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{{Short description|Pantheon of pre-Christian Ireland}}
]
{{Other uses|Danann (disambiguation)}}
The doings of the ] fairy folk and gods, the '''Tuatha de Danaan,''' ("people of ]" in ]; alternative: Tuatha Dé Danann, Tuatha de Danann) are detailed in the ] AD ].
{{Redirect|Áes dána|other uses|Aes Dana (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
]'s ''Riders of the Sidhe'' (1911)]]
The '''Tuatha''' '''Dé Danann''' ({{IPA-ga|ˈt̪ˠuə(hə) dʲeː ˈd̪ˠan̪ˠən̪ˠ|lang}}, meaning "the folk of the goddess ]"), also known by the earlier name '''Tuath Dé''' ("tribe of the gods"),<ref name="koch1693">{{harvnb|Carey|2006|pp=1693-1697}}</ref> are a supernatural race in ]. Many of them are thought to represent ] of pre-Christian ].<ref name="koch1693"/><ref name="ohogain">{{harvnb|Ó hÓgáin|1991|p=312–315, 407–409}}</ref>


The Tuath Dé Danann are often depicted as kings, queens, druids, bards, warriors, heroes, healers and craftsmen who have supernatural powers. They dwell in the ] but interact with humans and the human world. They are associated with the ''sídhe'': prominent ancient ]s such as ], which are entrances to Otherworld realms.<ref name="koch1693"/><ref name="ohogain"/> Their traditional rivals are the ] (Fomoire), who might represent the destructive powers of nature,<ref>{{harvnb|MacCulloch|2009|pp=80, 89, 91}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Smyth|1996|p=74}}</ref> and whom the Tuatha Dé Danann defeat in the ]. Prominent members include ] ("the great god"); ] ("the great queen" or "phantom queen"); ]; ]; ]; ]; ]; ] the healer; and ] the smith, one of the ''Trí Dé Dána'' ("three gods of craft").<ref>{{harvnb|MacKillop|2006|p=90}}: "Three gods patronize the crafts: Goibniu, Credne and Luchta."</ref> Several of the Tuatha Dé Danann are ] with ] deities: Lugh with ], Brigit with ], Nuada with ], Ogma with ], and Goibniu with ].<ref name=koch1693/>
Not much is known of the Tuatha de Danaan prior to their invasion of ], other than that they came from four northern cities, Falias, Glorias, Murias and Finias, where they acquired their occult skills and attributes. On arriving in Ireland, some accounts state that they burned their boats behind them to prevent themselves from being tempted to return; the Book of Invasions states that they wafted in through the air as a host of spirits. Other sources state that they came from the west (]) on clouds.


Medieval texts about the Tuatha Dé Danann were written by Christians. Sometimes they explained the Tuatha Dé Danann as ]s who were neither wholly good nor evil,<ref>{{harvnb|Yeats|1888|p=1}}</ref> or ancient people who became highly skilled in magic, but several writers acknowledged that at least some of them had been gods.<ref name="koch1693"/> Some of them have multiple names, but in the tales they often appear to be different characters. Originally, these probably represented different aspects of the same deity, while others were regional names.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ward |first=Alan |title=The Myths of the Gods: Structures in Irish Mythology |year=2011 |page=9 |publisher=] |isbn=9781460984604 |oclc=1184134697 }}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=self-published|date=September 2024}}
They then fought two battles, the ], on the west coast, in which they defeated the clumsy and ill-armed ], the indigenous population, and the ] against the ], after a guerrilla insurrection by the Formarians. During this battle, King ] of the Tuatha de Danaan lost an arm. He was replaced (since he was no longer perfect) by ] or ]. After defeating the Fomorians, the Tuatha de Danaan gave them ] and there was some intermarrying. Nuada had his arm replaced by a silver one (made by ]) and took back the throne after Bres was exiled for his tyranny. ], the god of death, then killed him.


