Lugh (pronounced /ˈluː/; modern Irish Lú, earlier Lug) is an Irish deity represented in mythological texts as a hero and High King of the distant past. See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always The Mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved shorn of its religious meanings A High King of Ireland ( Ard Rí na hÉireann) is a historical or legendary figure who claimed lordship over the whole of Ireland. He is known by the epithets Lámhfhada ("long hand"), for his skill with a spear or sling, Ildanach ("skilled in many arts"), Samh-ildánach ("Equally skilled in many arts"), Lonnbeimnech ("fierce striker" or perhaps "sword-shouter") and Macnia ("boy hero"), and by the matronymic mac Ethlenn or mac Ethnenn ("son of Ethliu or Ethniu"). This is an article about a particle accelerator For uses of spear, see Spear or Spear (disambiguation. A sling is a projectile Weapon typically used to throw a blunt Projectile such as a stone A matronymic is a Personal name based on the name of one's mother Ethniu ( Old Irish /ˈeθʲnʲu/ Eithne /ˈehnʲə/ also Ethliu, Ethlinn, and a variety of other spellings – see below in Irish mythology He is a reflex of the pan-Celtic god Lugus, and his Welsh counterpart is Lleu Llaw Gyffes "Lugh Strong Hand". Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Lugus was a deity apparently worshipped widely in antiquity in the Celtic -speaking world Welsh mythology, the remnants of the Mythology of the pre Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts Lleu Llaw Gyffes (/ɬeɨ ɬau gəfes/ sometimes misspelled Llew Llaw Gyffes is a figure of Welsh mythology.

Contents 1 Lugh in Irish tradition 1.1 Birth 1.2 Lugh joins the Tuatha Dé Danann 1.3 The sons of Tuireann 1.4 The Battle of Magh Tuireadh 1.5 Later life and death 1.6 Lugh in other cycles and traditions 1.7 Lugh’s weapons 1.8 Lugh’s hound 2 Lugh's name and nature 3 Lugh in other media 4 References 4.1 Notes 4.2 Irish texts 4.3 Secondary sources

Lugh in Irish tradition

Birth

Lugh's father is Cian of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and his mother is Ethniu, daughter of Balor, of the Fomorians. In Irish mythology, Cian (/kʲiːən/ "ancient distant" son of Dian Cecht of the Tuatha Dé Danann, is best known as the father of The Tuatha Dé Danann ("peoples of the Goddess Danu " Modern Irish pronunciation /t̪ˠuːəhə dʲeː d̪ˠan̪ˠən̪ˠ/ Old Irish /tuːaθa ðʲeː Ethniu ( Old Irish /ˈeθʲnʲu/ Eithne /ˈehnʲə/ also Ethliu, Ethlinn, and a variety of other spellings – see below in Irish mythology For the locality in Mangalore. see Bolar (Location. In Irish mythology, Balor ( Balar, Bolar) of the In Irish mythology, the Fomorians, Fomors, or Fomori ( Irish Fomóiri, Fomóraig) were a semi-divine race who inhabited In Cath Maige Tuired their union is a dynastic marriage following an alliance between the Tuatha Dé and the Fomorians. ^[1] In the Lebor Gabála Érenn Cian gives the boy to Tailtiu, queen of the Fir Bolg, in fosterage. Lebor Gabála Érenn ( The Book of the Taking of Ireland) is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of Poems and Prose narratives Tailtiu ( Old Irish pronunciation /ˈtalʲtʲu/ also written Tailltiu Tailte Teia Tephi Can we get a source for this odd variant? The only ones I In Irish mythology the Fir Bolg (Fir Bholg Firbolg were one of the races that inhabited the island of Ireland prior to the arrival of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Fosterage, the practice of a family bringing up a child not their own differs from Adoption in that the child's genetic parents not the foster-parents remain the ^[2]

