Tuatha Dé Danann

By Ron McVan 

The ancient philosophers believed that no man could live intelligently who did not have a fundamental knowledge of Nature and her laws. Before man can obey, he must understand, and the Mysteries were devoted to instructing man concerning the operation of divine law in the terrestrial sphere. Few of the early cults actually worshiped anthropomorphical deities, although their symbolism might lead one to believe they did. They were moralistic rather than religionistic; philosophic rather than theologic. They taught man to use his faculties more intelligently, to be patient in the face of adversity, to be courageous when confronted by danger, to be true in the midst of temptation, and, most of all, to view a worthy life as the most acceptable sacrifice to God, and his body as an altar sacred to the Deity.” ~ Manly P. Hall

Through the mystic primal gray mist of the north they came, superior and godlike in both mind and form. They were the “Tuatha De’ Danann”, an Aryan tribe of divine origin, highly advanced in knowledge and skill; a people of peace yet fearsome in battle. Upon the pristine land of the ancient Emerald Isle (now present day Ireland), the Danann were believed to have descended down to earth in a flying craft obscured within the cover of dark clouds on the 1st day of May. No one would ever really know from whence they came, most likely driven from their former homeland of origin. They were a wizard like people unlike any other tribes of their time. In chapter III of the Book Of Invasions it is mentioned that the Danann tribes reached the land of Eire at the middle of the fifteenth century B.C.E. yet some still conclude their arrival far more distant in time. The world would later refer to them as the “Aes Dana”, (skilled or gifted people) or, Danu, Danae, or Don. They were followers of the goddess Danae, or Danu, and now had become the undisputed ruling inhabitants of a new land that would one day be called Ireland. Eriu is the goddess from whom the name Eire was derived. In time Danann cities were known to exist as far south as Asia Minor as was one such Danann city discovered in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains near Alexandretta. The goddess Dana it is important to note, would later become known as the Celtic goddess of earth and fertility, Brigit.

The origins of the Tuatha De Danann one will find, is as mysterious as that of the Hyperboreans, Cimmerians or the Cimbrian tribes. In fact it is strongly believed today that the Danann and the Hyperboreans were surely one and the same people. As such, it would make sense that the Danann were the true builders of the megaliths. The Danann and the Fir Bolg were of the same race but would eventually be forced to give way to the Celtic Gaels. The Tuatha De Danann were not the first inhabitant race of Ireland, only the most renown of existent record who essentially launched the history of the Celts. Others there had been before them through the abysm of even much earlier days which included the primal races of giants. One must take into account that Atlantis a neighbor of the Emerald Isle, is known to have stretched back as far as a million years in its own history. Two other divine Aryan tribes who were known to have lived on ancient Eire before the Tuatha De Danann were the Partholon people and following them were the tribe of the Nemed.

Though they came to learned Erinn, Without buoyant, adventurous ships, No man in creation knew, Whether they were of the earth or of the sky. If they were diabolical demons, They came from that woeful expulsion; If they were of a race of tribes and nations, If they were human, they were of the race of Beothach.” ~ Book of Ballymote

Within their strange flying craft the Danu brought with them four great treasures to their new land; “The Stone of Fal”, the, Lia Fail, (the stone of virtue and destiny), which was known to cry out when touched by the rightful king. They brought the “Spear of Victory” from which no battle could be won against it. They brought the mystic “Sword Of Truth”, and those who justifiably deserved the wrath of this sword never recovered from its stroke. Lastly, of the four magic treasures was, “The Cauldron Of The Dagda” (Cauldron Of Plenty) as it was known in far later times. From this cauldron, no company ever went away unsatisfied. In the “Book Of The Dun Coe” it is stated that even the ancient wise men of the Celts were themselves unaware of the origins of the Tuatha De Danann. The intelligence of the Danann was far superior to any of the races here on earth at that time. Many occultists and scholars tend to believe that they may have been Atlantean in origin or perhaps even migrated here from a distant planet in our galaxy. The proximity of the British Isles to the lost Atlantis may account for the similarities of spiritual sun worship which plays an important part in the rituals of both the Danann and Druids as well. The Atlanteans were sun worshipers as were the Tuatha De Danann and likewise their solar deity was usually personified as a beautiful youth, with long golden hair to symbolize the rays of the sun. The Atlanteans were also known to have perfected flying machines which the Danu tribe are reported to have made first contact to the Emerald Isle.