The Tuatha Dé Danann eventually became the ], the ''sídhe''-folk or "fairies" of later folklore.<ref>{{harvnb|Carey|2006|pp=1696}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|MacCulloch|2004|p=49}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Black|2008|p=xxxii}}</ref>
A third battle was fought against a subsequent wave of invaders, the ], from ] (who are thought to have been the Celts), led by King ], who overcame the goddess, ] whom the Tuatha de Danaan sent against them. The Milesians were magnanimous in victory and named the island Erin, the ] form of her name, in her honour. Defeated, the Tuatha were led underground into the ] mounds by ]. Afterwards, they occasionally intervened in human wars on the side of justice and righteousness, armed with invisibility, flaming lances and magical white shields.


==Name==
The Tuatha de Danaan fought against the witch ] and her three sons.
{{celtic mythology}}
The ] word '']'' (plural ''tuatha'') means "tribe, folk, people"; ''dé'' is the ] of ''día'' and, depending on context, can mean "god, gods, goddess" or more broadly "supernatural being, object of worship".<ref>{{harvnb|Dictionary of the Irish Language|1990|p=612}}</ref> In the earliest writings, the mythical race are referred to as the ''Tuath Dé'', "tribe of gods", or ''Tuatha Dé'', "tribes of gods".<ref name=koch1693/> In the '']'' their name is translated into Latin as ''plebes deorum'', "god-folk".<ref>{{harvnb|Williams|2018|p=171}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://celt.ucc.ie//published/T100028/index.html|title=The Irish version of the Historia Britonum of Nennius|website=celt.ucc.ie}}</ref> However, Irish monks also began using the term ''Tuath Dé'' to refer to the ],<ref name=koch1693/> with the meaning "People of God".<ref>{{harvnb|MacKillop|1998|p=366}}</ref> Apparently to avoid confusion with the Israelites,<ref name=koch1693/> writers began to refer to the mythical race as the ''Tuath(a) Dé Danann'' or ''Tuath(a) Dé Donann'' ({{IPA-sga|ˈt̪uaθa d̪ʲeː ˈd̪anan̪}}). This is generally translated "folk of the goddess Danu".<ref name="ohogain"/> It may also have been a way of humanizing them: instead of 'god-folk' they were now the folk of a particular goddess.<ref>{{harvnb|Williams|2018|p=187}}</ref> Early Christian writers also referred to them as the ''fir dé'' (god-men) and ''cenéla dé'' (god-kindreds), again possibly to avoid calling them simply 'gods'.<ref>{{harvnb|Williams|2018|p=82}}</ref> Some of the Tuatha Dé Danann are occasionally called the ''clann ]'', "children of art".<ref name=koch1693/>


''Danann'' is generally believed to be the genitive of a female name, for which the ] is not attested. It has been reconstructed as ''*]'', of which '']'' (genitive ''Anann'') may be an alternative form.<ref name=koch1693/> ''Anu'' is called "]" by ].<ref name=koch1693/> This may be linked to the ] figure ].<ref name=koch1693/> ] also has a goddess called ], who may be an ] parallel. However, this reconstruction is not universally accepted.<ref>{{harvnb|MacKillop|2006|p=136}}</ref> It has also been suggested that ''Danann'' is a conflation of ''dán'' ("skill, craft") and the goddess name ''Anann''.<ref name=koch1693/> The name is also found as ''Donann'' and ''Domnann'',<ref>{{harvnb|Koch|Carey|1997|p=245}}</ref> which may point to the origin being ] ''*don'', meaning "earth"<ref name=koch1693/> (compare the Old Irish word for earth, ''doman''). ] described the ''sídh'' folk as ''dei terreni'', "earthly gods".<ref name=koch1693/> The name could be ] with the mythical ]<ref>'']'' </ref> and the ] ].<ref>{{harvnb|MacKillop|1998|p=129}}</ref>
Tuatha de Danan:


==Description==
# ]
The Tuatha Dé Danann are described as a supernatural race, much like idealized humans, who are immune from ageing and sickness, and who have powers of magic.<ref name=koch1693/> The powers most often attributed to the Tuatha Dé Danann are control over the weather and the elements, and the ability to shapeshift themselves and other things.<ref name=koch1693/> They are also said to control the fertility of the land; the tale ''De Gabáil in t-Sída'' says the first Gaels had to establish friendship with the Tuatha Dé Danann before they could raise crops and herds.<ref name=koch1693/>
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]
# ]