A folktale told to John O'Donovan by Shane O'Dugan of Tory Island in 1835 recounts the birth of a grandson of Balor who grows up to kill his grandfather. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological John O'Donovan ( 25 July 1806 &ndash 10 December 1861) from Atateemore, in the parish of Kilcolumb the Barony of Tory Island (official name Toraigh and also known in Irish as Oileán Thoraigh or previously Oileán Thúr Rí) is an island in Ireland The grandson is unnamed, his father is called Mac Cinnfhaelaidh and the manner of his killing of Balor is different, but it has been taken as a version of the birth of Lugh, and was adapted as such by Lady Gregory. Isabella Augusta Lady Gregory (15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932 née Isabella Augusta Persse, was an Irish Dramatist and folklorist. In this tale, Balor hears a druid's prophesy that he will be killed by his own grandson. To prevent this he imprisons his only daughter in the Tór Mór (great tower) of Tory Island, cared for by twelve women, who are to prevent her ever meeting or even learning of the existence of men. Tory Island (official name Toraigh and also known in Irish as Oileán Thoraigh or previously Oileán Thúr Rí) is an island in Ireland On the mainland, Mac Cinnfhaelaidh owns a magic cow who gives such abundant milk that everyone, including Balor, wants to possess her. While the cow is in the care of MacKineely's brother Mac Samthainn, Balor appears in the form of a little red-haired boy and tricks him into giving him the cow. Looking for revenge, Mac Cinnfhaelaidh calls on a leanan sídhe (fairy woman) called Biróg, who transports him by magic to the top of Balor's tower, where he seduces Eithne. In Celtic folklore, the Irish leanan sídhe ( Scottish Gaelic, liannan shìth) is a beautiful woman of the Biróg, in Irish mythology, is a Leanan sídhe or fairy woman It time she gives birth to triplets, which Balor gathers up in a sheet and sends to be drowned in a whirlpool. The messenger drowns two of the babies, but unwittingly drops one child into the harbour, where he is rescued by Biróg. She takes him to his father, who gives him to his brother, Gavida the smith, in fosterage. In Irish mythology Goibniu or Goibhniu (pronounced /ˈgovʲnʲu/ or 'Goive-nu' was a son of Brigid and Tuireann and the smith of ^[3]

There may be further triplism associated with his birth. His father in the folktale is one of a triad of brothers, Mac Cinnfhaelaidh, Gavida and Mac Samthainn, and his father in the medieval texts, Cian, is often mentioned together with his brothers Cú and Cethen. ^[4] Two characters called Lugaid, a popular medieval Irish name thought to derive from Lugh, have three fathers: Lugaid Riab nDerg (Lugaid of the Red Stripes) was the son of the three Findemna or fair triplets,^[5] and Lugaid mac Con Roí was also known as mac Trí Con, "son of three hounds". Lugaid Riab nDerg ("the red-striped" son of the three Findemna, triplet sons of Eochu Feidlech, was according to medieval Irish legend In Irish mythology the three Findemna of Finn Eamna (variously interpreted as "fair triplets " or "three fair ones of Emain Macha In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Lugaid mac Con Roí was the son of Cú Roí mac Dáire ^[6] In Ireland's other great "sequestered maiden" story, the tragedy of Deirdre, the king's intended is carried off by three brothers, who are hunters with hounds. Deirdre or Derdriu is the foremost tragic heroine in Irish mythology. ^[7] The canine imagery continues with Cian's brother Cú ("hound"), another Lugaid, Lugaid mac Con (son of a hound), and Lugh's son Cúchulainn ("Culann's Hound"). Lugaid mac Con, sometimes known simply as Mac Con, was according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition a High King of Ireland. Cúchulainn /kuːˈxʊlɪnʲ/ ( ( Irish for "Hound of Culann " also spelled Cú Chulainn, Cú Chulaind, Cúchulain, or ^[8]

Lugh joins the Tuatha Dé Danann

As a young man Lugh travels to Tara to join the court of king Nuada of the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Hill of Tara ( Irish Teamhair na Rí, "Hill of the Kings" located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs The doorkeeper will not let him in unless he has a skill with which to serve the king. He offers his services as a wright, a smith, a champion, a swordsman, a harpist, a hero, a poet and historian, a sorcerer, and a craftsman, but each time is rejected as the Tuatha Dé Danann already have someone with that skill. But when Lugh asks if they have anyone with all those skills simultaneously, the doorkeeper has to admit defeat, and Lugh joins the court. He wins a flagstone-throwing contest against Ogma, the champion, and entertains the court with his harp. Ogma or Oghma is a character from Irish mythology. A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, he is often considered a Deity and may be related to the The harp is a Stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. The Tuatha Dé are at that time oppressed by the Fomorians, and Lugh is amazed how meekly they accept this. Nuada wonders if this young man could lead them to freedom. Lugh is given command over the Tuatha Dé, and he begins making preparations for war. ^[9]

The sons of Tuireann

When the sons of Tuireann, Brian, Iuchar and Iucharba, kill his father, Cian (who was in the form of a pig at the time), Lugh sets them a series of seemingly impossible quests as recompense. In Irish mythology, Tuireann or Tuirill Biccreo was the father of Creidhne, Luchtaine and Giobhniu by Brigid. In Irish mythology Iuchar was one of the sons of Tuireann, of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and Danand. In Irish mythology, Iucharba was one of the sons of Tuireann, of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and Danand. They achieve them all, but are fatally wounded in completing the last one. Despite Tuireann's pleas, Lugh denies them the use of one of the items they have retrieved, a magic pigskin which heals all wounds. They die of their wounds, and Tuireann dies of grief over their bodies. ^[10]

The Battle of Magh Tuireadh

Using the magic artifacts the sons of Tuireann have gathered, Lugh leads the Tuatha Dé Danann in the Second Battle of Mag Tuireadh against the Fomorians. Cath Maige Tuired ("The Battle of Mag Tuired" is the name of two saga texts of the Mythological Cycle of Irish Mythology. In Irish mythology, the Fomorians, Fomors, or Fomori ( Irish Fomóiri, Fomóraig) were a semi-divine race who inhabited Nuada is killed in the battle by Balor. Lugh faces Balor, who opens his terrible, poisonous eye that kills all it looks upon, but Lugh shoots a sling-stone that drives his eye out the back of his head, wreaking havoc on the Fomorian army behind. A sling is a projectile Weapon typically used to throw a blunt Projectile such as a stone After the victory Lugh finds Bres, the half-Fomorian former king of the Tuatha Dé, alone and unprotected on the battlefield, and Bres begs for his life. For the legendary Irish High King see Bres Rí; for the Marvel Comics character see Bres (comics In Irish mythology, Bres If he is spared, he promises, he will ensure that the cows of Ireland always give milk. The Tuatha Dé refuse the offer. He then promises four harvests a year, but the Tuatha Dé say one harvest a year suits them. But Lugh spares his life on the condition that he teach the Tuatha Dé how and when to plough, sow and reap. ^[11] It is widely held by scholars that the battle between Lugh and Balor reflects a common Indo-European motif, the battle between the youthful hero and his tyrant grandfather.

Later life and death

Lugh instituted a harvest fair during the festival of Lughnasadh in memory of his foster-mother, Tailtiu, held on 1 August at the town that bears her name (now Teltown, County Meath). Lughnasadh ( Old Irish, pronounced luɣnəsəð Modern Irish Lá Lúnasa; Modern Gaelic Lùnastal) is a Gaelic Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Tailtiu ( Old Irish pronunciation /ˈtalʲtʲu/ also written Tailltiu Tailte Teia Tephi Can we get a source for this odd variant? The only ones I County Meath (Contae na Mí is a county in Ireland, often informally called The Royal County He likewise instituted Lughnasadh fairs in the areas of Carman and Naas in honour of Carman and Nás, the eponymous tutelary goddess of these two regions. Naas (ˈneɪs Irish: Nás na Ríogh nɑːs nə riː or An Nás nɑːs is the county town of County Kildare, Ireland. In Irish mythology, Carman or Carmun was a warrior-woman and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Horse races and displays of martial arts were important activities at all three fairs. However, Lughnasadh itself is a celebration of Lugh's triumph over the spirits of the Other World who had tried to keep the harvest for themselves. It survived long into Christian times and is still celebrated under a variety of names. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Lúnasa is now the Irish name for the month of August. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish.

According to a poem of the dindsenchas, Lugh was responsible for the death of Bres. Dindsenchas (also dindshenchas, dinnsheanchas, other spellings Old / Middle Irish "tradition or lore of places" the He made 300 wooden cows, and filled them with a bitter, poisonous red liquid which was then "milked" into pails and offered to Bres to drink. Bres, who was under an obligation not to refuse hospitality, drank it down without flinching, and it killed him. ^[12]

Lug is said to have invented the board game fidchell. Fidchell (in Irish; also called fidhcheall fidceall or fithchill; pronounced /ˈfɪðʲˌçɛll/ in Old Irish) or He had a dog called Failinis.

