Túatha Dé Danann

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The Túatha Dé Danann [ ˈt̪ˠuːahə dʲeː ˈd̪ˠan̪ˠən̪ˠ ] (The people of the Danu) are, according to the Lebor Gabála Érenn ("The Book of the Lands of Ireland"), a people ( tuath ) who are said to be descended from the goddess Danu . The 11th century Lebor Gabála Érenn , a Central Irish collection of folkloric texts, describes the origin of this people and their invasion of Ireland . This book of invasions was used by Seathrún Céitinn around 1634 for his history of Ireland ( Foras feasa ar Éirinn ); thus the Túatha Dé Danann and the other peoples who allegedly settled Ireland one after the other were incorporated into modern history.

origin

The records of the Túatha Dé Danann date back to the Middle Ages. In Leabhar breathnach annso sis , the Irish version of the Historia Brittonum ("History of the British") by Nennius , the name Túatha Dé Danann is translated as Plebes Deorum , "peoples of the gods". Mostly it is translated as "people of the goddess Danu". How old this term is is unclear.

According to the legends, the Túatha Dé Danann were followers of Nemed , who had dispersed to the four corners of the world after the last battle between the Nemedians and Formors . They came from the north or from Greece where they had learned magic.

Four

The number four seems to have had a special meaning, they viewed the world as a square. On the sides of the square were the four cities of the Tuatha De Danann: Falias in the north, Gorias in the east, Finias in the south and Murias in the west. In every city (here there is probably a connection with the four classical provinces of Ireland) a wise man taught science and various arts: Morfessa in Falias, Esras in Gorias, Uscias in Finias and Semias in Murias.

Stone of Scone in Westminster Abbey

They had four mighty lucky charms :

  • the stone of Falias ( Lia Fáil ), a magical stone that cried out for joy when the true King of Ireland held his feet against him. This stone is said to have worked until the time of Conchobhar Mac Nessa . The stone is also said to recognize the supremacy of someone of Scottish blood ( Milesians ). It was brought to Scotland and lay as a stone from Scone in the abbey there until Edward I took it to England as spoils of war. In 1996, after 700 years, the stone was brought back to Scotland in a solemn ceremony to Edinburgh Castle .
  • the sword of Nuada from Gorias
  • the spear of Lugh from Finias
  • the cauldron of Dagda from Murias

The invasion of Ireland

On May 1st, the later festival of Beltane , the Túatha Dé Danann returned to Ireland. They landed enveloped in black clouds on Sliabh-an-Iarainn in County Leitrim in Connacht Province , where Magh Rein, a mythical place in the Celtic Otherworld , is said to have also been; under the protection of their magical fíth-fáth clouds, which covered the sun with darkness for three days, they were not noticed by the local firbolg . When they reached Ireland, they burned their ships.

When they reached the mountain they asked the Firbolg to surrender and recognize them as rulers, or to fight against them. The Firbolg fought the invaders in a battle known as the Battle of the Southern Mag Tuired , also known as the First Battle. The Túatha Dé Danann won this fight and thousands of Firbolg fell. But in the battle, King Nuada lost his right arm and had to lay down the crown because of it.

Bress led the group for the next seven years , while Dian Cecht and Credne made a silver arm for Nuada, which he could move up to his fingertips. But it was only when Dian Cecht's son Miach was able to grow a new arm with the help of his sister Airmed Nuada that he now ruled again.

The battle of the northern Mag Tuired, also called the second or great battle, led the Túatha Dé Danann against the Fomori , who had been subdued by the Firbolg and had lived a peaceful coexistence with them. In this battle Nuada died at the Evil Eye of Balor . After the king's death, Lugh declared himself ruler and killed his grandfather Balar with a sling stone. Lugh ruled for 40 years. The Túatha Dé Danann as a whole ruled for 197 years.

The case

When the Milesians (also called Children of Miled ) landed in Ireland, the Túatha Dé Danann tried to drive them away with magic. Although many Milesians drowned, they nevertheless went ashore with the help of the Druid Amergin .