They live in the ], which is described as either a parallel world or a heavenly land beyond the sea or under the earth's surface.<ref name=koch1693/> Many of them are associated with specific places in the landscape, especially the ''sídh'' mounds; the ancient ]s and ]s which are entrances to Otherworld realms.<ref name=koch1693/><ref name="ohogain"/> The Tuatha Dé Danann can hide themselves with a '']'' ('magic mist')<ref name="ohogain"/> and appear to humans only when they wish to.<ref name=koch1693/>
The Tuatha de Danaan had four magical treasures:


In some tales, such as '']'', a king receives affirmation of his legitimacy from one of the Tuatha Dé Danann.<ref name=koch1693/> In other tales, a king's right to rule is affirmed by an encounter with an otherworldly woman. It has been argued that the inauguration of Irish kings originally represented his ritual marriage to the goddess of the land (see ]).<ref name=koch1693/> The Tuatha Dé Danann can also bring doom to unrightful kings.<ref name=koch1693/>
# ]'s Cauldron
# the Spear of ]
# the Stone of ]
# the Sword of ]


The medieval writers who wrote about the Tuatha Dé Danann were Christians. Sometimes they explained the Tuatha Dé Danann as ]s; neutral angels who sided neither with God nor ] and were punished by being forced to dwell on the Earth; or humans who had become highly skilled in magic. However, several writers acknowledged that at least some of them had been gods.<ref name=koch1693/>
== Fictional references ==


There is strong evidence that many of the Tuatha Dé Danann represent the gods of Irish paganism.<ref name=koch1693/><ref name="ohogain"/> The name itself means "tribe of gods", and the ninth-century ''Scél Tuain meic Cairill'' (Tale of ]) speaks of the ''Tuath Dé ocus Andé'', "tribe of gods and un-gods".<ref name=koch1693/> ], ] and ] are called the ''trí dé dáno'', "three gods of craft".<ref name=koch1693/> In '']'' (]'s Glossary), ] is called "mother of the Irish gods", ] a "god of war", and ] a "goddess of poets"<ref name=koch1693/> whose father is ]; his own name meaning "the great god".<ref name=koch1693/> Writing in the seventh century, ] explained the ''sídh'' folk as "earthly gods" (Latin ''dei terreni''),<ref name=koch1693/> while ''Fiacc's Hymn'' says the Irish adored the ''sídh'' before the coming of ].<ref name=koch1693/> Goibniu, ] the physician, and ] the mistress of animals are invoked in ], further evidence that they were seen as supernatural powers.<ref name=koch1693/> Several of the Tuatha Dé Danann are ] with ] deities: Lugh with ], Brigit with ], Nuada with ], and Ogma with ].<ref name=koch1693/>
*The ] by ] posits that the Tuatha de Danaan and other mythological creatures were descended from ]s with advanced technology and ] abilities.

* ]: ''A Wizard Abroad''.
Nevertheless, ] notes that it is not wholly accurate to describe all of them as gods in the medieval literature itself. He argues that the literary Tuatha Dé Danann are '']'', and suggests "immortals" might be a more neutral term.<ref name=koch1693/>

==Legend==
In ] accounts, the Tuatha Dé Danann were descended from ], leader of a previous wave of inhabitants of Ireland. In non-euhemerized accounts they are descended from ]/], a mother goddess. They came from four cities to the north of Ireland—Falias, Gorias, Murias and Finias—where they taught their skills in the sciences, including architecture, the arts and magic.<ref>, Frederick Lawrence Rawson. Crystal Press, 1920. p. 431</ref><ref>, Geoffrey Keating. Ex-classics Project, 2009. p. 82</ref> According to '']'', they came to Ireland "in dark clouds" and "landed on the mountains of ] in ]a", otherwise ], "and they brought a darkness over the sun for three days and three nights". They immediately burnt the ships "so that they should not think of retreating to them, and the smoke and the mist that came from the vessels filled the neighbouring land and air. Therefore it was conceived that they had arrived in clouds of mist".

A poem in the ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' says of their arrival:
<blockquote><poem>It is God who suffered them, though He restrained them
they landed with horror, with lofty deed,
in their cloud of mighty combat of spectres,
upon a mountain of Conmaicne of Connacht.

