The History of the Fairy-folk of Ireland, Who were the Fairy-folk and where did they come from? By Patrick Fay University of Phoenix

Ancient Ireland is full of stories about the fairy-folk and their mythical origins in Ireland, but who they and where did they come from. According to A History of Ireland: From the Earliest Times to 1922, there were several semi-divine races that ruled over Ireland throughout Ireland’s ancient history. The Fomorians, the Tuatha De Danann and the fir blog were all people of mythical origin that controlled Ireland at one point. The Fomorians although did not live in Ireland always held interest in Ireland, trying to gain tributes from the people who were in control over Ireland. To really understand how these people became known as the fairy-folk, one must understand the invasions of Ireland. There were 6 invasions of Ireland which included Cessair, Partholon, Nemed, The Fir Bolg, The Tuatha De Danann, and the Milesians (the Gaels) who are the descendants of modern day Ireland. Even though the Milesians defeated the Tuatha De Danann, the Tuatha De Danann never left Ireland. They moved to enchanted places to live in areas now known as the Sidhe mounds. Many years after the said “death” of members of the Tuatha De Danann that still show back up in history showing signs of immortality. When Saint Patrick went back to Ireland to convert the Irish pagans to the catholic faith, he had dealings with the Tuatha De Danann. Even the Milesians knew of the Tuatha De Danann. Who and what are the Sidhe? The Sidhe were the mounds that the fairy-folk were having said to live in. These fairy-mounds or Sidhe are still protected by modern day Irish government in fear of invoking war with the fairy-folk. Another name for the fairy-folk was also the Sidhe. The Sidhe are believed to be the Nemedians, Fir Bolg, and Tuatha De Danann. Both the Annals of the four masters and the book of invasions both state that both the Fir Bolg and the Tuatha De Danann spoke the same language being descendant from the same people (the Nemedians). According to the book of invasions and the annals of the four masters, there were many battles fought over Ireland between many different factions. The Nemedians and Fomorians (third invasion of Ireland), Fomorians and Fir Bolg (fourth invasion), Fir Bolg and Tuatha De Danann (fifth invasion of Ireland), Tuatha De Danann and the Milesians (the Milesians are who most of modern Ireland is descendant from.) There were many different invasions of Ireland according to the annals of the four masters. The first invasion took place forty days before the Deluge Ceasair came to Ireland with fifty girls and three men; Bith, Ladhra, and Fintan were the names of the 3 men. According to some versions of the story both Ladhra and Bith die, Fintan fearing the burden to have to take care of fifty women by himself, he turned himself in to a salmon and fled. During the reign of the Tuatha De Danann he later is caught and eaten by a woman whom immediately became pregnant to rebirth him to this world. After he was grown up, he later tells the early history of Ireland. Telling how the fifty women died, due to grief and no man procreate with. For two-hundred-seventy-eight years after Deluge Ireland was vacant, until Parthalon came to Ireland. During Parthalon’s rule the Fomorians came to try and take Ireland bringing eight-hundred with them. Parthalon and his followers defeated them at the battle of Magh-Ithe. After three-hundred years in Ireland, nine-thousand men and women of Parthalon’s people died in one week due to the plague. Ireland lay in waste for 30 years until Neimhidh or Nemed came to Ireland. (The Nemedians were the sons of Neimhidh.) The Nemedians originally defeated the Fomorians in several battles. Many of the Nemedians succumbed to plagues while others left Ireland to avoid the oppression of the Fomorians. Neimhidh was originally from Scythia, an area of the world where a lot of lore about Arch druids, fairies, dragons and vampires originated from. Transylvania is located today in where ancient Scythia was located in ancient past. The Nemedians returned later to take back Ireland as the Fir Bolg and Tuatha De Danann. Originally defeated by the Nemedians, the Fomorians took advantage of them due to dwindling numbers and oppressed the Nemedians. The Fomorians were said to have been a race of Giant sea-goers thought to be from Norway, Finland, and Denmark areas. It is also said that the Fomorie, another Irish sprite, were another type of fairy-folk they were the more misshapen fairy-folk. They were said to have one eye, one arm, and one leg, and were wielders of dark magical arts. Having the one eye, one arm, and one leg stances became a symbol used when casting hexes and curses. However, the Fomorians did not live in Ireland but rather taxed the people that lived there collecting tributes from every Saimhain. The Fomorian people survived off the spoils of other nations, causing problems with more than just Ireland. The Nemedians attacked the Fomorians for revenge and only thirty Nemedians survived to later return, these survivors’ part ways some returning two hundred years later as the Fir Bolg and Tuatha De Danann. When the Fir Bolg came to Ireland they had to fight off many Fomorian raids and defeated