An Chraobh Airgid

God or goddess

Lugh

Lugh · Old Irish Lug

The god of many skills.

Open it on the full site There every name opens, and a web shows who is kin to whom.

Son of Cian, son of Dian Cécht, and of Ethne, daughter of Balor of the Fomorians. In Cath Maige Tuired he came to the door of Tara as Samildánach, the man of every art, and in the battle he killed Balor with a sling-stone. His spear came from the city of Gorias. He founded the assembly of Lughnasadh in memory of his foster-mother Tailtiu. In the Táin he comes out of the síd to his son Cú Chulainn at Lerga, and heals his wounds while he sleeps for three days and three nights.

Kin and bonds

In the tales

  • The Fate of the Children of Tuireann Three brothers stone Lugh’s father to death. His price sounds small: three apples, a pigskin, a spear, a hound’s whelp, and three shouts on a hill.
  • The Coming of the Tuatha Dé Danann They burned their ships on the shore, and for three days a druid’s mist hid them. Then they sent word to the people who held Ireland: half the land, or a battle.
  • The Second Battle of Mag Tuired A beautiful king who gives nothing, a stranger with every art, an eye no army can face, and a harp that plays sorrow, laughter and sleep.
  • The Cattle Raid of Cooley An argument in bed over who is richer ends in a war for a brown bull, and one young man holding a ford against all Ireland.

See also

  • Bres The beautiful king of the Tuatha Dé who gave nothing, son of a Fomorian king.
  • Dian Cécht Physician of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who made Nuada’s hand of silver.
  • The Fomorians Old enemies of the gods. In folklore, giants.
  • Indech King of the Fomorians at the second battle of Mag Tuired.
  • Lughnasadh The start of autumn. Lugh’s assembly, and the first of the harvest.
  • Mag Tuired Moytirra, above Lough Arrow. The high ground above Lough Arrow where the gods fought the Fomorians.
  • Nuada of the Silver Hand King of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who lost a hand in battle and was given one of silver.
  • Ogma Champion of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and brother of the Dagda.
  • The Spear of Lugh The spear no battle could stand against.
  • Sualtam Cú Chulainn’s father, whose severed head went on crying the warning in Emain.
  • Teamhair The Hill of Tara. Seat of the high kings, and of the stone that cried out.
  • Tuireann Father of Brian, Iuchar and Iucharba.

Sources

Medieval manuscript. Written down by Irish scholars between the eighth and seventeenth centuries.

Each tale above lists the sources it is retold from. Every source the site draws on is listed on the full site.