He had several wives, including Buí and Nás, daughters of Ruadri, king of Britain. Buí lived and was buried at Knowth. Knowth (Cnobha is the site of a Neolithic Passage grave, one of the ancient monuments of the Brú na Bóinne complex in the valley Nás was buried at Naas, County Kildare, which is named after her. Naas (ˈneɪs Irish: Nás na Ríogh nɑːs nə riː or An Nás nɑːs is the county town of County Kildare, Ireland. County Kildare (Contae Chill Dara is an Irish County located to the southwest of Dublin in the province of Leinster. Lug had a son, Ibic, by Nás. ^[13] His daughter or sister was Ebliu, who married Fintan. In Irish mythology Fintan mac Bóchra, known as "the Wise" was a seer who accompanied Noah 's granddaughter Cessair to Ireland before One of his wives, unnamed, had an affair with Cermait, son of the Dagda. In Irish mythology, Cermait of the Tuatha Dé Danann was a son of The Dagda. Lug killed him in revenge, but Cermait's sons, Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Gréine, killed Lug in return, drowning him in Loch Lugborta. In Irish mythology, Mac Cuill of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was a son of Cermait, son of The Dagda. In Irish mythology, Mac Cecht of the Tuatha Dé Danann was a son of Cermait, son of The Dagda. In Irish mythology, Mac Gréine of the Tuatha Dé Danann was a son of Cermait, son of The Dagda. He had ruled for forty years.

Lugh in other cycles and traditions

• In the Ulster Cycle he fathered Cúchulainn with the mortal maiden Deichtine. Texts in translation Most of the important Ulster Cycle tales can be found in the following publications Thomas Kinsella, The Táin, Oxford University Cúchulainn /kuːˈxʊlɪnʲ/ ( ( Irish for "Hound of Culann " also spelled Cú Chulainn, Cú Chulaind, Cúchulain, or In Irish mythology, Deichtine or Deichtire was the sister of Conchobar mac Nessa and the mother of Cúchulainn. When Cúchulainn lay wounded after a gruelling series of combats during the Táin Bó Cuailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley), Lugh appeared and healed his wounds over a period of three days.
• In Baile in Scáil (The Phantom's Trance), a story of the Historical Cycle, Lugh appeared in a vision to Conn of the Hundred Battles. Cycle of the Kings, also known as the King's Cycle or the Historical Cycle is a body of Old and Middle Irish literature. Conn Cétchathach ("of the Hundred Battles" pron /kɒn 'keːdxəθax son of Fedlimid Rechtmar, was according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition Enthroned on a daïs, he directed a beautiful woman called the Sovereignty of Ireland to serve Conn a portion of meat and a cup of red ale, ritually confirming his right to rule and the dynasty that would follow him. Ale is a type of Beer brewed from Malted Barley using a top-fermenting Brewers' yeast.
• In the Fenian Cycle the dwarf harper Cnú Deireóil claimed to be Lugh's son. The Fenian Cycle or Fiannaidheacht (modern Irish Fiannaíocht) also known as the Fionn Cycle, Finn Cycle, Fianna Cycle, Finnian DWARF is a widely used standardized Debugging data format. DWARF was originally designed along with ELF, although it is independent of Object file The harp is a Stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard.
• The Luigne, a people who inhabited Counties Meath and Sligo, claimed descent from him. Muimne, Luigne and Laigne, sons of Érimón by his wife Odba were according to medieval Irish legends and historical traditions joint High Kings County Meath (Contae na Mí is a county in Ireland, often informally called The Royal County County Sligo ( is a county in the province of Connacht in the west of Ireland.

Lugh’s weapons

Lugh’s sling rod was the rainbow and the Milky Way was called "Lugh's Chain". He also had a magic spear (named Bionac), which, unlike the rod-sling, he had no need to wield, himself; for it was alive, and thirsted so for blood that only by steeping its head in a sleeping-draught of pounded fresh poppy seeds could it be kept at rest. When battle was near, it was drawn out; then it roared and struggled against its thongs; fire flashed from it; and, once slipped from the leash, it tore through and through the ranks of the enemy, never tired of slaying.

Lugh’s hound

Another of his possessions was a magic hound which an ancient poem, one attributed to the Fenian hero, Caoilte, calls,

“

That hound of mightiest deeds, Which was irresistible in hardness of combat, Was better than wealth ever known, A ball of fire every night. Other virtues had that beautiful hound (Better this property than any other property), Mead or wine would grow of it, Should it bathe in spring water.

