It is said that once the sword was drawn from its sheath, no one could escape it and no one could resist it. This sword was one of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha de Danann, brought from the great city of Findias. This weapon was the Sword of Light known as “Claimh Solais”. Nuada is remembered for a powerful and mysterious weapon which he used. Lug killed Balor and ultimately led the Tuatha de Danann to victory.ġ905 illustration of Lug's bloodthirsty magical spear by H. During this battle, Balor killed Nuada and beheaded him, but he was avenged by Lug. Nuada decided to let Lug lead the Tuatha de Danann in battle against the Fomorians and the second battle of Mag Tuired followed. A period of war followed and Lug grew up to be very appreciated at court. With the help of the Fomorian Balor of the Evil Eye, Bres tried to retake the throne. Nuada of the Silver Arm by Jim Fitzpatrick ( )
Under these circumstances, Nuada could become king once again and ruled for 20 more years. He managed to recreate the former king’s arm entirely out of flesh and bone. Still, Miach, one of Diancecht’s sons, did an even better job than his father. For this reason, Nuada became known as “Nuada Airgethlam” meaning “Nuada of the Silver Arm”. In the meantime, the warrior god Diancecht, helped by the Goibniu blacksmiths, fashioned a silver arm for Nuada to replace the one he had lost. Bres went to live with the Fomorians and began plotting his revenge. A Celtic belief stated that a bad king also attracted calamities upon his people, therefore was not fit to rule. He enslaved his people and became hated so much that he was ultimately sent away. However, Bres proved to be a wicked king who thought of himself as being more Fomorian than Tuatha. The two had a son named Lug (Lugh), the future sun god. Being a half-breed, everybody thought that Bres’ reign would bring an enduring peace with the Fomorians.īres married Brigitte, the daughter of the Tuatha god Dagda, a lady presiding over bards and druids, and a man of the Tuatha de Dannan called Cian married Eithne, the daughter of the cruel Fomorian Balor. The new king was Bres, a man born after the Fomorian king Elatha had raped Eriu, the queen of the Tuatha de Danann. Therefore, even though Nuada was very loved and appreciated as king, he had to step down. Celtic law prevented a mutilated person from ruling. Nevertheless, during the confrontation, King Eochai was killed, and the Tuatha de Danann won the war. In this fight, Nuada lost his arm to his opponent. As a result, the king entered a sort of trance characterized by a pure warrior rage and he decided to face Streng, one of the champions of the Fir Bolg. Rolleston's Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race, 1911 ( public domain )īefore the famous battle of Magh Tuireadh (known as “Cath Maige Tuired”), Nuada received a visit at night from the terrifying goddess of war, Morrigan. In Norse mythology, he is associated with the god Tyr, a warrior god who also lost an arm to the Fenrir wolf.Īmbassadors of the Fir Bolg and Tuath Dé meeting before the Battle of Moytura, an illustration by J. In Irish mythology, Nuada is known by many names such as Nuadu, Nuadha, the British Nodens or the Welsh Nudd or Ludd Llaw Eraint. Because of this, Nuada proposed that ten of the best warriors on either side have a face to face confrontation which would decide the outcome of the war. King Nuada of the Tuatha de Danann and King Eochai of the Fir Bolg had their armies battle for days, but with no decisive victory on either side. Unfortunately, the Fir Bolg refused and war became unavoidable. So that they would not have to fight, the Tuatha de Danann proposed peace and for the two peoples to divide the land equally between them. Still, the isle was also inhabited by the Fir Bolg, the fourth group of people to settle in Ireland.
The Fomorians as depicted by John Duncan, 1912 ( public domain ) However, on the Green Isle, they were confronted with the Fomorians. So that they would not be tempted to leave, they even set their ships on fire. When the Tuatha de Danann (“the people of the goddess Danu”) arrived in Ireland, they liked the place so much that they wanted to settle there for good. These were giant monstrous beings, part human and part beast. After the great flood, only the Fomorians, a supernatural race in Irish mythology, were left alive on the Green Isle. Dating back to the 12 th century, the “Lebor Gabala” or “The Book of Invasions” talks about how Ireland came to be populated.
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