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 [the]
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 Tuath Dé 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 Tuath Dé, 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 Tuath Dé 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 Tuath Dé 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 Tuath Dé 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 Tuath Dé at
Tailtiu. When Amergin was called upon to divide the land between the Tuath Dé and his own people, he cleverly allotted the portion above ground to the Milesians and the portion underground to the Tuath Dé. The Tuath Dé 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 The Tuatha Dé Danann brought
four magical treasures with them to Ireland, one apiece from their Four Cities: •
Dagda's Cauldron •
The Spear of Lugh •
Lia Fáil (The Stone of Fal) •
Claíomh Solais (The Sword of Light)
Tuatha Dé Danann as 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 == Interaction with humans ==