every year from fifteen days before to fifteen days after Lughnasad. These games are called the gathering of Lugh, son of Eithlenn.`#Celtic
Source: Le Roux/Guyonvarc´h „Die Hohen Feste der Kelten“

☀️ Happy Lughnasagh! It's my first day of work, and the day before my birthday. Quite a day for me!

I'm grateful for the first harvest of the year, and for all the seedlings yet planted for the autumn to come.

Bless Tailtiu, Lugh's foster mother, for her care and sacrifice. May we honor her with games, generosity, and genial community. ☀️

#lughnasadh #celticpagan #tailtiu

`#Tailtiu was a #Celtic goddess diminished into human form. Tailtiu traveled to the center of #Ireland, and began to clear fields for planting, but the effort of felling the dense #Irish forest killed her. As she died, she asked that her funeral go on forever, with horse racing and games and festivities. And so her foster son, the god #Lugh, established the #Lughnasa festival that, strangely, bears his name rather than hers.`
Source: P. Monaghan `Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore`