Tuatha De' Danann

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Permalink Reply by Shalamar Rue on November 5, 2009 at 1:43pm

http://www.aislingmagazine.com/aislingmagazine/articles/TAM24/TheFi...

http://dedanaan.com/untilled-fields-of-irish-history/early-peoples-...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7...
Researchers from Edinburgh University said studies of Scots living on Islay, Lewis, Harris and Skye found strong links with Irish people.
Early historical sources recount how the Gaels came from Ireland about 500 AD and conquered the Picts in Argyll.
Scientists said the study was the first demonstration of a significant Irish genetics component in Scots' ancestry.
The research, which features work by geneticist Dr Jim Wilson, a specialist in population genetics, is being featured in programmes on Gaelic television channel BBC Alba.
The study also suggests intriguing ancestry of Scots living on the Western Isles and in the north and north east of Scotland.
Trading networks
Dr Wilson said: "It was extremely exciting to see for the first time the ancient genetic connection between Scotland and Ireland - the signature of a movement of people from Ireland to Scotland, perhaps of the Scots or Gaels themselves."
The origin of the Gaels - who by conquering and integrating with Pictish northern tribes created the Kingdom of Alba - has been debated by historians for centuries.
The earliest historical source comes from around the 10th Century and relates that the Gaels came from Ireland in about 500 AD, under King Fergus Mor.
However, more recently archaeologists have suggested the Gaels had lived in Argyll for centuries before Fergus Mor's invasion.

The study also suggested an east-west genetic divide seen in England and attributed to Anglo-Saxons and Danes was evident in the north of Scotland.

This was noted in places far from Anglo-Saxon and Danish settlements, indicating that this division was older and may have arisen in the Bronze Age through trading networks across the North Sea.

Geneticists also said as many as 40% of the population on the Western Isles could have Viking ancestry, while no Viking ancestry was found in north east Scotland.





The various Magogian peoples brought with them their pagan pantheons of deities, but the most memorable and resonant in the myths and legends of ancient Ireland were the tribal gods of the Tuatha de Danann. And the greatest of the gods of the Tuatha de Danann was the mighty Dagda:


"The Dagda, though he appeared with and fought alongside mortal men in the legends, was actually believed to be a god, specifically, the father god of the Tuatha dé Danann. The son of the god Beli and the goddess Danu, the Dagda — literally, “the good god” — was not good in the sense of moral goodness, but in the sense that he was good at everything. He was an excellent king, a powerful warrior, a wise counselor, a cunning magician, a jovial friend, an amusing clown and a general father figure in whom can be found aspects of all of the other Celtic deities. Thus, he was referred to as the Eochaid Ollathair, “All-Father”, the king of the gods, and in his original name, Dagos Devos, he is also akin to Deus, Zeus and other Indo-European sky-gods. The fact that the word deva that makes up the latter half of the Dagda’s name is Hindu in origin also lends credence to the belief that the Tuatha Dé had indeed emigrated from Central Asia, which borders what is now India."

Interestingly, even the names of their deities invoke a Central Asian origin, corroborating our thesis that the majority of the ancient Irish had originally emigrated from that region in ancient times. And with them they brought along their own tribal priests, the "druids", those among them who made it their business to stay closely in touch with the divine realm. Among the greatest mysteries of ancient Ireland were the druids, a mysterious caste of Celtic society composed of wizards, philosophers, scientists, scholars, theologians, shamans, doctors, warriors, musicians, comedians and poets that formed a broad-based intellectual class whose exact function in Celtic society is still not fully understood. Generally speaking, the druids were essentially a priestly class whose primary function was the acquisition, memorization and transmission of knowledge. However, just as in modern education one can choose a course of study from scores of different professions, so too the types of knowledge that the druids studied and taught to their followers also varied dramatically, from the sublime to the mundane, from the esoteric to the comic. As such, because the classification “druid” encompassed such a wide array of varying professions, the term is usually subdivided into three different subclasses: “wizards”, “druids” and “poets”."

Not only did the ancient Magogians bring their religious beliefs with them on their long journey from Central Asia, they also brought their superstitions and a deep belief in both the supernatural and the afterlife. These giants in the Earth brought with them an entire culture based upon the belief that the visible world was only one part of a much larger universe that was inhabited by fairies, monsters, dragons, mermaids and creatures of every size and description.

