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The Tuatha Dé Danann ("peoples of the goddess Danu", Modern Irish pronunciation: [t̪ˠuːəhə dʲeː d̪ˠan̪ˠən̪ˠ], Old Irish: [t̪uːaθa d̪ʲeː d̪an̪an̪]) are a race of people in Irish mythology. In the invasions tradition which begins with the Lebor Gabála Érenn, they are the fifth group to settle Ireland, conquering the island from the Fir Bolg.

The Tuatha Dé Danann are thought to derive from the pre-Christian deities of Ireland. When the surviving stories were written, Ireland had been Christian for centuries, and the Tuatha Dé were represented as mortal kings, queens and heroes of the distant past; however there are many clues to their former divine status. A poem in the Book of Leinster lists many of them, but ends "Although [the author] enumerates them, he does not worship them." Goibniu, Creidhne and Luchta are referred to as Trí Dé Dána ("three gods of craftsmanship"), and the Dagda's name is interpreted in medieval texts as "the good god." Even after they are displaced as the rulers of Ireland, characters such as Lugh, the Morrígan, Aengus and Manannán mac Lir appear in stories set centuries later, showing all the signs of immortality. They also have many parallels across the Celtic world: Nuada is cognate with the British god Nodens; Lugh is a reflex of the pan-Celtic deity Lugus; Tuireann is related to the Gaulish Taranis; Ogma to Ogmios; the Badb to Catubodua.

Name[link]

The translation of Tuatha Dé Danann as "peoples of the goddess Danu" is necessarily imprecise. Old Irish tuath (plural tuatha) means "people, tribe, nation"; and dé is the genitive case of día, "god, goddess, supernatural being, object of worship"^[1] (they are often referred to simply as the Tuatha Dé, a phrase also used to refer to the Israelites in early Irish Christian texts).^[2]

Danann is also a genitive, for which the nominative case is not attested. It has been reconstructed as Danu, which by analogy with Anu is taken to be a female name. The name of the river Danube is believed to be Celtic in origin, and Celtic river deities are usually female; Hindu mythology has a goddess called Danu, who may be an Indo-European parallel. However, this reconstruction is not universally accepted.^[3] It is also written Donann and Domnann,^[4] which may link them with the Fir Domnann ("men of the Domnainn"), a people associated with the Fir Bolg in myth,^[5] who are historically attested in Connacht and may be related to the British Dumnonii.^[6]

Legendary history[link]

The Tuatha Dé Danann were descended from Nemed, leader of a previous wave of inhabitants of Ireland. They came from four cities to the north of Ireland–Falias, Gorias, Murias and Finias–where they acquired their occult skills and attributes. According to Lebor Gabála Érenn, they came to Ireland "in dark clouds" and "landed on the mountains of [the] Conmaicne Rein in Connachta; and they brought a darkness over the sun for three days and three nights". According to a later version of the story, they arrived in ships on the coast of the Conmaicne Mara's territory (modern Connemara). 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 neighboring 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 descerning Ireland,
Without ships, a ruthless course
the truth was not known beneath the sky of stars,
whether they were of heaven or of earth.

Led by their 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.^[7][8] However, in a fit of jealous rage Dian Cecht slew his own son. Because of Nuada's restoration as leader, Bres complained to his family and his father, Elatha, who sent him to seek assistance from Balor, king of the Fomorians.

The Tuatha Dé Danann 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 himself by Lugh, the champion of the Tuatha 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 goddesses of the Tuatha Dé Danann, 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, who were kings of the Tuatha Dé Danann at that time, 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 Tuatha Dé Danann 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 Tuatha Dé Danann at Tailtiu. When Amergin was called upon to divide the land between the Tuatha Dé Danann and his own people, he cleverly allotted the portion above ground to the Milesians and the portion underground to the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Tuatha Dé Danann were led underground into the Sidhe mounds by Manannán mac Lir.