Without distinction to discerning Ireland,
Without ships, a ruthless course
the truth was not known beneath the sky of stars,
whether they were of heaven or of earth.</poem>
</blockquote>

According to Tuan:
<blockquote>From them are the Tuatha Dé and Andé, whose origin the learned do not know, but that it seems likely to them that they came from heaven, on account of their intelligence and for the excellence of their knowledge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/tuan.html|title=The Story of Tuan mac Carill|website=maryjones.us}}</ref></blockquote>

Led by king ], they fought the ] on the west coast, in which they defeated and displaced the native ], who then inhabited Ireland. In the battle, Nuada lost an arm to their champion, ]. Since Nuada was no longer "unblemished", he could not continue as king and was replaced by the half-] ], who turned out to be a tyrant. The physician ] replaced Nuada's arm with a working silver one and he was reinstated as king. However, ]'s son Miach was dissatisfied with the replacement so he recited the spell, "''ault fri halt dí & féith fri féth''" (joint to joint of it and sinew to sinew), which caused flesh to grow over the silver prosthesis over the course of nine days and nights.<ref>Elizabeth Gray, Cath Maige Tuired, Irish Texts Society, London 1983, pp 32-3</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sengoidelc.com/alt-fri-alt-ocus-feith-fri-feith|title=Alt fri alt ocus féith fri féith!|website=Sengoídelc}}</ref> However, in a fit of jealous rage ] slew his own son. Because of ]'s restoration as the leader, ] complained to his family and his father, ], who sent him to seek assistance from ], king of the ]s.

The Tuatha Dé Danann then fought the ] against the ]. Nuada was killed by the Fomorian king ]'s poisonous eye, but Balor was killed by ], champion of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who then took over as king.

A third battle was fought against a subsequent wave of invaders, the ], from the northwest of the ] (present-day ] and Northern ]), descendants of ] (who are thought to represent the ] Celts). The Milesians encountered three Tuatha Dé Danann goddesses, ], ] and ], who asked that the island be named after them; Ériu is the origin of the modern name ], and Banba and Fodla are still sometimes used as poetic names for Ireland.

Their three husbands, ], ] and ], were kings of the Tuatha Dé Danann at that time, and 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 Danann created a magical storm in an attempt to drive them away. The Milesian poet ] calmed the sea with his verse, then his people landed and defeated the Tuatha Dé Danann at ]. 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 Danann. The Tuatha Dé Danann were led underground into the ] mounds by ] and ] onto a flowery plain/plain of honey attested to in the Voyage of Bran.

==The Four Treasures==
{{main|Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann}}

The Tuatha Dé Danann brought ] with them to Ireland, one apiece from their Four Cities:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ireland-information.com/articles/tuathadedanann.htm|title=Tuatha De Danann|website=ireland-information.com|access-date=2017-08-08}}</ref>

* ]
* ]
* ] (The Stone of Fal)
* ] (The Sword of Light)

==Tuatha Dé Danann High Kings of Ireland==
The following is a chronology from the ]; based on reign-lengths given in ]'s ''Forus Feasa ar Erinn''. ]'s original reign lacks a precise start date.

*] (first reign) ''AFM'' unknown–1897 BC; ''FFE'' unknown–1477 BC
*] ''AFM'' 1897–1890 BC; ''FFE'' 1477–1470 BC
*] (final reign) ''AFM'' 1890–1870 BC; ''FFE'' 1470–1447 BC
*] ''AFM'' 1870–1830 BC; ''FFE'' 1447–1407 BC
*] ''AFM'' 1830–1750 BC; ''FFE'' 1407–1337 BC
*] ''AFM'' 1750–1740 BC; ''FFE'' 1337–1327 BC
*] ''AFM'' 1740–1730 BC; ''FFE'' 1327–1317 BC
*], ] and ] ''AFM'' 1730–1700 BC; ''FFE'' 1317–1287 BC