When the Christian monks first began transcribing and compiling the ancient mythological tales from the numerous, and often conflicting, oral traditions of the ancient poets and lay storytellers of the early Christian period in Ireland, they were faced with an enormous task. In order to help organize this vast amount of material, they compiled the body of literature that they had gathered from the whole of Ireland and divided it into four mythological “cycles”, or bodies of literature that represent complete, distinct mythic traditions. These cycles were distinguished by region and by type of material, whether primarily mythological, semi-historical, or historical, and were divided as follows:


The Mythological Cycle
Mythological stories from Ireland’s prehistoric period that may have been based upon historical events;
Lebor Gabala Erenn — The Book of the Invasions of Ireland


The Ulster Cycle
Heroic stories that are semi-historical in character, centered around Ulster and Connaught provinces;
The Twins of Macha
Táin Bó Cúailnge, “The Cattle Raid of Cooley”


The Fenian Cycle
Heroic stories that are semi-historical in character, centered around Leinster and Munster provinces;


The Cycle of Kings
Stories centered around the kings of Ireland that are primarily historical in character, some of which also contain mythical elements.


Location: Located in western Europe, Ireland is the second largest of the British Isles. The island is divided into two major political units-Northern Ireland which is joined with Great Britain in the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland. Of the 32 counties of Ireland, 26 lie in the Republic, and of the four historic provinces, three and part of the fourth are in the Republic.

Language: Their culture was based on a unified language which is the ancestor of the Old Irish language. This unified language, along with their iron swords, helped them make a distinct place for themselves in building the culture of Ireland. "It is argued that the Celts in Ireland became Irish by the fifth century C.E. and that the development of the Ogam alphabet contributed to the cementing of this cultural identification" (www.ancientireland.com), and it is that cultural identification that allowed them to retain their culture when the Vikings and later the Normans tried to conquer them.

History: The written history of the Ancient Irish is full of magic and religion, peace and war, conquerors and rebellions. The earliest record of people on Ireland is the mythical Tuatha De Danann. Whether this superior race existed in truth or is merely a legend is part of an ongoing debate. After the Tuatha De Danann came the Celtic people, invaders from Europe that shaped and molded the character of the Irish with their language and customs.

The Celts arrived in Ireland around 400 B.C. They were tall with fair hair; they used iron swords, and were farmers and herders. They came from the Rhine River valley and around the Danube. When the Celts settled and combined with the native people of the isle they created 150 small communities called Tuatha. A king, a ri tuaithe, was the ruler of each tuatha. Sometimes an over-king was named over several tuatha. The Celts had a distinct culture before coming to the isle.

Christianity came to Ireland in 431 when Palladius, the first bishop of Ireland, was sent by the Pope. One of the most celebrated and well-known figures in Irish history is St. Patrick. He was born in Britain to a wealthy official. At the age of 16 he was sold to Irish slavers. After escaping, he went to France and became a bishop. He then made it his life's work to convert Ireland to Christianity. He was very successful. Along with other saints including St. Edna, St. Finnian, St. Columba, St. Brendan, St. Brigid, St. Comgall, St. Finbarr, and St. Ciaran, he melded the Christian religion with the Pagan religion in Ireland and created a blend that still exists today. The monasteries built by the Saints and other monks saved the culture and arts of the past during the Dark Ages in Europe because the Roman Empire had not stretched to embrace Ireland completely.

In 795, the first raiding party of Vikings arrived on Ireland's shores. At first they came in small groups, with a larger second wave arriving in 914. At first the Irish weren't able to defend themselves but then they put up stronger resistance in the mid-800's. The Vikings eventually settled and were assimilated into the Irish culture, adding their own flavor to the eclectic blend of beliefs and practices that define the Irish culture.

In 1169, the Normans, descendents of the Vikings, arrived in Ireland. "By 1300, the Normans controlled most of the country. But they did not succeed in conquering Ireland as they had conquered England" (www.emeraldgolf.com). In 1350 the Irish regained their land from the Normans and many Norman people assimilated with the Irish. The Irish, as a people, are a complicated mix of races, beliefs, and religious practices.

Daily Life: The Ancient people of Ireland lived a mainly pastoral existence. They farmed the land and herded cattle. They lived in circular, wood houses with thatched roofs. They whitewashed the outside of their homes with lime. Inside they had relatively modern eating implements such as "knives, cups, jugs, drinking horns, methers" (www.ireland.org ), and sometimes napkins. They ate "wheat meal, oat meal, eggs, meat, milk and honey, with some vegetables and few fruits" (www.ireland.org). Candles were used for light, and upper class houses had bathing basins.

Ladies had mirrors and wore cosmetics. Men and women both wore elaborate hairstyles and the upper class wore very ornamental clothing. One of the most famous arts to come out of Ireland is the unsurpassed genius of their metalworking. In the National Museum in Dublin many beautiful articles of clothing and jewelry are on display. The jewelry includes "personal adornments, bell-shrines, brooches, bracelets, rings, necklaces, torques, crowns, amulets, earrings, and beads" (www.ireland.org).

