Myths & Legends of the Celtic RaceRolleston, T. W. (Thomas William)
Religion
Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race
Rolleston, T. W. (Thomas William)
Celts -- Religion; Mythology, Celtic
The second treasure of the Danaans was the invincible sword of Lugh of the
Long Arm, of whom we shall hear later, and this sword came from the city
of Gorias. From Finias came a magic spear, and from Murias the Cauldron of
the Dagda, a vessel which had the property that it could feed a host of
men without ever being emptied.
With these possessions, according to the version given in the “Book of
Invasions,” the People of Dana came into Ireland.
*The Danaans and the Firbolgs*
They were wafted into the land in a magic cloud, making their first
appearance in Western Connacht. When the cloud cleared away, the Firbolgs
discovered them in a camp which they had already fortified at Moyrein.
The Firbolgs now sent out one of their warriors, named Sreng, to interview
the mysterious new-comers; and the People of Dana, on their side, sent a
warrior named Bres to represent them. The two ambassadors examined each
other’s weapons with great interest. The spears of the Danaans, we are
told, were light and sharp-pointed; those of the Firbolgs were heavy and
blunt. To contrast the power of science with that of brute force is here
the evident intention of the legend, and we are reminded of the Greek myth
of the struggle of the Olympian deities with the Titans.
Bres proposed to the Firbolg that the two races should divide Ireland
equally between them, and join to defend it against all comers for the
future. They then exchanged weapons and returned each to his own camp.
*The First Battle of Moytura*
The Firbolgs, however, were not impressed with the superiority of the
Danaans, and decided to refuse their offer. The battle was joined on the
Plain of Moytura,(81) in the south of Co. Mayo, near the spot now called
Cong. The Firbolgs were led by their king, mac Erc, and the Danaans by
Nuada of the Silver Hand, who got his name from an incident in this
battle. His hand, it is said, was cut off in the fight, and one of the
skilful artificers who abounded in the ranks of the Danaans made him a new
one of silver. By their magical and healing arts the Danaans gained the
victory, and the Firbolg king was slain. But a reasonable agreement
followed: the Firbolgs were allotted the province of Connacht for their
territory, while the Danaans took the rest of Ireland. So late as the
seventeenth century the annalist Mac Firbis discovered that many of the
inhabitants of Connacht traced their descent to these same Firbolgs.
Probably they were a veritable historic race, and the conflict between
them and the People of Dana may be a piece of actual history invested with
some of the features of a myth.
*The Expulsion of King Bres*
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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