Tuatha Dé Danann
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| Series on Celtic mythology  |
| Ancient Celtic religion |
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Druids · Bards · Vates |
| British mythology |
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Welsh mythology |
| Gaelic mythology |
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Irish mythology |
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Celt · Gaul |
The Tuatha Dé Danann ("peoples of the goddess Danu") were a group of characters in Irish mythology and Scottish mythology. They were the fifth group of inhabitants of Ireland, according to the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions) tradition. They are thought to represent the gods of the Goidelic Irish; their Christian transcribers' interpretations generally have reduced their stature to historical kings and heroes.
A poem in the Book of Leinster lists many of the Tuatha Dé, but ends "Although [the author] enumerates them, he does not worship them." Goibniu, Creidhne and Luchta are referred to as Trí Dé Dána ("three gods of craftsmanship"), and the Dagda's name is interpreted in medieval texts as "the good god." Even after they are displaced as the rulers of Ireland, characters such as Lug, the Mórrígan, Aengus and Manannan appear in stories set centuries later, showing all the signs of immortality. They have many parallels across the Celtic world. Nuada is cognate with the British god Nodens; Lugh is a reflex of the pan-Celtic deity Lugus; Tuireann is related to the Gaulish Taranis; Ogma to Ogmios; the Badb to Catubodua.
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[edit] Legendary history
The Tuatha Dé were descended from Nemed, leader of a previous wave of inhabitants of Ireland. They came from four northern cities, Falias, Gorias, Murias and Finias, where they acquired their occult skills and attributes. They arrived in Ireland, on or about May 1 (the date of the festival of Beltaine), on dark clouds, although later versions rationalise this by saying they burned their ships to prevent retreat, and the "clouds" were the smoke produced.
Led by their king, Nuada, they fought the First Battle of Magh Tuiredh (Moytura), on the west coast, in which they defeated and displaced the clumsy and ill-armed Fir Bolg, who then inhabited Ireland. Nuada lost an arm in the battle. Since he was no longer perfect, he could not continue as king and was replaced by the half-Fomorian Bres, who turned out to be a tyrant. The physician Dian Cecht replaced Nuada's arm with a working silver one and he was reinstated as king. However, Nuada was dissatisfied with the replacement so he turned to Dian Cecht's son Miach, who made him a new hand of flesh and blood. Dian Cecht slew his own son out of jealousy.
Because of Nuada's restoration as leader the half-Fomorian Bres complained to his family.
The Tuatha Dé then fought the Second Battle of Magh Tuiredh against the Fomorians. Nuada was killed by the Fomorian king Balor's poisonous eye, but Balor was killed by Lugh, who took over as king.
A third battle was fought against a subsequent wave of invaders, the Milesians, from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (present day Galicia and Northern Portugal), descendants of Míl Espáine (who are thought to represent the Goidelic Celts). The Milesians encountered three goddesses of the Tuatha Dé, Ériu, Banba and Fodla, who asked that the island be named after them; Ériu is the origin of the modern name Éire, and Banba and Fodla are still sometimes used as poetic names for Ireland.
Their three husbands, Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Gréine, who were kings of the Tuatha Dé at that time, asked for a truce of three days, during which the Milesians would lie at anchor nine waves' distance from the shore. The Milesians complied, but the Tuatha Dé created a magical storm in an attempt to drive them away. The Milesian poet Amergin calmed the sea with his verse, before his people landed and defeated the Tuatha Dé at Tailtiu. When Amergin was called upon to divide the land between the Tuatha Dé Danann and his own people, he cleverly allotted the portion above ground to the Milesians and the portion underground to the Tuatha Dé. The Tuatha Dé were led underground into the Sidhe mounds by The Dagda.
The Tuatha Dé Danann fought against the witch Carman and her three sons. They are said to have brought chariots and druidry to Ireland.
| Preceded by Fir Bolg |
Mythical invasions of Ireland AFM 1897 BC FFE 1477 BC |
Succeeded by Milesians |
[edit] The Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann
The Tuatha Dé Danann brought four magical treasures with them to Ireland:
- The Dagda's Cauldron
- the Spear of Lugh
- the Stone of Fal
- the Sword of Light of Nuada
These four treasures can be linked to the four elements, and four suits, found in Tarot and throughout pagan mythology.