The ancient people of Ireland were an eclectic mix of cultures created by invasions, migrations, and assimilations of many different people. One of the most influential groups in Irish history were the Celts who gave the people a central language and a central identity. http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/oldworld/europe/ancientirish.html

Lebor Gabála Érenn
The Book of Invasions
The Book of Leinster Redaction

[ ] : glossed material

§1. In principio fecit Deus Cawlum et Terram, i.e., God made Heaven and Earth at the first, [and He Himself hath no beginning nor ending].

§2. He made first the formless mass, and the light of angels, [on the first Sunday]. He made firmament [on the Monday]. He made earth and seas [on the Tuesday]. He made sun and moon and the stars of Heaven [on the Wednesday]. He made birds [of the air] and reptiles [of the sea on the Thursday]. He made beasts [of the earth] in general, and Adam to rule over them, [on the Friday]. Thereafter God rested [on the Saturday] from the accomplishment of a new Creation, [but by no means from its governance].

§3. [Thereafter] He gave the bailiffry of Heaven to Lucifer, with the nine orders of the Angels of Heaven. He gave the bailiffry of Earth to Adam [and to Eve, with her progeny]. [Thereafter] Lucifer sinned, so that he was leader of a third of the host of angels. The King confined him with a third of the host of angels in his company, in Hell. And God said unto the Foe of Heaven: [Haughty is this Lucifer], unite et confundamus consilium eius.

§4. Thereafter Lucifer had envy against Adam, for he was assured that this would be given him [Adam], the filling of Heaven in his [Lucifer's] room. Wherefore he [Iofer Niger] came in the form of the serpent, and persuaded [Adam and] Eve to sin, in the matter of eating of the apple from the forbidden tree. Wherefore Adam was expelled from Paradise into common earth.

§5. Thereafter the Lord came to them, and He said unto Adam, Terra es et in terram ibis [i.e., of earth was he made and into earth shall he go]. In sudore uultus fui comedes panem tuum [i.e., he shall not obtain satisfaction without labor]. He said further unto the woman: Cum dolore et gemitu paries filios tuos et filias tuas [i.e., it shall be with ... insufferable pain that thou shalt bring forth thy sons].

§6. The progeny of Adam sinned [thereafter], namely the elder of the sons of Adam, Cain the accursed, who slew his brother Abel ... [through his jealousy?] and through his greed, with the bone of a camel, as learned men say. [In this manner?] began the kin-murders of the world.

§7. As for Seth, one of the three sons of Adam [who had progeny], of him are the men of the whole world. Noe s. Lamech s. Mathusalem s. Enoch s. Iared s. Malalahel s. Cainan s. Enos s. Seth s. Adam For it is Noe who is the second Adam, to whom the men of all the world are traced. For the Flood drowned the whole seed of Adam, except Noe with his three sons, Sem, Ham, Iafeth, and their four wives Coba, Olla, Oliva, Olivana. Afterwards, when God brought a Flood over the whole world, none of the people of the world escaped from the Flood except it be the people of that ark - Noe with his three sons, and the wife of Noe, the wives of his sons.

Ut dixit poeta,

A host that a wintry death would not subdue
Noe, there was no hero's weakness,
A story with horror has been made clear with keenness
Sem, Ham, and Iafeth.

Women without evil colour, great excellences,
above the Flood without extinctions,
Coba, vigorous was the white swan,
Olla, Oliva, Olivana.

§8. Now Sem settled in Asia, Ham in Africa, Iafeth in Europe -

Sem settled in pleasant Asia;
Ham with his progeny in Africa noble Iafeth and his
sons, it is they who settled in Europe.

Sem had thirty sons, including Arfaxad, Assur, and Persius. Ham had thirty sons, including Chus and Chanaan. Iafeth had fifteen including Dannai, Gregus, Hispanius, Gomer. Or it is twenty-seven sons that Sem had.

Thirty sleek sons, a brilliant fact,
they sprang from Ham, son of Noe
twenty-seven who are from Sem,
and fifteen from Iafeth.

§9. [With regard to] Iafeth [son of Noe], of him is the northern side of Asia - namely Asia Minor, Armenia, Media, the People of Scythia; and of him are the inhabitants of all Europe.

Grecus s. Iafeth, of him is Grecia Magna, Grecia Parva and Alexandian Greece. Espanus s. Iafeth from whom are the Hispani. Gomer son of Iafeth had two sons, Emoth and Ibath. Emoth, of him is the northern people of the world. Ibath had two sons, Bodb and Baath. Bodb, who had a son Dohe.

