Druid Folklore

This is here to provide a general background that may help the student understand the roots of Druidic magic and lore, and nothing more. Should the student wish to learn more, there are many books and web pages devoted to the subject.

Druid folklore is rooted in Celtic folklore. The tribe of the Fomorians were the original inhabitants of Ireland. The Fomors lived mainly by the sea. Over the centuries many new races came to colonize Ireland. Some died in epidemics and battles, while others who survived were oppressed by the cruel Fomors. Much later, a race known as the Fir Bolgs came from Spain or Greece to colonize Ireland. They were actually three tribes: the men of Domnu, the men of Gaillion, and the men of Bolg. They intermarried with the Fomors and became their allies. These people divided Ireland into provinces and practiced strange magical rites. They continued to hold the country until the arrival of the Tuatha De Danann.

The Tuatha De Danann (children of the Goddess Danu) succeeded in their invasion of Ireland. Some legends say they came from the sky, and others say they came from some far away island (possibly even the mythical island of Atlantis). They came from four great cities: Finias, Murias, Gorias, and Falias. They were skilled in poetry and magic, and brought with them four great treasures: Nuada's sword from Findias, Lugh's spear from Gorias, the Dagda's cauldron from Murias, and the Stone of Fal (Stone of Destiny) from Falias.

They landed in Ireland on May 1 (Beltane), hidden by magic. They met the armies of the Fir Bolg and the Fomors, where they bargained for peace and the division of land. The Fir Bolg king refused. On the summer solstice the armies fought. King Nuada of the Tuatha lost his hand in battle with Sreng of the Fir Bolgs. King Eochaid of the Fir Bolgs was killed and the Fir Bolgs were reduced greatly in numbers. In a gesture of peace, the Tuatha De Danann offered them a portion of Ireland.

The Tuathan physician, Diancecht, made Nuada a new hand of silver that could move like the real one. Nuada had to step down from, as no Tuathan king was permitted to have any disfigurement. The Tuathan council attempted to wage permanent peace with the Fomors. Over time, the Tuatha De Danann suffered greatly at the hands of the Fomor, and the Fomor armies decided to run the Tuatha De Danann out of Ireland.

The Tuatha De Danaan prepared for war. They gave the sage Lugh the throne for thirteen days so that he could command the Tuathan armies against their enemies. Goibniu the smith replaced all swords and spears with weapons guaranteed to be deadly accurate every throw. Credne the bronze worker made magic rivets for the spears, hilts for swords, and rims for shields. Luchtaine the carpenter provided spear shafts and shields. The Dagda promised to crush the enemy with his gigantic club. Ogma vowed to kill the Fomorian king and to capture at least one-third of his army. Diancecht prepared to bring the dead back to life by putting them into a magic cauldron. Druids and sorcerers promised to hide the rivers and lakes and to confuse the enemy with acts of magic. These preparations took seven years. Just before the battle, the Dagda met Morrigu, the war goddess. In exchange for sex, she promised him victory in battle.

The two armies gathered on the eve of Samhain, and engaged in combat. This time the Tuatha De Dannan were always healed by the next day and their swords and spears made new. The Fomors became suspicious and sent Ruadan to spy on the Tuatha. He discovered the healing well, and the Fomorians filled it with stones, destroying it forever.

The two armies squared off in a final battle. Lugh challenged Balor of the Evil Eye, who was leading the enemy. When the Fomorians started to pull open Balor's eye, which could destroy everyone in his sight, Lugh drove the eye through Balor's head with a magic stone so that it looked back upon the Fomorians. I whole rank of the enemy were killed. The Tuatha De Danann were triumphent.

After the victory, Badb prophesied the coming of the end of the gods. The prophecy was fulfilled when the Gaelic Celts arrived. After two great and magical battles, the Tuatha were defeated and withdrew beneath the earth. Even so, they still had the power to hurt their enemy. The Dagda destroyed corn and milk, until the Celts made peace with the old gods. The basis of this treaty was that the Tuatha would receive homage and offerings from the Celts.

Some of the Tuatha De Danann chose to go to an island in the west called Tir-Nan-Og or "Land of the Young". Those Tuatha who stayed behind were given dwellings by the Dadga, their new king. He assigned each to a sidhe or hill. Each sidhe was the doorway to a beautiful underground realm. Because of this, the Celtic gods became known as the Aes Sidhe, or "People of the Hills". Every god was a Fer-Sidhe "Man of the Hill" and every goddess was a Bean-Sidhe "Woman of the Hill".