[edit] Tuatha Dé Danann High Kings of Ireland
AFM: chronology from the Annals of the Four Masters; FFE: chronology based on reign-lengths given in Seathrún Céitinn's Forus Feasa ar Erinn.
- Bres AFM 1897-1890 BC; FFE 1477-1470 BC
- Nuada AFM 1890-1870 BC; FFE 1470-1447 BC
- Lugh AFM 1870-1830 BC; FFE 1447-1407 BC
- Eochaid Ollathair AFM 1830-1750 BC; FFE 1407-1337 BC
- Delbáeth AFM 1750-1740 BC; FFE 1337-1327 BC
- Fiacha AFM 1740-1730 BC; FFE 1327-1317 BC
- Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Gréine AFM 1730-1700 BC; FFE 1317-1287 BC
[edit] Tuatha Dé Danann family tree
The following table is based on the genealogies given by Seathrún Céitinn and in the Lebor Gabála Érenn, and references in Cath Maige Tuireadh. It is not clear whether the various Elathas and Delbáeths are meant to be different figures of the same name or different traditions regarding the genalogy of the same figure. It is also notable that Fomorians such as Elatha and Balor are closely related to the Tuatha Dé.
Nemed
|
Iarbonel Faidh
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Beothach
|
Iobáth
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Enna
|
Tabarn
|
Tat
____________________________________|__________________________________
| |
Allai Indai
| __________________________|__________________________
| | |
Orda Nét Elatha
| ____________________|______________________________________________ |
| | | | |
Etarlám Esar Brec Delbáeth Dot Bres
| | | |
| | | |
Eochaid Dian Cecht Elatha Balor
| | | |
| ___________|___________ _________________|______________________ |
Nuada | | | | | | | | | | |
(Elcmar) Cu Cethen Cian Miach Airmed Dagda Fiacha Delbáeth Ogma Allód Ethniu
(Nechtan) | | | | | (Ler)
_____|____ | | _____________|____________ | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Etarlám Nemain Bec-Felmas Lug Cermait Aengus Bodb Midir Brigid Boann Delbáeth Manannan
| | | (Tuireann)
| | _________|_________ ______________________|__________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Ernmas Abean MacCuill MacCecht MacGréine Fiacha Brian Iuchar Iucharba Danand Goibniu Credne Luchta Ollam
|__________________ |
| | | |
Ériu = Badb | Aoi
Banba = Macha |
Fódla = Mórrígan = Anu
Other members of the Tuatha Dé Danann include:
[edit] Popular culture
The Tuatha Dé Danann (spelled Tuatha Dé Danaan in the books) play a prominent role in Karen Marie Moning's novels. The first set, the Highlander series, are standalone romance novels that are best read together and in order and the Fever series which are suspense novels (so far, no romance) the first of which is "DarkFever".
The exotic characters in Julian May's Saga of Pliocene Exile are based on Tuatha Dé Danann and Fir Bolg.
The Tuatha Dé Danann, and the Fomorians (spelt Fomhoire) play vital roles in Juliet Marillier's "Sevenwaters Trilogy"
The Tuatha Dé Danann appear in a chapter of Poul Anderson's book The Broken Sword, a fantasy novel placed in northern Europe during the Middle Ages. The hero Scafloc travels from Britain to Ireland and meets the People of Danu in a deep sidhe.
In Eoin Colfer's book Artemis Fowl, it is said that Dé Danann created the Giant's Causeway with the force of their magic blast while fighting the demon Fomorian.
In Keith Taylor's Bard series, the central character, Felimid Mac Fal, is descended from the Tuatha Dé Danann. Mac Fal has an ancestral sword, Kincaid, which bears an ancient curse: if it falls into the hands of anyone not descended from the Tuatha Dé Danann, that person will die before the next sunset.
