Tuatha Dé Danann

Celtic mythology - the last of 5 successive mythological peoples who invaded Ireland, the "people of the goddess Danu", a race of divine beings who inhabited Ireland before the Celts. They fought 2 battles, first the prior invaders, the Fir Bolg and then the Formorians, in the 1st and 2nd Battles of Magh Tuiredh, using 4 powerful talismans which aided them in battle:

• the Lia Fal
• the Spear of Lugh
• the Sword of Nuada
• the Cauldron of the Daghda

The De Dannan were skilled in magic and druidic lore. Their chiefs evolved into many of the gods and goddesses of the Celtic pantheon.

Eventually, these divine beings were defeated by the Mileseans, and retreated to the Otherworld, that being the lower half of Ireland represented by sidhe. In timeless beauty.

Just an addition to bozon's w/u:

According to the Annals of the Four Masters, the Tuatha de Dannan invaded Ireland in the Anno Mundi 3303, which is roughly 701 BC¹. They came from four cities:

• Murias: from which came the Undri, Inexhausible Cauldron of the Dagda, fashioned by Semias the Druid
• Finias: from which came Cliamh Solais, Nuada's Sword of Light, fashioned by Uscias the Druid
• Gorias: from which came Sleá Bua, Lugh's Spear of Victory, fashioned by Esras the Druid
• Falias: from which came the Lia Fail, the Stone of Destiny at Tara, originally protected by Morfessa the Druid

Each of the Tuatha had to have a position in that society. Some of the most important were:

• Druid: the Dagda
• Warrior: Oghma
• Arts & Crafts: Lugh
• Medicine: Dian Cécht
• Smith: Goibhniu
• Poet: Cairpre son of Oghma
• Brazier: Credne
• Wright: Luchtaine

The Tuatha de Dannan could only be ruled by he who is physically perfect (an idea we see later in the Fisher King). Their successive rulers over Ireland (according to the Annals of the Four Masters) are said to have been:

• Nuada
• Bres mac Elatha
• Lugh Lamhada
• Eochaidh Ollathair a.k.a. the Dagda
• Dealbhaeth son of Oghma
• Fiacha the son of Dealbhaeth
• Mac Cuill, Mac Ceacht, and Mac Greine together

At this point, the Tuatha were driven underground by the Milesians, at which point Bodb Dearg, son of the Dagda, became king; this drove Lir to nearly leave the island. However, Lir is not Tuatha anyway. No, Lir and his family are a seperate group from the Tuatha de Dannan. This may be because Lir, Manannan, et al., are oceanic gods, and the Celts were originally land-locked. They were already on the island before the Tuatha came. It's also been questioned whether the Morrighan is specifically Tuatha also.

When one reads The Book of Invasions, one sees a history of successive invasions of Ireland by different tribes. It is entirely reasonable that this history is in fact based on fact--and evidence will support that Ireland did see several invading populations before the Christian era.

This said, the Tuatha de Dannan are literally the Tribe of Danu, tuath meaning tribe (see Deutsch). Now, Danu is the mother goddess of the Celts, but she never appears in the Irish histories. However, she did give her name to the Danube in Germany. Now:

• the reason Danu does not appear in the Irish sagas is because she is not in Ireland
• it is known the Celts had lived along the Danube (and possibly even gave Vienna its name)
• the Tuatha de Dannan are said to have come from four magical cities: Murias, Finias, Falias, and Gorias

It is entirely possible that the mythical Tribe of Danu are in fact the Tribe from the Danube, and are one of the first Celtic² invaders of Ireland; the designation of them as gods is a form of ancestor worship, which can also be seen in their supposed living in sidhe--hollow hills or burial mounds.

1. The designation of 701 BC also corresponds to what archaeologists believe is the rough age when the Celts first came to Ireland, thus making my point about the Tuatha de Dannan being the first Celtic wave.
2. There has never been a satisfactory definintion of what a Celt is racially; I use the term culturally, and even then loosely.