Elinus son of Dohe had three sons, Airmen, Negua, Isacon. As for Airmen, he had five sons, Gutus, Cebidus, Uiligothus, Burgundus, Longbardus. Negua had three sons, Saxus, Boarus, Uandalus. Isacon, moreover, one of the three sons of Elenus, he had four sons, Romanus, Francus, Britus, Albanus.

This is that Albanus who first took Albania, with his children, and of him is Alba named: so he drove his brother across the Sea of Icht, and from him are the Albanians of Latium of Italy.

§10. Magog, son of Iafeth, of his progeny are the peoples who came to Ireland before the Gaedil: to wit Partholan s. Sera s. Sru s. Esru s. Bimbend (sic) s. Magog s. Iafeth; and Nemed s. Agnomain s. Pamp s. Tat s. Sera s. Sru; and the progeny of Nemed, the Gaileoin, Fir Domnann, Fir Bolg and Tuatha De Danann. As the poet said,

Magog son if Iafeth there is
cerainty of his progeny;
of them was Parthalon of Banba
--decorous was his achievement.

Of them was noble Nemed son of Agnomain, unique; of them were Gand and Genand, Sengand, free Slaine.

The numerous progeny of Elada, of them was Bres, no untruth: son of Elada expert in arms, son of Delbaeth son of Net.

S. Inda, s. Allda -Allda who was s. Tat, s. Tabarn s. Enda, s. Baath, [son of] pleasant Ibath. s. Bethach s. Iardan s. Nemed grandson of Paimp: Pamp s. Tat s. Sera s. Sru s. white Braiment. Of Braiment s. Aithecht, s. Magog, great in reknown: there happened in their time a joint appearance against a Plain.

§11. Baath, [one of the two sons of Ibath] s. Gomer s. Iafeth, of him are the Gaedil and the people of Scythia. He had a son, the noble eminent man whose name was Feinus Farsaid. [It is he who was one of the seventy-two chieftains who went for the building of Nemrod's Tower, whence the languages were dispersed.] Howbeit, Nemrod himself was son of Cush s. Ham s. Noe. This is that Feinius aforesaid who brought the People's Speech from the Tower: and it is he who had the great school, learning the multiplicity of languages.

§12. Now Feinius had two sons: Nenual, [one of the two] whom he left in the princedom of Scythia behind him; Nel, the other son, at the Tower was he born. Now he was a master of all the languages; wherefore one came [to summon him] from pharao, in order to learn the multiplicity of languages from him. But Feinius came out of Asia to Scythia, whence he had gone for the building of the Tower; so that he died in the princedom of Scythia, at the end of forty years, and passed on the chieftainship to his son, Nenual.

§13. At the end of forty two years after the building of the Tower, Ninus son of Belus took the kingship of the world. For no other attempted to exercise authority over the peoples or to bring the multitude of nations under one had, and under tax and tribute, but he alone. Aforetime there had been chieftains; he who was noblest and most in favour in the community, he it was who was chief counsellor for every man: who should avert all injustice and further all justice. No attempt was made to invade or to dominate other nations.

§14. Now that is the time when Gaedel Glas, [from whom are the Gaedil] was born, of Scota d. Pharao. From her are the Scots named, ut dictum est

Feni are named from Feinius
a meaning without secretiveness:
Gaedil from comely Gaedel Glas,
Scots from Scota.

§15. It is Gaedel Glas who fashioned the Gaelic language out of the seventy-two languages: there are their names, Bithynian, Scythian, etc. Under poeta cecinit

The languages of the world, see for yourselves
Bithynia, Scythia, Cilicia, Hyreania,
Gothia, Graecia, Germania, Gallia with horror,
Pentapolis, Phrygia, Palmatia, Dardania.

Pamphylia, Mauretania, populous Lycaonia,
Bacctria, Creta, Corsica,
Cypros Thessalia, Cappadocia, noble Armenia,
Raetia, Sicilia, Saracen-land, Sardinia.

Belgia, Boeotia, Brittania, tuneful Rhodos,
Hispania, Roma, Rhegini, Phoenicia,
India, golden Arabia,
Mygdonia, Mazaca, Macedonia.

Parthia, Caria, Syria, Saxones,
Athenae, Achaia, Albania,
Hebraei, Arcadia, clear Galatia,
Troas, Thessalia, Cyclades.

Moesia, Media, Persida, Franci,
Cyrene, Lacedaemonia, Langobardi,
Thracia, Numidia, Hellas (?)
-- hear it! Lofty Italia, Ethipia, Egypt.

