#FolkloreSunday #Celtic: `#Fairies were not evil. However, they were amoral, not tied to the moral and ethical demands of humanity. They were merely playful troublemakers rather than devilish opponents. They commonly tried to lead travelers astray. This was a minor inconvenience and could be quite frightening, but even without protection, the #fairy eventually grew bored with the trick and released the ensnared human.
More seriously, the fairies attempted to lure useful or attractive people into the #Otherworld, to do their bidding until released.`
Source: P. Monaghan `Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore`

#NationalStoryTellingWeek #BookologyThursday: `#Celtic myths are symbolic, so we need to interpret them to draw out their wisdom. As a result, it's probably worth asking if interpretation was ever a part of the Celtic storytelling tradition?
Cormac is led into the land of paradise, the land of wonder, the #Otherworld, and there he witnesses strange things. He finds himself in the midst of a great plain, having passed through mists into this other realm, where visions unfold before him.
„Then Cormac found himself in the midst of a great plain. There was a great stronghold in the midst of the plain, and a silver rampart around it, and a house half of gold in the midst of the stronghold half-thatched with the wings of birds, and a troop of horsemen of the sid gathering the wings of many-coloured birds for the house. And they put those wings upon the house without a splinter [to fasten them), and they were falling off that troop of horsemen did from the beginning of the world until its end …
After Cormac had gone on he saw a warrior kindling a fire. He would fetch a great tree-trunk, root, and crown, and would put the trunk on the fire and go to fetch another; and nothing of the first tree-trunk would be left when he returned. And this was the business and labour of that man from the beginning of the world until ist end.“
As Cormac journeys further through the Otherworld, he meets Manannán Mac Lir and his wife, with whom he shares food. A central theme of this meeting is truth-telling, which becomes linked to the interpretation of the visions. Manannán explains`:
"The world from which you have come is the present world. The horsemen you saw thatching the house are the skilled professionals of the world ... : and everything which they bring home after going on a circuit melts away and decomposes into nothing while they are on the next circuit, without profit or prosperity (remaining). As for the man kindling a fire, he is the victuallers and young noblemen of the world: it is they themselves who consume everything which they labour to produce. ... , and whatever they consume this year, often they pay for it the next year."
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RFz5ygHIw8

#LegendaryWednesday #Celtic: `Derc-Ferna (Dunmore Cave, Co. Kilkenny) is a cave of the #Otherworld in which the cat monster Luchtigern `Mouse Lord` dwelt before being "trampled" by the female warrior Aithbél.`
Source: Helmut Birkhan `#Kelten`
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/28Pozv?album_id=80989

#MythologyMonday #Celtic: Emain Macha, Tara, Dún Ailinne, Uisnech and Rathcroghan feature prominently in Irish myths. `The major royal sites functioned as the communicating portal between the tribal territory and the #Otherworld. Each of these sites represented a sanctuary of sacred space, a potent expression of tribal power and unity.
It is likely that a singular focal point within each great ritual sanctuary represented the axis mundi, the symbolic centre of the cosmos around which the tribal world revolved.`
Source: The Late Prehistoric ‘Royal Site’ of Rathcroghan, Co. Roscommon - An Enduring Paradigm of Enclosed Sacred Space by Joe Fenwick

#FairyTaleTuesday #Celtic: `Corr is the Irish word for ‘crane’, a bird which features a great deal in #Irish #mythology. To our ancient ancestors, birds were seen very much as celestial messengers between the #Otherworld and the physical world, with magic powers related to their own particular characteristics.
A similar bird which is native to Ireland is the grey heron, also known in Irish as corr réisc.`
Source: Ali Isaac | Substack

#WyrdWednesday #LegendaryWednesday #Celtic: `Midwives had a special sort of second sight that permitted them to discover when #fairies were stealing human children. A midwife traveling to a late-night birth might encounter such fairies intent on kidnapping. Arriving at the home of the laboring mother, she would discover that the child was dead, stolen by those she had encountered. Legend tells of midwives who traveled to the #Otherworld to steal back such infants.`
Source: P. Monaghan `Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore`
https://todon.eu/@NeuKelte/111697408107384187

#BookologyThursday #BookChatWeekly #Celtic: `Cormac mac Art was a special favourite of the gods. Manannán son of Lér was so anxious for his friendship that he decoyed him into the #Otherworld...
Here's the whole story: https://hear-me.social/@NeuKelte/115543957856566601

#BookologyThursday: `#Niamh had fallen in love with #Oisin, who was overtaken on first sight with desire for this lovely woman from the #Celtic #Otherworld. Without thinking that time passes more slowly in the #Otherworld than in our own or even a look back #Oisin went with the Princess of the Golden Hair on her fine white horse with golden reins over seas and plains and mountains far out to sea on a magical island, Tir Tairngiri (“land of promise”).
Source: P. Monaghan `Encyclopedia of #Celtic #Mythology and #Folklore`

Tuatha De Danann

This “name” is usually translated as “folk of the goddess Danu.” They are also known by the earlier name: Tuath De (“tribe of the gods” or “divine tribe”). They’re a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland.

