Tuatha De Danann
This โnameโ is usually translated as โfolk of the goddess Danu.โ They are also known by the earlier name: Tuath De (โtribe of the godsโ or โdivine tribeโ). Theyโre 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. Theyโre 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 (โthe great godโ), The Morrigan (โthe great queenโ or โphantom queenโ), Lugh, Nuada, Aengus, Brigid, Manannan, Dian Cecht the healer, & Goibniu the smith, 1 of the Tri De Dana (โthree gods of craftโ).
Theyโre 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.
Theyโre 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 earthโs 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 (โmagic mistโ) & 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, theyโre 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 โin dark cloudsโ & โlanded on the mountains of the Conmaicne Rein in Connachta.โ Otherwise Sliabh an Iarainn, โand they brought a darkness over the sun for 3 days & 3 nights.โ
Sliabh an Iarainn (anglicized Slieve Anierin) is a mountain in County Leitrim, Ireland. Itโs part of the Cuilcagh Mountains.
They immediately burnt the ships โso 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.โ
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 โunblemished,โ he couldnโt continue as king & was replaced by the half-Fomorian Bres, who turned out to be a tyrant.
The doctor Dian Cecht replaced Nuadaโs arm with a working silver 1. (Think Bucky from Captain America.) He was reinstated as king. Back in those days, if a king wasnโt physically whole, then he wasnโt fit to be king.
However, Dian Cechtโs son, Miach, was dissatisfied with the replacement. So he recited the spell, โadult fri halt do and feith fri fethโ (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 Nuadaโs 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 Balorโs 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: Dagdaโs Cauldron, The Spear of Lugh, Lia Fail (The Stone of Fal), & Claiomh Solais (The Sword of Light).
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