That is the tally of languages
without tarnish out of which Gaedel cut Gaedelic:
known to me is their roll of understanding,
the groups, the manifold languages.

§16. Now Sru s. Esru s. Gaedel, he it is who was chieftain for the Gaedil who went out of Egypt after Pharao was drowned [with his host in the Red Sea of Israel]: Seven hundred and seventy years from the Flood till then.

Four hundred and forty years from that time in which Pharao was drowned, and after Sru s. Esru came out of Egypt, till the time when the sons of Mil came into Ireland, to wit, Eber and Eremon: hereanent [one] said--

Forty and four hundred of years--it is no falsehood--
from when the people of God came,
be ye certain over the surface of Mare Rubrum,
till they landed in Scene from the clear sea,
they, the Sons of Mil, in the land of Ireland.

§17. Four ships' companies strong went Sru out of Egypt. There were twenty-four wedded couples and three hirelings for every ship. Sru and his son Eber Scot, they were the chieftains of the expedition. [It is then that Nenual s. Baath s. Nenual s. Feinius Farsaid, prince of Scythia, died: and] Sru also died immediately after reaching Scythia.

§18. Eber Scot took [by force] the kingship of Scythia from the progeny of Nenual, till he fell at the hands of Noemius s. Nenual. There was a contention between Noemius and Boamain s. Eber Scot. Boamain took the kingship till he fell at the hands of Noemius. Noemius took the princedom till he fell at the hands of Ogamain s. Boamain in vengeance for this father. Ogamain took the kingship till he died. Refill s. Noemius took the kingship till he fell at the hands of Tat s. Ogamain. Thereafter Tat fell at the hands of Refloir s. Refill. Thereafter there was a contention for the princedom between Refloir [grandson of Noemius and Agnomain s. Tat, until Refloir fell at the hands of Agnomain.

§19. For that reason was the seed of Gaedil driven forth upon the sea, to wit Agnomain and Lamfhind his son, so that they were seven years on the sea, skirting the world on the north side.
More than can be reckoned are the hardships which they suffered. [The reason why the name Lamfhind was given to the son of Agnomain was, because not greater was the radiance of candles than his hands, at the towing.] They had three ships with a coupling between them, that none of them should move away from the rest. They had three chieftains after the death of Agnomain on the surface of the great Caspian Sea, Lamfhind and Allot and Caicher the druid.

§20. It is Caicher the druid who gave the remedy to them, when the Siren was making melody to them: sleep was overcoming them at the music. This is the remedy which Caicher found for them, to melt wax in their ears. It is Caicher who spoke to them, when the great wind drove them into the Ocean, so that they suffered much with hunger and thirst there: till at the end of a week they reached the great promontory which is northward from the Rhipaean Mountain, and in that promontory they found a spring with the taste of wine, and they feasted there, and were three days and three nights asleep there. But Caicher the druid said: Rise, said he, we shalal not rest until we reach Ireland. What place is that 'Ireland' said Lamfhind s. Agnomain. Further than Scythia is it, said Caicher. It is not ourselves who shall reach it, but our children, at the end of three hundred years from today.

§21. Thereafter they settled in the Macotic Marshes, and there a son was born to Lamfhind, Eber Glunfhind: [white marks which were on his knees]. He it is who was chieftain after his father.
His grandson was Febri [Glunfhind (Sic)]. His grandson was Nuadu.

§22. Brath s. Death s. Ercha s. Allot s. Nuadu s. Nenual s. Febri Glas s. Agni find s. Eber Glunfhind s. Lamfhind s. Agnomain s. Tat s. Agnomain s.

Boamain s. Eber Scot s. Sru s. Esru s. Gaedel Glas s. Nel s. Feinius Farsaid:

It is that Brath who came out of the Marshes along the Torrian Sea to Crete and to Sicily. They reached spain thereafter. They took Spain by force.

§23. As for Agnomain s. Tat, he is the leader of the Gaedil who came out of Scythia. He had two sons, Lamfhind and Allot. Lamfhind had one son, Eber Glunfhind. Allot had a son, Eber Dub, at the same time as the sojourn in the Marshes. They had two grandsons in joint rule, Toithecht s. Tetrech s. Eber Dub, and Nenual s. Febri s. Agni s. Eber Glunfhind; there was also Soithecht s. Mantan s. Caicher.

Ucce and Occe, two sons of Allot s. Nenual s. Nemed s. Allot s. Ogamain s. Toithecht s. Tetrech s. Eber Dub s. Allot.