==Additional references==
In the Irish version of the Historia Britonum of Nennius, the chief men of science of the ''Tuatha Dé Danann'' are listed with their partly Latin names and associations as follows:<ref name="auto"/>
*], ''artifex'' ("artisan")
*], ''figulus'' ("shaper/builder")
*], ''medicus'' ("doctor")
*''Eadon'', daughter of Dianus and nurse of the poets—presumably ], ], or ]
*], ''faber'' ("smith/architect")
*], son of Eithne, with whom were all the arts
*] the Great, the King
*], brother of the King, from whom came the letters of the Scots

In the Annals of Inisfallen, the following are listed as members of the ''Tuatha Dé'' who overcame the ]:<ref>https://celt.ucc.ie//published/T100004P/text002.html ''Annals of Inisfallen'' "Pre-Patrician section," entry 31</ref>
*], son of ]
*], son of Elatha
*]
*]
*] son of ]
*]
*] the smith
*] the wright
*] the craftsman

==See also==
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

==Citations==
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book |title=Dictionary of the Irish language: Based Mainly on Old and Middle Irish Materials |year=1990 |edition=compact |publisher=] |isbn=9780901714299 |oclc=37742634 |ref={{sfnref|Dictionary of the Irish Language|1990}}}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Black |editor-first=Ronald |title=The Gaelic Otherworld |others=Compiled by Gregorson Campbell, John |year=2008 |edition=2nd |publisher=] |isbn=9781841587332 |oclc=230195178 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia |title=Tuath Dé |encyclopedia=Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia |year=2006 |last=Carey |first=John |author-link=John Carey (Celticist) |editor-last=Koch |editor-first=John T. |editor-link=John T. Koch |publisher=] |isbn=9781851094400 |oclc=62381207}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Koch |editor-first=John T. |editor-link=John T. Koch |editor-last2=Carey |editor-first2=John |editor-link2=John Carey (Celticist) |title=The Celtic Heroic Age: Literary Sources for Ancient Celtic Europe and Early Ireland and Wales |year=1997 |edition=2nd |publisher=Celtic Studies Publications |isbn=9780964244627 |oclc=977105091}}
* {{cite book |last=MacCulloch |first=J. A. |title=The Religion of the Ancient Celts |year=2009 |orig-date=1911 |publisher=Floating Press |isbn=9781775414018 |oclc=496808973 }}
* {{cite book |last=MacCulloch |first=J. A. |title=Celtic Mythology |year=2004 |orig-date=1918 |publisher=] |isbn=9780486122113 |oclc=854852569 }}
* {{cite book |last=MacKillop |first=James |author-link=James MacKillop (author) |title=Dictionary of Celtic Mythology |year=1998 |publisher=] |isbn=9780198691570 |oclc=36817282}}
* {{cite book |last=MacKillop |first=James |title=Myths and Legends of the Celts |year=2006 |publisher=] |author-link=James MacKillop (author) |url=https://archive.org/details/mythslegendsofce0000mack |isbn=9780141941394 |oclc=857589839}}
* {{cite book |last=Ó hÓgáin |first=Dáithí |author-link=Dáithí Ó hÓgáin |year=1991 |title=Myth, Legend & Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition |publisher=] |edition=1st |isbn=9780132759595 |oclc=22181514}}
* {{cite book |last=Smyth |first=Daragh |title=A Guide to Irish Mythology |year=1996 |publisher=] |edition=2nd |isbn=9780716526124 |oclc=36338076 }}
* {{cite book |last=Williams |first=Mark |title=Ireland's Immortals: A History of the Gods of Irish Myth |year=2018 |publisher=] |isbn=9781400883325 |oclc=1100668003}}
* {{cite book |last=Yeats |first=W. B. |author-link=W. B. Yeats |title=Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry |chapter=The Trooping Fairies |year=1888 |publisher=] |url=https://sacred-texts.com/neu/yeats/fip/index.htm |isbn= |oclc=1045383071 }}

===Primary sources===
* {{Cite LGE}}
* '']''

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* on Transceltic.com
* from the Annals of the Four Masters

{{S-start}}
{{S-bef|before=]}}
{{S-ttl|title=]|years=] 1897 BC<br/>] 1477 BC}}
{{S-aft|after=]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Celtic mythology (Mythological)}}
{{Fairies}}
{{Ireland topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuatha De Danann}}
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Latest revision as of 07:16, 11 December 2024

Pantheon of pre-Christian Ireland For other uses, see Danann (disambiguation). "Áes dána" redirects here. For other uses, see Aes Dana (disambiguation).