The three sisters Fodla , Banba and Eri were the wives of the three sons of Kermad, who ruled Ireland annually, Ireland being named after the wife of the respective king. The Milesians marched to Tara and there challenged the sons of Kemnad. All magic did not help the Tuatha De Danann, the Milesians landed again with great losses. Three days after the second landing, the Milesians met Eri and their troops near the Sliabh Mis Mountains. Eri was crushed and fled. The Milesians then marched to Tailtiu ( Teltown ), a town in County Meath . There the armies met and the Tuatha De Danann were defeated.

The defeat forced the Túatha Dé Danann to retreat to the Sidhe Hills under the leadership of Dagda . At first only the hills were called Sidhe, later the Tuatha De Danann Aes Sídhe , people from the hills , were also called. Other legends tell that they went to Tír na nÓg , the land of eternal youth.

Gods and legendary figures in the myth of Túatha Dé Danann

References

  1. ↑ Tom Peete Cross, Clark Harris Slover: Ancient Irish Tales . Barnes & Noble, Dublin 1969, pp. 3-27 (English).
  2. ^ Bernadette Cunningham: Foras Feasa ar Eirinn and the Historical Origins of Irish Catholic Identity . In: New Hibernia Review . tape 5 , no. 4 , 2001, ISSN  1092-3977 , doi : 10.1353 / nhr.2001.0058 (English).
  3. ↑ Leabhar breathnach annso sis: the Irish version of the Historia Britonum of Nennius. With a translation and notes by James Henthorn Todd, Dublin 1848
  4. ^ Geoffrey Keating: The History of Ireland . 1866, p. 135 + 136 (Irish, Google Books - Original title: Foras Feasa ar Éirinn . Translated by John O'Mahony).
  5. ↑ Franz Carl Endres and Annemarie Schimmel: The mystery of the number . Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Cologne 1984, ISBN 3-424-00792-7 , p. 104 .
  6. ^ William Sharp: Poems and Dramas . Duffield & Co., 1910, pp. 233-238 (English, Google Books ).
  7. ^ Geoffrey Keating: The History of Ireland . 1866, p. 135-139 (Irish, Google Books - Original title: Foras Feasa ar Éirinn . Translated by John O'Mahony).
  8. ↑ Carrigallen Parish-A History (English)
  9. ^ Geoffrey Keating: The History of Ireland . 1866, p. 139 (Irish, Google Books - Original title: Foras Feasa ar Éirinn . Translated by John O'Mahony).
  10. ↑ Lebor Gabála Érenn: The Book of Invasions §56 ( Memento of the original from July 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.maryjones.us
  11. ^ Geoffrey Keating: The History of Ireland . 1866, p. 139 (Irish, Google Books - Original title: Foras Feasa ar Éirinn . Translated by John O'Mahony).
  12. ↑ Lebor Gabála Érenn: The Book of Invasions §58 ( Memento of the original from July 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.maryjones.us
  13. ↑ Lebor Gabála Érenn: The Book of Invasions §60 ( Memento of the original from July 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.maryjones.us
  14. ^ Geoffrey Keating: The History of Ireland . 1866, p. 168 (Irish, Google Books - Original title: Foras Feasa ar Éirinn . Translated by John O'Mahony).
  15. ↑ Gearóid Mac Niocaill and William M. Hennessy: INCIPIT CRONICUM Scotorum, i. e. THE CHRONICLE OF THE SCOTI IS BEGUN HERE. (No longer available online.) Pp. 9 + 15 , archived from the original on December 30, 2004 ; accessed on January 10, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ucc.ie
  16. ^ Geoffrey Keating: The History of Ireland . 1866, p. 193-204 (Irish, Google Books - Original title: Foras Feasa ar Éirinn . Translated by John O'Mahony).
  17. ^ L. MacDonald: The People of the Mounds. DALRIADA MAGAZINE, 1993, accessed January 9, 2009 .
  18. ↑ Tír na nÓg (English)

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