§24. Four ships' companies strong came the Gaedil to Spain: in every ship fourteen wedded couples and seven unwed hirelings. Brath, a ship's company. Ucce and Occe, two ships' companies: [Two brethren were they, the sons of Allot s. Nenual s. Nemed s. Allot s. Ogamain], Mantan [s. Caicher the druid s. Ercha s. (Coemthecht)] a ship's company. So they broke three battles after going into Spain: a battle against the Tuscans, a battle against the Langobardi, and a battle against the Barchu. But there came a plague upon them, and four and twenty of their number died, including Occe and Ucce. Out of the two ships none escaped, save twice five men, including En s. Occe and Un s. Ucce.

§25. Brath had a good son named Breogan, by whom was built the Tower and the city - Braganza was the city's name. From Breogan's Tower it was that Ireland was seen; an evening of a day of winter Ith s. Breogan saw it. Unde Gilla Coemain cecinit--

Gaedel Glas, of whom are the Gaedil,
son was he of Nel, with store of wealth:
he was mighty west and east,
Nel, son of Feinius Farsaid.

Feinius had two sons--I speak truth--
Nel our father and Nenual,
Nel was born at the Tower in the east,
Nenual in Scythia, bright as a shield.

After Feinius, the hero of ocean,
there was great envy between the brethren:
Nel slew Nenual, who was not gentle;
the High King was expelled.

He went into Egypt through valour
till he reached powerful Pharao;
till he bestowed Scota, of no scanty beauty,
the modest, nimble daughter of pharao.

Scota bore a son to noble Nel,
from whom was born a perfect great race:
Gaedel Glas was the name of the man--
green were his arms and his vesture.

Fierce Esru was son to him,
who was a Lord with heavy arms:
the son of Esru, Sru of the ancient hosts
to whom was meet all the fame attributed to him.

Sru son of Esru son of Gaedel,
our ancestor, rejoicing in troops,
he it is who went northward to his house,
over the surface of the red Mare Rubrum.

The crews of four ships were the tale
of his host along the red Mare Rubrum:
in his house of planks, we may say,
twenty-four wedded couples.

The prince of Scythia, it ws a clear fact,
the youth whose name was Nenual,
it is then he died yonder in his house--
when the Gaedil arrived.

Eber Scot of the heroes assumed [the kingdom]
over the progeny of Nenual unashamed,
till he fell, with no gentle kindness,
at the hands of Noemius son of Nenual.

The strong son of Eber thereafter, who had the name Boamain,
of perfect purity, to the shore
of the Caspian Sea was he king,
till he fell by the hand of Noemius.

Noemius son of Nenual of the strength
settled in Scythia, chequered like a shield:
the perfect fair prince fell
by the hand of Ogamain son of Boamain.

Thereafter Ogamain was prince
after Noemius of good strength:
till he died in his territory, unchurched:
after him Refill was king.

Thereafter Refill fell by
the hand of Tait son of Ogmain:
Tait fell, though he was not feeble,'
by the hand of Refloir son to Refill.

Refloir and Agnomain without blemish,
seven years were they in contention,
till Refloir fell with tumult
by the victorious hand of Agnomain.

Noinel and Refill with a [spear] point
two sons of Refloir son of Refill,
they drove Agnomain out over the raging sea,
great and green.

Good were the chieftains, it was sufficient,
who came out of Scythia;
Agnomain, Eber without blemish,
the two sons of Tait son of Ogamain.

Allot, Lamfhind of the green hand,
conspicuous the two sons of very bright Agnomain,
Caicher and Cing, fame with victory
the two good sons of Eber of the red-steed.

The number of their ships,
three ships coming over heavy waves;
three score [the crew] of every ship,
a clear saying, and women every third score.

Agnomain died, it was no reproach
in the islands of the great Caspian Sea.
The place where they were for a year
they found very secret.

They reached the full Libyan Sea,
a sailing of six complete summer days;
Glas son of Agnomain, who was not dspicable,
died there in Cercina.

A fair island found they there
on the Libyan Sea of warrior-blades:
a season over a year, with fame,
their sojourn in that island.

They sail on the sea,
a brilliant fact both by day and by night:
the sheen of the hands of lustrous Lamfhind
was like to fair candles.

Four chieftains had they who were not despicable,
after coming over the Libyan Sea:
Allot, Lamfhind wsift over the ocean,
Cing and his brother Caicher.

Caicher found a remedy for them
yonder for the melody of the Sirens:
this is the remedy that fair Caicher found,
to melt wax in their ears.

They found a spring and a land
at the Rhipaean headland with great might,
having the taste of wine thereafter:
their thirst overcame them mightily.

Soundly, soundly they slept
to the end of three days without sorrow,
till Caicher the faithful druid wakened
the noble men impatiently.