The ancients did not believe that spirituality made men either righteous or rational, but rather that righteousness and rationality made men spiritual. The Mysteries taught that spiritual illumination was attained only by bringing the lower nature up to a certain standard of efficiency and purity. The Mysteries were therefore established for the purpose of unfolding the nature of man according to certain fixed rules which, when faithfully followed, elevated the human consciousness to a point where it was capable of cognizing its own constitution and the true purpose of existence.” ~ Manly P. Hall

The Danann tribe were highly gifted with what is known as the “Second Sight”. The First Sight, is what all humans see in their everyday world but Second Sight is the ability to naturally see and peer into the spirit world at will. Many a Druid would also possess the ability of Second Sight. The noted scholar Andrew Lang, states that “Second Sight differs from trance or divination. It is not a hallucination ‘suggested’ to a hypnotized subject, but an impression produced by a remote person or event on a subject who has not been hypnotized at all.” As strong as the magical gift of the Danann, the magic of the Celtic Gaels who had brought their Druids with them, would in time prove out to be stronger. The Danann were known to possess a miraculous well, called the “Spring of Health”. Whenever one of the Danu were killed or wounded, he or she could be dipped into the well and brought back to life and health again.

The Danann were led by their King Nuada. They fought their first battle which was known as “The Battle Of Magh Tuiredh” (Moytura), on the west coast and battled victorious, defeating their native foe, the Fir Bolg (The men of the bags or pot bellied ones). During this great battle the Danann king, Nuada, lost an arm while fighting the Fir Bolg champion, Sreng. Now that the king had become handicapped and no longer “unblemished”, he was forced to relinquish his position as king to a half Fomorian known as Bres, who in time proved out to be a tyrant in his reign as ruler of the land. As the story goes, a physician by the name of Dian Cecht replaced the former King Nuada’s arm with a fully functional silver arm and thereby he was reinstated back to his rightful kingship among the Danann. Nuada was then known as Llud The Silver Hand. Nuada was the father of “Murna Of The White Neck”, mother of the great hero Finn MacCumhaill.

Some time had passed when Dian Cecht’s son Miach grew dissatisfied in the reinstatement of King Nuada and the successful replacement of his new arm. He cast a spell upon him through which he caused flesh to grow upon the silver arm over a course of nine days and nine nights. Dian Cecht was appalled by this dastardly deed that his son had created and the dark evil behind the action, and so he slew his son. The restoration of Nuada as king drew out the ire of another foe to the king known as Bres, who was a Fomorian. He stated his frustrations to his father who was king of the Fomorians which whipped up the makings of a second battle against the Danann tribes to become known as the “Second Battle Of Magh Tuiredh. In this mighty battle, King Nuada was slain by the Fomorian King Balor and his poisonous eye. Though Balor had two eyes, one was always kept shut, for it was so venomous that it slew anyone on whom its gaze fell upon. It is from the legend of Balor’s terrible deadly eye that the term “Evil Eye” had originated. Balor also slayed one of Nuada’s warlike wives known as Macha, in that same battle. Balor did not have long to relish in his victory however, for he was soon thereafter slayed by Lugh, (Lugh Of The Long Arm) the famous champion of the Tuatha De Danann, who would soon himself reign as king among his people. Lugh became symbolic of the sun itself, the victor in the eternally renewed battle with darkness. Lugh of the Long Arm possessed a magic spear that flashed fire and roared aloud in the battle of Moytura. The Danann were known to make special magic stones which were large concrete hard balls that they would use in battle. It was called a “Tathlum” meaning a “concrete ball” which, as legend has it, were made from the brains of dead enemies hardened with lime. From an ancient Celtic poem these lines: “A tathlum, heavy, fiery, firm, Which the Tuatha De Danann had with them, it was, That broke the fierce Balor’s eye, Of old, In the battle of the great armies.”

In what would now be known as the area of Northern Portugal, there was a Celtic tribe in ancient times known as the Milesians, who became fierce invaders of the Danann tribe. It would not be long before a third great battle would develop between the Danann and the Milesians. This time the Danu were defeated by the Milesians at Tailtiu. The Milesians had now won the land of Eire and the Tuatha De Danann were forced underground into the Sidhe mounds (phantom realms or otherworld) by Dagda, the chief leader of the Danu. In the otherworld the Dananns live very long lives compared to our own standards. The otherworld is reached through what is known as a Time Portal. There are several known Time Portals to be found in Ireland, the most famous being Brugh na Boinne, better known in modern day times as New Grange.