The Tuatha Dé Danann as depicted in John Duncan's Riders of the Sidhe (1911)

The Tuatha Dé Danann (Irish: [ˈt̪ˠuə(hə) dʲeː ˈd̪ˠan̪ˠən̪ˠ], meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland.

The Tuath Dé Danann are often depicted as kings, queens, druids, bards, warriors, heroes, healers and craftsmen who have supernatural powers. They dwell in the Otherworld but interact with humans and the human world. They are associated with the sídhe: prominent ancient burial mounds such as Brú na Bóinne, which are entrances to Otherworld realms. Their traditional rivals are the Fomorians (Fomoire), who might represent the destructive powers of nature, and whom the Tuatha Dé Danann defeat in the Battle of Mag Tuired. Prominent members include the Dagda ("the great god"); The Morrígan ("the great queen" or "phantom queen"); Lugh; Nuada; Aengus; Brigid; Manannán; Dian Cecht the healer; and Goibniu the smith, one of the Trí Dé Dána ("three gods of craft"). Several of the Tuatha Dé Danann are cognate with ancient Celtic deities: Lugh with Lugus, Brigit with Brigantia, Nuada with Nodons, Ogma with Ogmios, and Goibniu with Gobannus.

Medieval texts about the Tuatha Dé Danann were written by Christians. Sometimes they explained the Tuatha Dé Danann as fallen angels who were neither wholly good nor evil, or ancient people who became highly skilled in magic, but several writers acknowledged that at least some of them had been gods. Some of them have multiple names, but in the tales they often appear to be different characters. Originally, these probably represented different aspects of the same deity, while others were regional names.

The Tuatha Dé Danann eventually became the aes sídhe, the sídhe-folk or "fairies" of later folklore.

Name

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The Old Irish word tuath (plural tuatha) means "tribe, folk, people"; dé is the genitive case of día and, depending on context, can mean "god, gods, goddess" or more broadly "supernatural being, object of worship". In the earliest writings, the mythical race are referred to as the Tuath Dé, "tribe of gods", or Tuatha Dé, "tribes of gods". In the Lebor Bretnach their name is translated into Latin as plebes deorum, "god-folk". However, Irish monks also began using the term Tuath Dé to refer to the Israelites, with the meaning "People of God". Apparently to avoid confusion with the Israelites, writers began to refer to the mythical race as the Tuath(a) Dé Danann or Tuath(a) Dé Donann (Old Irish pronunciation: [ˈt̪uaθa d̪ʲeː ˈd̪anan̪]). This is generally translated "folk of the goddess Danu". It may also have been a way of humanizing them: instead of 'god-folk' they were now the folk of a particular goddess. Early Christian writers also referred to them as the fir dé (god-men) and cenéla dé (god-kindreds), again possibly to avoid calling them simply 'gods'. Some of the Tuatha Dé Danann are occasionally called the clann Eladan, "children of art".

Danann is generally believed to be the genitive of a female name, for which the nominative case is not attested. It has been reconstructed as *Danu, of which Anu (genitive Anann) may be an alternative form. Anu is called "mother of the Irish gods" by Cormac mac Cuilennáin. This may be linked to the Welsh mythical figure Dôn. Hindu mythology also has a goddess called Danu, who may be an Indo-European parallel. However, this reconstruction is not universally accepted. It has also been suggested that Danann is a conflation of dán ("skill, craft") and the goddess name Anann. The name is also found as Donann and Domnann, which may point to the origin being proto-Celtic *don, meaning "earth" (compare the Old Irish word for earth, doman). Tírechán described the sídh folk as dei terreni, "earthly gods". The name could be cognate with the mythical Fir Domnann and the British Dumnonii.

Description

The Tuatha Dé Danann are described as a supernatural race, much like idealized humans, who are immune from ageing and sickness, and who have powers of magic. The powers most often attributed to the Tuatha Dé Danann are control over the weather and the elements, and the ability to shapeshift themselves and other things. They are also said to control the fertility of the land; the tale De Gabáil in t-Sída says the first Gaels had to establish friendship with the Tuatha Dé Danann before they could raise crops and herds.