It is Caicher, (a brilliant fulfilment!)
who made a prophecy to them,
at the Rhipaean Mountains with a headland--
"We have no rest until Ireland."

"In what place is lofty Ireland?"
said Lamfhind the violent warrior.
"Very far" said Caicher then,
"It is not we who reach it, but our children."

They advanced in their battalion with venom,
southward past the Rhipaean headlands;
the progeny of Gaedel, with purity,
they landed at the Marshes.

A glorious son was born there
to Lamfhind son of Agnomain;
Eber Glunfhind, pure the gryphon,
the curl-haired grandfather of Febri.

The family of Gaedel, the brisk and white,
were three hundred years in that land:
they dwelt there thenceforward,
until Brath the victorious came.

Brath, the noble son of Faithful Death
came to Crete, to Sicily,
the crew of four ships of a safe sailing,
right-hand to Europe, on to Spain.

Occe and Ucce without blemish,
the two sons of Allot son of Nenual;
Mantan son of Caicher, faithful Brath,
they were the four leaders.

Fourteen men with their wives
made the crew for every ship full of warriors,
and six noble hirelings;
they won three battles in Spain.

Lofty the first battle - I shall not conceal it
--which they won against the host of the Tuscans;
a battle against the Bachra with violence,
and a battle against the Langobardi.

It was after the sinister battle
that there came to them a plague of one day:
the people of the ships of the sons of Allot
without fault were all dead except ten persons.

Un and En came out of it,
two noble sons of the strong chieftains:
thereafter was Bregon born,
father of Bile the strong and raging.

He broke a great number of fights and battles
against the many-coloured host of Spain:
Bregon of the shouts of valorous deeds,
of the combats, by him was built Brigantia.

Bregon son of Brath, gentle and good,
he had a son, Mil:
the seven sons of Mil--good their host--
including Eber and Eremon.

Along with Dond, and Airech with battle,
including Ir, along with Arannan,
including Armorgen with bright countenance,
and along with Colptha of the sword.

The ten sons of Bregon without falsehood,
Brega, Fuat, and Murthemne,
Cualnge, Cuala, fame though it were,
Ebleo, Nar, Ith, and Bile.

Ith son of Bregon with tuneful fame
came at the first into Ireland:
he is the first of men who inhabited it,
of the noble seed of the powerful Gaedil.
http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/lebor1.html#1

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Permalink Reply by Maire Hel Wolf on November 6, 2009 at 3:49am

My most beloved History teacher told me once when I asked him about it that Danu, the Goddess, was the Danube and that the mythical much fabled about people who came to the isle were immigrants from eastern Europe.

If anyone thinks Danu as Danube is too trivial please think about it: What else could a deity be if not a great untamed river?
I did not find any maps of tribes located close to Danube throughout history from lotsoftime ago to bronze age and further, I have a historical atlas...it is not easy to scan if all the action happens in the middle of the book where the pages are sewn together -.-

Anyway, the celtic, mixed, and noncelitc tribes along the river could very well be called warrior orientated, and since the area along the river still is extremely fertile you can guess they were well fed and therefore tall and healthy which adds up to deity-like appearance.

Many people still do not know that celtic, language and everything included, was all over europe until they mingled with the Germanic/Teutonic/Gaut etc tribes - or mysteriously disappeared (probably wiped by previously mentioned tribes), or both.
On the two maps you see Europe, the first one shows where the danube unites with the black sea the first one shows the celts earlier and later, interesting is as usual the border situation.

(I was away for a while because of issues of health now it is getting a little better).

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Permalink Reply by Celticlass...FAERIE QUEEN on November 6, 2009 at 3:56am

Greetings MAIRE Hel Wolfe.very fine points and thanks for the visual. DANU,very much the River Goddess,as I have thought of her this way as well. In doing any type of research on the Goddess,I have found the correlation with the river,the source. Side note.My son just returned from AUSTRIA,working at a hutte and wants to move over permanentley,loved it...spent a week in Insbrook and Munich and enjoyed Octoberfest.

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Permalink Reply by Maire Hel Wolf on November 6, 2009 at 4:03am

Yes, Austria is beautiful until you meet Bureaucracy :(

More maps with celts and Danube, and I forgot that perhaps the Romans did have some influence on how the celts disappeared...

(numbers are BC)

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Permalink Reply by Araelus the Stormwolf on November 8, 2009 at 7:31am

Is there a Key to this map showing what the shaded areas are showing? Other than a spread of population/belief

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Permalink Reply by Maire Hel Wolf on November 10, 2009 at 4:28pm

the shaded areas show where celts have been in Europe. They never had anything like an official state...belief was not organised like in the Roman Empire and not in any way uniformed.
I am sorry for being so Eurocentristic but this map speak books to me, since I also know the places (and the sacred places). The swhite parts for Example next to Hallstadt are huge mountains (Same for the Hispanic area with the Pyrenaes).