The Four Treasures[link]

The Tuatha Dé Danann brought four magical treasures with them to Ireland, one apiece from their Four Cities:

• The Dagda's Cauldron
• The Spear of Lugh
• The Stone of Fal
• The Sword of Light of Nuada

Tuatha Dé Danann High Kings of Ireland[link]

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

Tuatha Dé Danann family tree[link]

The following table is based on the genealogies given by Geoffrey Keating and in the Lebor Gabála Érenn, and references in Cath Maige Tuireadh. It is not clear whether the various Elathas and Delbáeths are meant to be different figures of the same name or different traditions regarding the genealogy of the same figure. It is also notable that Fomorians such as Elatha and Balor are closely related to the Tuatha Dé.

                                   Agnoman of Scythia
                                           |
                                         Nemed
                                           |
                                    Iarbonel Faidh
                                           |
                                       Beothach
                                           |
                                        Iobáth
                                           |
                                         Enna
                                           | 
                                        Tabarn
                                           |
                                          Tat
       ____________________________________|__________________________________
       |                                                                     |
     Allai                                                                 Indai
       |                                           __________________________|__________________________
       |                                           |                                                   |
     Orda                                         Nét                                               Elatha
       |                       ____________________|______________________________________________     |
       |                       |                                    |                            |     |
    Etarlám                 Esar Brec                           Delbáeth                        Dot  Bres
       |                       |                                    |                            |
       |                       |                                    |                            |
    Eochaid                Dian Cecht                            Elatha                        Balor
       |                       |                                    |                            |
       |            ___________|___________        _________________|______________________      |
     Nuada          |    |     |    |     |        |         |          |       |         |      |
    (Elcmar)       Cu Cethen Cian Miach Airmed   Dagda    Fiacha    Delbáeth   Ogma     Allód  Ethniu
   (Nechtan)        |          |                   |                    |       |       (Lir)
  _____|____        |          |      _____________|____________        |       |         |
  |        |        |          |      |      |     |     |     |        |       |         |
Etarlám Nemain  Bec-Felmas    Lug  Cermait Aengus Bodb Midir Brigid   Boann  Delbáeth  Manannan
  |                 |                 |                                     (Tuireann)
  |                 |        _________|_________          ______________________|__________________________________
  |                 |        |        |        |          |      |      |       |     |      |       |      |     |
Ernmas            Abean  MacCuill MacCecht MacGréine   Fiacha  Brian Iuchar Iucharba Danand Goibniu Credne Luchta Ollam
  |__________________                                                                                             |
  |        |        |                                                                                             |
 Ériu  =  Badb      |                                                                                            Aoi
Banba  = Macha      |
Fódla = Mórrígan = Anu
           

Other members of the Tuatha Dé Danann include:

• Abartach
• Beag
• Bé Chuille
• Brea
• Fand

See also[link]

• Dingle Diamond
• Olympian Pantheon
• Picts

Primary sources[link]

• Lebor Gabála Érenn ("The Book of the Taking of Ireland"), ed. and tr. R.A.S. Macalister (1938-1956 and 2009). Lebor Gabála Érenn. The Book of the Taking of Ireland. Irish Texts Society 34-5, 39, 41, 44, 63. 5 vols and index of names. Dublin: RIA. 
• Mesca Ulad

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2010)

Robin Williamson
Robin Williamson performing in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Robin Williamson
Born	(1943-11-24) 24 November 1943 (age 68) Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, harp, banjo, fiddle, flute, penny whistle, etc.
Years active	Since 1963
Associated acts	The Incredible String Band The Merry Band
Website	pigswhiskermusic.co.uk

Robin Williamson (born 24 November 1943, Edinburgh) is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, songwriter and storyteller, who first made his name as a founding member of The Incredible String Band.