”

Lugh's name and nature

Lugh's name was formerly interpreted as deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *leuk-, "flashing light", and he is often surrounded by solar imagery, so from Victorian times he has often been considered a sun god, similar to the Greco-Roman Apollo. "Sun god" redirects here For the Ramsey Lewis album see Sun Goddess (album. He appears in folklore as a trickster, and in County Mayo thunderstorms were referred to as battles between Lug and Balor, so he is sometimes considered a storm god: Alexei Kondratiev notes his epithet lonnbeimnech ("fierce striker") and concludes that "if his name has any relation to 'light' it more properly means 'lightning-flash' (as in Breton luc'h and Cornish lughes)". In Mythology, and in the study of Folklore and Religion, a trickster is a God, Goddess, spirit, man woman or anthropomorphic The Breton language ( Brezhoneg) formerly often called Armoric or Armorican, is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany For the Cornish-English dialect see West Country dialects and List of Cornish dialect words. ^[14] However, Breton and Cornish are Brythonic languages in which Proto-Celtic *k did undergo systematic sound changes into -gh- and -ch-. The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being Phonological reconstruction Consonants The phonological changes from Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Celtic Consonants may be summarised as follows Sound change includes any processes of Language change that affect pronunciation ( phonetic change) or sound system structures ( Phonological change This change did not occur in Irish, so it is unlikely that Lugh derives from the root *leuk-, nor is it related to any other Proto-Indo-European root connoting luminosity.

Lugh's mastery of all arts has led many to link him with the un-named Gaulish god Julius Caesar identifies with Mercury, whom he describes as the "inventor of all the arts". "Alipes" redirects here For the Centipede Genus, see Alipes (centipede. ^[15] Caesar describes the Gaulish Mercury as the most revered deity in Gaul, overseeing journeys and business transactions. Juliette Wood interprets Lugh's name as deriving from the Celtic root *lugios, "oath", and the Irish word lugh connotes ideas of "blasphemy, cussing, lies, bond, joint, binding oath",^[16] which strengthens the identification with Mercury, who was, among other attributes, a god of contracts.

Lugh in other media

• Kenneth C. Flint retells this story in his Sidhe series. Kenneth C Flint, who has also written under the Pseudonym Casey Flynn, is an American fantasy novelist.

References

Notes

Irish texts

• Lebor Gabála Érenn - The Book of Invasions
• Cath Maige Tuireadh - The (second) Battle of Magh Tuireadh
• Oidheadh Chlainne Tuireann - The Death of the Children of Tuireann
• Compert Con Culainn - The Conception of Cúchulainn
• Táin Bó Cuailnge - The Cattle Raid of Cooley
• Baile in Scáil - The Phantom's Trance
• Metrical Dindshenchas

Secondary sources

• Cross, Tom Peete and Clark Harris Slover. Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Julius Caesar 's third-person account of his nine years of war in Gaul. Lebor Gabála Érenn ( The Book of the Taking of Ireland) is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of Poems and Prose narratives Cath Maige Tuired ("The Battle of Mag Tuired" is the name of two saga texts of the Mythological Cycle of Irish Mythology. Dindsenchas (also dindshenchas, dinnsheanchas, other spellings Old / Middle Irish "tradition or lore of places" the "Ancient Irish Tales, Henry Holt & Company, Inc. , 1936. ISBN 1-56619-889-5
• Ellis, Peter Berresford. "Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. " Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-19-508961-8
• Kinsella, Thomas. "The Táin, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1969. ISBN 0-19-280373-5
• MacKillop, James. "Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. " Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-280120-1.
• Ovist, Krista L. "The integration of Mercury and Lugus: Myth and history in late Iron Age and early Roman Gaul. " Chicago: University of Chicago Divinity School dissertation, pp. 703, 2004. (link)
• Wood, Juliette. "The Celts: Life, Myth, and Art. " Thorsons Publishers, 2002. ISBN 0-00-764059-5
• Lugh's Song, by T. Thorn Coyle, summarizes and recounts several of the myths about Lugh. T Thorn Coyle is a San Francisco-based author and teacher in the Feri Tradition.

Preceded by Nuada

High King of Ireland AFM 1870-1830 BC FFÉ 1447-1407 BC

Succeeded by Eochaid Ollathair

Medieval Irish historical tradition held that Ireland had been ruled by an Ard Rí or High King since ancient times and compilations like the Lebor Gabála Érenn Annals of the Four Masters AD432 entryjpg|thumb|right|Entry for A Seathrún Céitinn, known in English as Geoffrey Keating, was a 17th century Irish Roman Catholic priest Poet and Historian

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