The Tuatha De Danann are often pictured as kings, queens, druids, bards, warriors, heroes, healers, & craftsmen who have supernatural powers. They live in the Otherworld but interact with humans & the human world. They’re associated with sidhe.

Their traditional rivals are the Fomorians (Fomoire), who might represent the destructive powers of nature, & whom the Tuatha De Danann defeated in the Battle of Mag Tuired.

Prominent members include the Dagda (“the great god”), The Morrigan (“the great queen” or “phantom queen”), Lugh, Nuada, Aengus, Brigid, Manannan, Dian Cecht the healer, & Goibniu the smith, 1 of the Tri De Dana (“three gods of craft”).

They’re immune to ageing & sickness, & who have magic powers. The powers most often attributed to them are control over the weather & the elements, & the ability to shape shift themselves & other things.

They’re also said to control the fertility of the land. The tale De Gabail in t-Sida says the 1st Gaels had to establish friendship with the Tuatha De Danann before they could raise crops & 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 sidh mounds.

These are the ancient burial mounds & passage tombs which are entrances to Otherworld realms. The Tuatha De Danann can hide themselves with a feth fiada (“magic mist”) & appear to humans only when they wish to.

In euhemerized accounts, the Tuatha De Danann were descended from Nemed, leader of a previous wave of inhabitants of Ireland. In non-euhemerized accounts, they’re descended from Danu/Anu, a mother goddess. They came from 4 cities to the north of Ireland (Falias, Gorias, Murias, & Finias), where architecture, the arts, & magic.

According to Lebor Gabala Erenn, they came to Ireland “in dark clouds” & “landed on the mountains of the Conmaicne Rein in Connachta.” Otherwise Sliabh an Iarainn, “and they brought a darkness over the sun for 3 days & 3 nights.”

Sliabh an Iarainn (anglicized Slieve Anierin) is a mountain in County Leitrim, Ireland. It’s part of the Cuilcagh Mountains.

They immediately burnt the ships “so that they should not of retreating to them, & the smoke & the mist that came from the vessels filled the neighbouring land & air. Therefore it was conceived that they had arrived in clouds of mist.”

Led by King Nuada, they fought the First Battle of Magh Tuireadh on the west coast, in which they defeated & 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 couldn’t continue as king & was replaced by the half-Fomorian Bres, who turned out to be a tyrant.

The doctor Dian Cecht replaced Nuada’s arm with a working silver 1. (Think Bucky from Captain America.) He was reinstated as king. Back in those days, if a king wasn’t physically whole, then he wasn’t fit to be king.

However, Dian Cecht’s son, Miach, was dissatisfied with the replacement. So he recited the spell, “adult fri halt do and feith fri feth” (joint to joint of it & sinew to sinew), which caused flesh to grow over the silver over the course of 9 days & nights.

In a fit of jealous rage, Dian Cecht killed his own son. Because of Nuada’s restoration as king, Bres whined to his family & dad, Elatha, who sent him to look for help from King Balor of the Fomorians.

The Tuatha De Danann fought the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh against the Fomorians. King Nuada was killed by King Balor’s poisonous eye. But KIng Balor was killed by Lugh (who was the champion of the Tuatha De Danann), who then took over as king.

A 3rd battle was fought against a wave of invaders, the Milesians, from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day Galicia & Northern Portugal). These were descendants of Mil Espaine (who are thought to represent the Goidelic Celts).

The Milesians encountered 3 Tuatha De Danann goddesses, Eriu, Banba, & Fodla, who asked that the island be named after them. Eriu is the origin of the modern name Eire (which is the Irish language name for Ireland), & Banba & Fodla are still sometimes used as poetic names for Ireland.

Their 2 husbands (Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht, & Mac Greine) were kings of the Tuatha De Danann and created a magical storm in an attempt to drive them away. The Milesian poet calmed the sea with his verse, then his people landed & defeated the Tuatha De Danann at Tailtiu.

When Amergin was called upon to divide the land between the Tuatha De Danann & his own people, he cleverly allotted the portion above ground to the Milesians & the portion underground to the Tuatha De Danann.

The Tuatha De Danann were led underground into the Sidhe mounds by Manannan mac Lir & Tir na nOg onto a flowery plain/plain of honey attested to in the Voyage of Bran.

The Tuatha De Danann brought 4 magical treasure with them to Ireland, 1 a piece from their 4 cities: Dagda’s Cauldron, The Spear of Lugh, Lia Fail (The Stone of Fal), & Claiomh Solais (The Sword of Light).

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