The Danann are known to retain their youth and beauty in the otherworld but are not immortal and can be killed and destroyed. Dagda, whose name means “Good God”, was the son of the goddess Danu and her consort Bile. Dagda owned the magic cauldron of the Danann and also a magic harp known as “Uaithne”. With his magical harp he could virtually change the seasons and weather. It is written that the Formorians once stole Dagda’s magic harp. Dagda, along with Ogma and Lugh, set out to retrieve it and found the harp in a Formorian encampment. Dagda simply chanted a spell and the harp flew quickly back into his hands, killing nine Formorians in its path. Ogma was a warrior champion of the Tuatha De Danann and later became known as the Celtic god of writing, eloquence and poetry. He was also known as Cermait, (Honey-mouthed). It is from Ogma that the Celtic writing system of the Druids had derived. This ancient Celtic writing process, up into our present day, has been known as “Ogham”.

The gods of the Danu did not always form an organized family of gods like the Greek and Roman pantheons. In addition to the gods already mentioned there was Donn (Lord of the dead), Angus (God of love), Lir and his son Manannan, (Gods of the sea), Diancecht and his son Miach ( Gods of medicine), Goibniu and Credne (Gods of metal crafting), Lugh Long Arm (All skilled warrior god and most powerful of them all), also known as “Lugh the Long Handed” “or the “Far Shooter”. Among the Celts, Lugh was much the same as Apollo was to the Greeks. We know now that Apollo’s true home of origin was not in Greece but in Hyperborea, so again, it is likely that Apollo and Lugh were one and the same deity operating between two different pantheons. At Halloween (the Celtic Samhain) the natives of the Hebrides used to pour libations of ale to a marine god called Shony, imploring him to send sea-weed to the shore. In honor, also, of such beings, curious rites were performed. Maidens washed their faces in morning dew, with prayers for beauty. They carried sprigs of the rowan, that mystic tree whose scarlet berries were the ambrosial food of the Tuatha De Danann.

It seems wonderful to me,” said Bres to his Druids, “that the sun should rise in the west today and in the east every other day.” “It would be better for us if it were so, ” replied the Druids. “What else can it be, then?”, asked Bres. “It is the radiance of the face of Lugh of the Long Arm,” said they.” ~ From The Fate of the Children of Tuirenn

The tribes of Danu were a divine people of Light and Goodness, Light against Darkness, Good against Evil, and represent the Celtic reverence for science, poetry, and artistic skill. It was they who really established and contributed the highest character traits and genes to the future generations of Celts and all their great heritage, mystic Irish lore and magic that is Ireland, we owe to our distant forebears the Tuatha De Danann. Their spirit lives deep within all the Celtic people even though the Celts may not always be living upon their homeland of Ireland, the spirit of the Danu is ever within them. The Celtic Irish are some of the most poetic, musical and happiest people on earth even though they have been the bearers of centuries of extreme hardships. When roused to battle there is no match on earth that can stand in their way. The Romans found that out the hard way, and many nations through history have recruited the Celts to help them win their wars. Standish O’Grady, who wrote the book “Critical History of Ireland”, stated: “The underlying idea of all this class of legend, is that if men cannot master war, war will master them; and that those who aspired to the Ard-Rieship (High Kingship) of all Erin must have the war-gods on their side.” It was actually Macha, one of the wives of the Danann King Nuada who by breeding with the king intermingled his divine blood of the Tuatha De Danann into the human genes of the Celts. We have her also to thank for making it possible in establishing that trademark uniqueness of spirit, wit and intelligence that has become so characteristic among the Irish people. Take a close look into the glint of the eyes of the Irish folk, and you will see a faint distant sparkle of the Tuatha De Danann. The magic of a people from a magic land, for when Irish eyes are smiling, they will steal your heart away!

It was a belief common to the Aryan races that wisdom, as well as wealth, came originally from the underworld; and we find Math represented, in the Mabinogi bearing his name, as handing on his magical lore to his nephew and pupil Gwydion, who, there is good reason to believe, was the same divine personage whom the Teutonic tribes worshipped as “Wotan” and “Odin”. Thus equipped, Gwydion son of Don became the druid of the gods, the “master of illusion and fantasy”, and, not only that, but the teacher of all that is useful and good, the friend and helper of mankind, and the perpetual fighter against niggardly underworld powers for the good gifts which they refused to allow out of their keeping. Shoulder to shoulder with him in his “holy war” of culture against ignorance, and light against darkness, stood his brothers Amaethon, god of agriculture, and Govannan, a god of smithcraft identical with the Gaelic Giobniu.” ~ Charles Squire (1905)

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