The Tuatha Dé Danann (spelled Tuatha de Dannon within the game) appear in the online game City of Heroes as enemies with the appearance of hulking, green creatures with antlers. They are sometimes led by 'Boss' monsters called "Bres". In the game, they reprise their role as enemies of the Fir Bolg, who are now pumpkin-like creatures. This is explained in-game as a side effect of the two groups having been transported to their new home (and constant warzone), the Croatoa sector.
The Tuatha Dé Danann appear in Diane Duane's book A Wizard Abroad, in which the battle of Lugh and the Formori is resumed in modern times. Lugh uses his spear to kill Balor of the Evil Eye, king of the Formori. The spear is said to be the mythical Spear of Destiny.
The Tuatha Dé Danann are featured heavily in Morgan Llywelyn 's book Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish
Many of the Tuatha Dé Danann appear in Laurell K. Hamilton's Merry Gentry series of books, and mostly centers upon the Unseelie sidhe, who used to be gods, although they themselves were not always of the Unseelie court.
The Tuatha Dé Danann are featured prominently in Alison Baird's novels The Hidden World and The Wolves of Woden.
The Tuatha Dé Danann are referenced in the Outlanders novel series by Mark Ellis (aka James Axler) as having engaged in a long war with the Anunnaki for possession of the Earth. The last of the Danann, the mad god Maccan, has appeared twice in the series (Dragoneye and Mad God's Wrath), wielding the deadly Silver Hand of Nuadha. The Danann princess Fand has also appeared in Outlanders.
The Tuatha Dé Danann (TDD-1) is the codename of one of MITHRIL's advanced submarines in the Full Metal Panic anime/manga series.
The Tuatha Dé Danann are presented as a water-breathing species from Thierna Na Oge, one of the five lost cities of Atlantis in the 1986 Aquaman comic book limited series by Neal Pozner and Craig Hamilton.
They are portrayed as gods in Mark Chadbourn's The Age of Misrule trilogy, in which the ancient gods return to present-day Britain.
The Tuatha Dé Danann appear in the roleplaying game Shadowrun. In the context of the game, they are Irish elves who appeared after the magical awakening of 2011. They claimed Ireland as their homeland, renaming it Tír na nÓg. They consider human and other non-elven Irish to be their inferiors, whom they refer to as Firbolg. Non-Irish elves often view them as a model to emulate.
In the roleplaying game Changeling: The Dreaming, the Tuatha Dé Dannan are mysterious godlike beings who are ancestors of the fae.
The Tuatha Dé Danann inspired a Brazilian Celtic/Folk Metal band, Tuatha de Danann (band), whose lyrics are mainly about fantasy and celtic folklore.
The Tuatha Dé Dannan also inspired a well-known traditional Irish band, De Dannan.
The Fir Bolg are represented in the online game World of Warcraft as Furbolgs, bearlike, hulking, feral, tribal creatures with large bellies, usually wielding spears.
The MMORPG Dark Ages (computer game) players are referred to as 'Tuatha de Danaan' a slight variation of 'Tuatha Dé Dannan'.
Manau, a celtic/hip hop group from Britanny, has a popular song called La Tribu de Dana. Which is French for 'Tuatha de Danaan'. In the song, adapted from Alan Stivell's, Manau, tells the story of a celtic warrior.
The Tuatha Dé Danann appear in Stephen R. Lawhead's epic Pendragon Cycle as the mythical survivors of the lost continent of Atlantis. Directly descended from a king of these Fair Folk, Charis (who later becomes the legendary "Lady of the Lake") marries the greatest of the Druids, a mysterious orphan named Taliesin. Their son, Merlin, carries on his father's legacy of the great Kingdom of Summer, culminating in Arthur's ascendence as king of all Britain, and beyond.
In Grant Morrison's comic book metaseries Seven Soldiers, many elements of the Tuatha de Danann myth appear, especially issue #1 which contains their four cities, some of the four weapons, and a reference to the Silver Arm, Nuada's nickname.
Michael Moorcock includes themes of Celtic mythology and the Tuatha Dé Danann in the Corum books of his Eternal Champion seriesc. In this mini series, non-human protagonist and aspect of the Eternal Champion, Prince Corum fights fomorians and, like Nuada, has a silver hand.
The Tuatha Dé Danann are depicted in the comic Sláine by Pat Mills.