them, they successfully managed to live peacefully with the Fomorians after the raid attempts. After Thirty-seven years in control over Ireland, the Tuatha De Danann invaded Ireland. According to the First Battle of Magh Turedh, the Tuatha De Danann invaded Ireland on the first of May. The Fir Bolg sent one of their warriors in parlay with the Tuatha De Danann. The Tuatha De Danann saw him coming and sent Bres to confront the Fir Bolg warrior Sreng. Both warriors spoke the same language. They showed each other the armaments and exchanged spears to show to each other’s king. The Tuatha De Danann offered half of Ireland to the Fir Bolg or to meet them in battle. The Fir Bolg fought a valiant battle but when Sreng refused to fight the Danann king Nauda with 1 hand to be tied up to make it an even fight between them. The Tuatha De Danann offered them a chance of peace and gave them a choice of one of the 5 providences of Ireland, Sreng chose for the rest of his people to reside in the providence of Connacht. Since Sreng sliced off Nauda's arm, according to the customs of the Tuatha De Danann since Nauda he was now imperfect. He was not fit to rule the Tuatha De Danann. Bres was made king of the Tuatha De Danann. The Fomorians taxed the Tuatha De Danann and Bres did nothing to prevent them from doing so. Bres also taxed the Tuatha De Danann and was for the first time a king of the Tuatha De Danann that taxed their own people. One of the Tuatha De Danann healers fashioned a hand made from silver for Nauda. From that point on he was known as Nauda Argat-lamh, meaning Nauda of the silver hand. His silver hand also had full movement of a normal flesh and bone hand. Later his arm was healed back to flesh and bone. Now that Nauda was again unblemished, he was fit to rule Ireland. The Tuatha De Danann went to Bres and told him he reigned long enough and needed to step down. Bres did not want to give his throne up but he had no choice. Bres went to his mother to find out of what race he was so he could find fighting men to take back Ireland by force. His mother gave Bres a ring that belonged to his father who was the King of The Fomorians. Bres and his mother went to the lands of the Fomorians. After Nauda returned to throne a young man burst in to the feasting hall and demanded to speak with him. The door keepers asked who he was and his skills for no one was allowed entry without knowing a skill. The young man said “I am Lugh, son of Cian of the Tuatha De Danann, and of Ethlinn, daughter of Balor, King of the Fomorians, and I am foster-son of Taillte, daughter of the King of the Great Plain, and of Echaid the Rough, son of Duach.” He then proceeded to list his skills saying he was a carpenter, a smith, a champion, a harper, a poet and a teller of tales, a magician, a physician, a cup-bearer, and worker in brass. Each time Lugh would say something the door keepers would say that they did not need that that they already had people that were skilled in these arts. Lugh finally agreed and asked the king if one man in his kingdom can do all the things he mentioned. If so, he would not ask for admittance and he would leave. Nauda decided to test Lugh and Lugh passed every test with no problems. Nauda thought of a way to strike back at the Fomorians with Lugh leading the way, a way to finally end the Fomorian oppression once and for all. Lugh lead the forces of the Tuatha De Danann to victory, as well as fulfilling his prophecy of killing his grandfather Balor of the evil eye. It is unclear how long the Tuatha De Danann had sway in Ireland. From what can be told by ancient records it was for a long time. Till the day that sons of Mil or the Milesians invaded Ireland, and defeated the Tuatha De Danann. The Milesians became the descendants of modern day Ireland, as the Tuatha De Danann and remaining Fir Bolg become known as the Fairy-folk of Irish myths. The Tuatha De Danann were also said to be immortal beings. The battle that took place between the Sons of Mil and the Tuatha De Danann was known as the battle of tailltin. The sons of mil made a deal with the Tuatha De Danann, which they would go back out to sea and attempt to land again. If they could land, they would have sway over Ireland. The Tuatha De Danann agreed to this and raised magic enchantments to cause a storm around Ireland so the sons of mill could not land. The sons of mil end up landing and defeated the Tuatha De Danann. After their defeat, the Tuatha De Danann refused to live under the son of mil influence and went their different ways going underground to live in mounds called the Sidhe. Even though defeated the Tuatha De Danann did not leave Ireland and still lived there hidden by enchantments. According to Gods and Fighting Men, by Lady Gregory, [1904], book IV: Bodb Deag, Bodb Deag was the son of the Dagda a very powerful druid of the Tuatha De Danann. Bodb Deag was the first ruler of the Tuatha De Danann after the son mil (the gaels) defeated them. According to Gods and fighting men, during the 3rd century BC the King of Ireland was named Lugaidh Menn. When his three sons Eochaid, Fiacha, and Ruide asked for land he refused them. So knowing Ireland had two races, the sons of the gaels and the Tuatha De Danann, they figured if one race failed then to go to the other. The three