Career[link]

Williamson lived in the Portobello area of Edinburgh, and attended George Watson's College before leaving at the age of 15 to become a professional musician. At first he performed in local jazz bands, with Gerard Dott (a later member of the ISB) and others, before turning to traditional music as a singer and guitarist. By 1961 he had met and begun sharing a flat with Bert Jansch, and in 1963 they traveled together to London to play the metropolitan folk circuit.^[1]

By 1965 he had returned to Edinburgh and formed a duo with Clive Palmer,^[2] specialising in fiddle and banjo arrangements of traditional Scots and Irish songs. Joe Boyd signed them to Elektra Records in 1966, by which time they had recruited third member Mike Heron. As resident band at Clive’s Incredible Folk Club in Glasgow, they called themselves the Incredible String Band.

Between 1966 and 1974 the Incredible String Band, based around the duo of Williamson and Heron, released some 13 albums, becoming in the UK one of the most popular, best-loved and influential groups of the era.^[3] The group also included Williamson's sometime girlfriend Licorice McKechnie.

Williamson released his first solo LP, "Myrrh", in 1971 when still a member of the Incredible String Band. After the band split up in 1974, he began living in Los Angeles and, for a while, turned his attention to writing, co-writing an espionage novel, "The Glory Trap".

By 1976 he had returned to music, forming The Merry Band with Sylvia Woods (Celtic harp), Jerry McMillan (fiddle), and Chris Caswell (flutes, and wire-strung harp). They toured extensively for three years throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, and released three albums "Journey’s Edge", "American Stonehenge", and "A Glint At The Kindling".^[4]

After the breakup of the Merry Band, Williamson returned to the UK and started to tour solo, offering sets dominated by traditional stories set to song. Releases of this period include "Songs of Love and Parting" and "Legacy of the Scottish Harpers". He has also written a tutorial book of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes (ISBN 0-8256-0165-7) as well as one for the penny whistle (ISBN 0-8256-0190-8).

Williamson's live album with John Renbourn, 'Wheel Of Fortune' (1995), was nominated for a Grammy, (as was the ISB album 'Hangman's Beautiful Daughter', in 1968^[5]).

In the late 1990s he took part, with Palmer and Heron, in a reformed ISB. Williamson left the band some time around the start of 2003 - some rumours had it that he was forced out in acrimonious circumstances. The reformed band disbanded once again in 2006.

Meanwhile Williamson resumed his solo career, notably on record with a series of albums for the ECM label. "Seed-at-zero' (2000), 'Skirting The River Road' (2002) and 'The Iron Stone' (2006)^[6] featured him combining his own words with those of the likes of Dylan Thomas, William Blake, and Walt Whitman. Musically these records show him increasingly working in a fusion style (similar in some ways to the avant-garde work of the Incredible String Band in the 60's) which incorporates folk, jazz, Renaissance, Classical and Eastern influences. A group of distinguished jazz musicians accompany Williamson on the two most recent ECM records, notably violist Mat Maneri, bassist Barre Phillips, Swedish multi-instrumentalist Ale Moller, and English sax player Paul Dunmall.

Solo discography[link]

Bibliography[link]

Robin Williamson

• English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes (1976)
• Penny Whistle Book (1977)
• Five Denials on Merlin's Grave: A Poem With Annotations (1979)
• Holy Howlers (1987)
• The Craneskin Bag: Celtic Stories and Poems (1989)
• Wise and Foolish Tongue: Celtic Stories and Poems (1991)

Dan Sherman and Robin Williamson

• The Glory Trap (1981) (novel)

Robin Williamson and John Matthews

• From the Isles of Dream: Visionary Stories and Poems of the Celtic Renaissance (1993)
• The Bardic Source Book: Inspirational Legacy and Teachings of the Ancient Celts (1998)

R.J. Stewart and Robin Williamson

• Celtic Bards, Celtic Druids (1996)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Robin and Bina Williamson website
• 2003 Robin Williamson interview by Richie Unterberger
• Robin Williamson fansite
• A cartoon for one of Robin Williamson's songs
• Full discography
• Robin Williamson, interview documentary in Andalucia (Spain).