There was movement of the peoples not only from ireland to scotland but from continental to isle areas, BEFORE the vikings invaded the place.

You have to imagine a second colour for the Gauts, the Teutons and some others invading Europe from the North, and those are perhaps the very same people that went up in the twilight of the stone age.

Interesting Enough, mittle Europe is like an outwards spiral that als also goes inwards from time to time...I would love to see it animated some day.

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Permalink Reply by Celticlass...FAERIE QUEEN on November 6, 2009 at 4:10am

Bureaucracy sucks no matter where it is.....Joshua is a pro snow boarder,so on the other end of politically correct,if you get my drift......He was able to see alot of the area. The pics were grande!! aye,the CELTS covered a vast area,to be sure.

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Permalink Reply by Tammy on November 7, 2009 at 4:42pm

My great-grandma was born in a hospital along the Danube in Vienna.

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Permalink Reply by Alan on November 7, 2009 at 4:33pm

Danu was a Goddess, and the Tuatha De Danaan, or "Children of Danu", were the Gods.
Direct descent from them would be impossible to trace, as accurate records were not kept.

People make lots of claims.

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Permalink Reply by Nuadu on November 8, 2009 at 12:04am

I dont think its a matter of accuracy though, it could be more a matter of historical belief being given a modern spin.

In the origin myths, the stories of where different tribes and later on the families come from, deities do actually found tribes and families. Where you can expect ancestral deities to be low key and only relevant to the families, in the tribes, it is the high/universal deities like the ones listed as Tuatha De Danann that comprise the first founding ancestors. For example the Dagda and Lugh are ancestors of different branches of the Erainn tribes, the tribe that Ireland/Eire takes its name from.

I think its a misinterpretation of the tradition to claim descent from those deities though. For a few reasons, the least complicated of them being that IMO the exclusive focus on the TDD is a fundamentally flawed approach. The gods named Tuatha De Danann make up a tiny amount of the gods in Ireland and not only arent they all high deities some high deities arent called TDD and dont feature in any of the tribes of deities in that scheme. Banbha, Eiru and Fotla are names for Ireland in poetry given physical form in the narrative rather then being historical high deities but they are given the status of Tuatha De Danann. Most deities, are called Tuatha De - the Gods of the Tribes,an older name that the prase 'Tuatha De Danann' is based on. You'll find them in the Ulster Cycle, the Cycle of Kings or the Fianna cycle where the phrase Tuatha De Danann never appears. High Gods like Mananann Mac Lir for example are never mentioned as Tuatha De Danann or as being of any tribe from the mythological cycle. Hes an example of the older Tuatha De rather then Tuatha De Danann, Fomhaire, Fir Bolg etc.

Just IMO that disqualifies the belief but there are other reasons it wouldnt work that dont highlight the difference between native paganism in Ireland and celtic paganism abroad. Things more based on the history of religion in Ireland then an argument on interpretation of mythology. Though I doubt anyone actually cares, whats easy is better for 90% of people then adapting to the truth.

James

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Permalink Reply by Luna Tala on November 8, 2009 at 11:04am

There are parallels to a lot of beliefs here from many different cultures. People still take a mythological and mystical approach to things. Another perspective is the Einstein Rosen Bridge Theory where minutes, days, hours and years can pass in the blink of an eye, returning from these portals with no memory blocked by the same super-conscious mind at birth, only to hear laughter in the wind.

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Permalink Reply by Morgaine on November 17, 2009 at 6:38pm

Your friend's beliefs may not be verifiable in mainstream ('establishment') sources, but it is verifiable just the same.

While many dismiss folklore as quaint superstition, I have been privileged to experience first-hand phenomena that modern academics contemptuously dismiss as "fiction". Myth is the name we give oral traditions we are no longer willing to acknowledge; traditions that were the histories of ancient peoples, preserving and recording their spiritual identities, origins, and lineages, as well as the deeds of great individuals. To dismiss them as "delusions" merely because some academics sitting on their bottoms in dusty libraries cannot conceive of anything outside their realm of experience is to blind oneself to nearly all of the findings of modern physics as well as many recent archaeological discoveries.

If we discount the verity of the oral traditions, we must also discount the histories of every indigenous people on the planet. Frankly, I am not prepared to do that, especially as there are now substantial studies documenting the accuracy of these traditions into the tens of thousands of years. ;)

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