They live in the Otherworld, which is described as either a parallel world or a heavenly land beyond the sea or under the earth's surface. Many of them are associated with specific places in the landscape, especially the sídh mounds; the ancient burial mounds and passage tombs which are entrances to Otherworld realms. The Tuatha Dé Danann can hide themselves with a féth fíada ('magic mist') and appear to humans only when they wish to.

In some tales, such as Baile in Scáil, a king receives affirmation of his legitimacy from one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. In other tales, a king's right to rule is affirmed by an encounter with an otherworldly woman. It has been argued that the inauguration of Irish kings originally represented his ritual marriage to the goddess of the land (see sovereignty goddess). The Tuatha Dé Danann can also bring doom to unrightful kings.

The medieval writers who wrote about the Tuatha Dé Danann were Christians. Sometimes they explained the Tuatha Dé Danann as fallen angels; neutral angels who sided neither with God nor Lucifer and were punished by being forced to dwell on the Earth; or humans who had become highly skilled in magic. However, several writers acknowledged that at least some of them had been gods.

There is strong evidence that many of the Tuatha Dé Danann represent the gods of Irish paganism. The name itself means "tribe of gods", and the ninth-century Scél Tuain meic Cairill (Tale of Tuan mac Cairill) speaks of the Tuath Dé ocus Andé, "tribe of gods and un-gods". Goibniu, Credne and Luchta are called the trí dé dáno, "three gods of craft". In Sanas Cormaic (Cormac's Glossary), Anu is called "mother of the Irish gods", Nét a "god of war", and Brigit a "goddess of poets" whose father is the Dagda; his own name meaning "the great god". Writing in the seventh century, Tírechán explained the sídh folk as "earthly gods" (Latin dei terreni), while Fiacc's Hymn says the Irish adored the sídh before the coming of Saint Patrick. Goibniu, Dian Cécht the physician, and Flidais the mistress of animals are invoked in incantations, further evidence that they were seen as supernatural powers. Several of the Tuatha Dé Danann are cognate with ancient Celtic deities: Lugh with Lugus, Brigit with Brigantia, Nuada with Nodons, and Ogma with Ogmios.

Nevertheless, John Carey notes that it is not wholly accurate to describe all of them as gods in the medieval literature itself. He argues that the literary Tuatha Dé Danann are sui generis, and suggests "immortals" might be a more neutral term.

Legend

In euhemerized accounts, the Tuatha Dé Danann were descended from Nemed, leader of a previous wave of inhabitants of Ireland. In non-euhemerized accounts they are descended from Danu/Anu, a mother goddess. They came from four cities to the north of Ireland—Falias, Gorias, Murias and Finias—where they taught their skills in the sciences, including architecture, the arts and magic. According to Lebor Gabála Érenn, they came to Ireland "in dark clouds" and "landed on the mountains of Conmaicne Rein in Connachta", otherwise Sliabh an Iarainn, "and they brought a darkness over the sun for three days and three nights". They immediately burnt the ships "so that they should not think of retreating to them, and the smoke and the mist that came from the vessels filled the neighbouring land and air. Therefore it was conceived that they had arrived in clouds of mist".

A poem in the Lebor Gabála Érenn says of their arrival:

It is God who suffered them, though He restrained them
they landed with horror, with lofty deed,
in their cloud of mighty combat of spectres,
upon a mountain of Conmaicne of Connacht.

Without distinction to discerning Ireland,
Without ships, a ruthless course
the truth was not known beneath the sky of stars,
whether they were of heaven or of earth.

According to Tuan:

From them are the Tuatha Dé and Andé, whose origin the learned do not know, but that it seems likely to them that they came from heaven, on account of their intelligence and for the excellence of their knowledge.

Led by king Nuada, they fought the First Battle of Magh Tuireadh on the west coast, in which they defeated and 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 "unblemished", 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, Dian Cecht's son Miach was dissatisfied with the replacement so he recited the spell, "ault fri halt dí & féith fri féth" (joint to joint of it and sinew to sinew), which caused flesh to grow over the silver prosthesis over the course of nine days and nights. However, in a fit of jealous rage Dian Cecht slew his own son. Because of Nuada's restoration as the leader, Bres complained to his family and his father, Elatha, who sent him to seek assistance from Balor, king of the Fomorians.

