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Chapter 2-The Tuatha De Danann
May 7, 2008

Over the island, which was now indisputably De Danann, reigned the hero, Lugh, famous in mythology.  And after Lugh, the still greater Dagda--whose three grand-sons, succeeding him in the sovereignty, says the story, when the Milesians came.
     Such a great people were the De Danann, and so uncommonly skilled in the few arts of the time, that they dazzled een their conquerors and successors, the Milesians, into regarding them as mighty magicians.  Later generations of the Milesians to whom were handed down the wonderful traditions of the wonderful people they had conquered, lifted them into a mystic realm, their greatest ones becoming gods and goddesses, who supplied to their successors a beautiful mythology.
     Most conquerors come to despise the conquered, but here they came to honor, almost to worship those whomthey had subdued. Which proves not only greatness in the conquered, but also bigness of mind and distinctiveness of character in the conquerors.
     The De Danann skill in the arts and crafts in course of time immortalised itself in beautiful legends among the Milesians.  Lugh was not only the son of a god (of Manannan MacLir, the sea-god), and the greatest of heroes, but tradition gave him all the many mortall powers of his people, so that he was called Sab Ildanach-meaning Stem of all the Arts.  When the De Danann had first arrived in Ireland Lugh went to the court of Eochaid, the Firbolg king at Tara, and sought an office.  But no one was admitted a member of this court unless he was master of some art or craft not already represented there.  The doorkeeper barring Lugh's way demanded on what ground he sought to be admitted.  Lugh answered that he ws a saer (carpenter).  No they had a good saer in the court already.  Then he said he was a good smith. They had an able smith, also.  Well, he was a champion.  They already had a champion.  Next, he was a harper.  They had a wonderful harper, too.  Then a poet and antiquarian.
They had such--and of the most eminent.  But he was a magician.  They had many Druids, adept in the occult.  he was a physician. They had the famous physician, Diancecht.  he was a cupbearer.  They had nine.  Then a goldsmith.  They had the famous Creidne'1  "then," said Lugh, "go to our king, and ask him if he has in his court any man who is at once master of all these arts and professions.  If he has, I shall not ask admittance to Tara."
     Eochaid, the King, was overjoyed.  he led in the wonderful Lugh, and put him in the chair of the ard-ollam, the chief professor of the arts and sciences.
     The Dagda, who reigned just before the coming of the Milesians, was the greatest of the De Danann.  he was styled Lord of Knowledge and Sun of all the Sciences.  his daughter, Brigit, was a woman of wisdom, and goddess of poetry.  The Dagda was a great and beneficient ruler for eighty years.
     1.  The old traditional tales say that the Creidne' mentioned was from a very famous worker in the precious metals.  The basic truth of these traditions seems evidenced by the reference in very ancient manuscripts to Bretha Creidne', "The Judgments of Creidne" a body of laws dealing with fine scales, weights and measures, and the precious metals.  There is still preserved part of a very old poem, which says that Creidne' was drowned, returning from Spain with golden ore.
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Posted: Wednesday May 7, 2008, 10:57 pm
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