brothers fasted and waited at a place known to be associated with the Tuatha De Danann to see if any of the Tuatha De Danann would show themselves to them in order to win treasures from them. They did not wait long before Bodb Deag showed up and took them to his rath, (his home). After the Three brothers tell Bodb Deag how their father refused them land and why they turned to the Tuatha De Danann for help, Bodb Deag granted each of the brothers a wife. For a wife is where good or bad fortune comes from. According to the Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries, by W.Y. Evans-Wentz, [1911], the Tuatha De Danann took revenge on the sons of mil and destroyed their wheat and the goodness of milk. The sons of mil signed a treaty with the fairy folk and promised to leave offerings of milk and butter to appease the fairy-folk. The people of Ireland left offerings and respected the Sidhe in fear of invoking their wrath. According to the Colloquy with the Ancients, St. Patrick saw a Tuatha De Danann goddess when talking with the ghost of Caeilte. St. Patrick questioned Caeilte wondering why she was so young and so withered, he replied “Which is no wonder at all, for no people of one generation or of one time are we: she is of the Tuatha dé Danann, who are unfading and whose duration is perennial; I am of the sons of Milesius, that are perishable and fade away.” In conclusion, the Sidhe or the fair people of the mound were the races of the Fir Bolg, the Tuatha De Danann and the rest of the Fomorie became known as the fairy folk. The Fir Bolg and the Tuatha De Danann both were said to be descendant of Nemed. Nemed was originally from Scythia where druid, fairy, dragon, and vampire lore originated from. Ruins found in ancient Scythia are of the same design of the Tuatha De Danann raths or homes also found in Ireland. During the beginning of the mythological invasion or Ireland after when the Fir Bolg fought with the Fomorians for control over Ireland. Not long after came the Tuatha De Danann, when the two warriors from each side Sreng of the Fir Bolg, and Bres of the Tuatha De Danann both spoke the same language realized they were descendants of the same people. Even though the Fir Bolg lost the battle they were granted first choice of land by the Tuatha De Danann. They were given a place to govern themselves and were taught the arts of the Tuatha De Danann. Since the original king of the Tuatha De Danann Nauda was blemished was unfit to be king. Bres was made king of the Tuatha De Danann for he was the most beautiful among his people. But his beauty was only skin deep. He was the first king of the Tuatha De Danann to ever tax his people, and when the Fomorians wanted to tax the Tuatha De Danann Bres did nothing to stop them. After Nauda was healed and Bres forced to step down as king unwillingly, the savior of the Tuatha De Danann Lugh sought out to help Nauda free them from the oppression of the Fomorians. Lugh fulfilled his prophecy and killed his grandfather Balor of the evil eye and defeating the Fomorian army. This ended the mythical invasions of Ireland the Tuatha De Danann ruled for an unknown amount of time until the Milesians came and defeated the Tuatha De Danann although defeated they all did not leave Ireland instead they went under the protection of enchantments so that they could not be seen unless they wanted to be. Around the third century BC three brothers who were the son of a king of Ireland asked for land from their father, and he denied them land. They figured since the sons of the Gaels has failed them they can turn to the other race of Ireland the Tuatha De Danann. Luck in their favor they granted the brothers each a wife. Their immortality was explained to St. Patrick that they were unfading and did not age. The fairy faith took root hard in to the people of Ireland, and even after the coming of Christianity the fairy faith did not die out. In fact, the Irish Government still protects the sacred sites of these ancient ancestors of Ireland. The druids of Ireland were powerful wielders of magic both healing and destructive forms of it. Lest fear of invoking war with them in fear of their magic, people still leave offerings to them preserving the fairy-faith. The fairy faith is one of the old world religions that the new world never could fully shake.

References

Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, from the earliest period to the year 1616.
Volume I - VII.
O'Donavan, John.
Dublin: Hodges and Smith, 1854

Lebor Gabála Érenn: The book of the taking of Ireland.
Macalister, Robert Alexander Stewart.
1938. Dublin: Published for the Irish Texts Society by the Educational Co. of Ireland.

The Colloquy with the Ancients
Translated by
Standish Hayes O’Grady
In parentheses Publications
Medieval Irish Series
Cambridge, Ontario 1999 (p.107)
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The First Battle of Magh Turedh or "The First Battle of Moytura”
Fraser, J. Ériu v.8 (1915), pp. 1-63 [H 2.17]

Gods and Fighting Men, by Lady Gregory, [1904], at sacred-texts.com

The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries, by W.Y. Evans-Wentz, [1911],
The Recorded Fairy Faith
Chapeter IV at sacred-texts.com

A History of Ireland: From the Earliest Times to 1922
By Edmund Curtis
Routledge, 2002