The Tuatha Dé Danann then fought the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh against the Fomorians. Nuada was killed by the Fomorian king Balor's poisonous eye, but Balor was killed by Lugh, champion of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who then 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 Tuatha Dé Danann goddesses, 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, were kings of the Tuatha Dé Danann at that time, and 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 Danann created a magical storm in an attempt to drive them away. The Milesian poet Amergin calmed the sea with his verse, then his people landed and defeated the Tuatha Dé Danann 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 Danann. The Tuatha Dé Danann were led underground into the Sidhe mounds by Manannán mac Lir and Tír na nÓg onto a flowery plain/plain of honey attested to in the Voyage of Bran.

The Four Treasures

Main article: Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann

The Tuatha Dé Danann brought four magical treasures with them to Ireland, one apiece from their Four Cities:

Tuatha Dé Danann High Kings of Ireland

The following is a chronology from the Annals of the Four Masters; based on reign-lengths given in Geoffrey Keating's Forus Feasa ar Erinn. Nuada's original reign lacks a precise start date.

  • Nuada (first reign) AFM unknown–1897 BC; FFE unknown–1477 BC
  • Bres AFM 1897–1890 BC; FFE 1477–1470 BC
  • Nuada (final reign) 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

Additional references

In the Irish version of the Historia Britonum of Nennius, the chief men of science of the Tuatha Dé Danann are listed with their partly Latin names and associations as follows:

  • Luchtenus, artifex ("artisan")
  • Credenus, figulus ("shaper/builder")
  • Dianus, medicus ("doctor")
  • Eadon, daughter of Dianus and nurse of the poets—presumably Étaín, Brigid, or Airmed
  • Goibnen, faber ("smith/architect")
  • Lug, son of Eithne, with whom were all the arts
  • Dagda the Great, the King
  • Ogma, brother of the King, from whom came the letters of the Scots

In the Annals of Inisfallen, the following are listed as members of the Tuatha Dé who overcame the Fir Bolg:

See also

Citations

  1. ^ Carey 2006, pp. 1693–1697
  2. ^ Ó hÓgáin 1991, p. 312–315, 407–409
  3. MacCulloch 2009, pp. 80, 89, 91
  4. Smyth 1996, p. 74
  5. MacKillop 2006, p. 90: "Three gods patronize the crafts: Goibniu, Credne and Luchta."
  6. Yeats 1888, p. 1
  7. Ward, Alan (2011). The Myths of the Gods: Structures in Irish Mythology. CreateSpace. p. 9. ISBN 9781460984604. OCLC 1184134697.
  8. Carey 2006, pp. 1696
  9. MacCulloch 2004, p. 49
  10. Black 2008, p. xxxii
  11. Dictionary of the Irish Language 1990, p. 612
  12. Williams 2018, p. 171
  13. ^ "The Irish version of the Historia Britonum of Nennius". celt.ucc.ie.
  14. MacKillop 1998, p. 366
  15. Williams 2018, p. 187
  16. Williams 2018, p. 82
  17. MacKillop 2006, p. 136
  18. Koch & Carey 1997, p. 245
  19. Lebor Gabála Érenn §49
  20. MacKillop 1998, p. 129
  21. "Life Understood from a Scientific and Religious Point of View: And the Practical Method of Destroying Sin, Disease, and Death", Frederick Lawrence Rawson. Crystal Press, 1920. p. 431
  22. "The History of Ireland", Geoffrey Keating. Ex-classics Project, 2009. p. 82
  23. "The Story of Tuan mac Carill". maryjones.us.
  24. Elizabeth Gray, Cath Maige Tuired, Irish Texts Society, London 1983, pp 32-3
  25. "Alt fri alt ocus féith fri féith!". Sengoídelc.
  26. "Tuatha De Danann". ireland-information.com. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  27. https://celt.ucc.ie//published/T100004P/text002.html Annals of Inisfallen "Pre-Patrician section," entry 31

Bibliography

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