The Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomorians

The Lebor Gabála Érenn (“Book of the Taking of Ireland”), compiled by unnamed medieval Irish Monastic scholars, weaves myth, history, and biblical parallels into a legendary chronology of Ireland’s settlement.

Among its most famous peoples are the Tuatha Dé Danann — a race of supernatural beings associated with wisdom, magic, and craftsmanship. They were said to have come from the northern islands of the world, bringing with them four great treasures from 4 cities; the Stone of Fál (Lia Fáil from Falias; used on the inaugural mound on the hill of Tara as a Coronation stone for the High King), the Spear of Lugh (Esras from Gorias), the Sword of Nuada (Uscias from Finias), and the Cauldron of the Dagda (Semias from Murias).

Their chief adversaries were the Fomorians — often portrayed as chaotic sea-raiders or giants. The Fomorians were not simply “evil” but represented destructive forces: blight, oppression, and excessive tribute. At times, the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomorians intermarried or had sexual relations, with both good and evil consequences.

It is against this backdrop that the succession of kings (Nuada, Bres, and Lugh) unfolds, each ruler’s reign reflecting a moral lesson of the effect of rulership on the masses. A lesson that humanity is still learning and forgetting to this day.

Nuada Airgetlám: The Just but Wounded King

Nuada was the first to rule the Tuatha Dé Danann after their arrival in Ireland, presiding “seven years before the coming of the Fomorian hosts.” His reign was remembered for justice and adherence to the sacred duties of kingship; to preserving order, ensuring plenty, and defending the realm.

In the First Battle of Mag Tuired, “Nuada lost his hand by the sword of Sreng mac Sengainn,” and could no longer reign, for “no blemished king may rule the land of Ériu.” This reflected the belief that the king’s physical wholeness reflected either the abundance or famine of the land.

Nuada’s later return as High King; after Dian Cécht and Credne fashioned for him a lámh argen (“silver hand”); symbolised renewal and restoration of order from chaos. His kingship, interrupted but not destroyed, embodies the rí fírinneach (“true king”), whose legitimacy lies in lawful rule and service to the people, not abuse of power.

Bres mac Elathan: A Cautionary Tale

Bres, son of the Fomorian prince Elatha and the Tuatha noblewoman Ériu, was chosen by Nuada to succeed him; despite warnings from the Dagda; following Bres’ impressive performance on the battlefield.

Although his beauty was without fault being “fair of form, with the countenance of a king,” the Lebor Gabála Érenn soon reveals the hollowness beneath; “Great was his oppression; small his generosity.”

Bres neglected the kingly duty of hospitality. Poets came to his hall and “went away empty-handed”; warriors also served with sparse reward. The ancient text reveals that “the cattle of the land were lean, and milk was not in them,” an ancient sign of how injustice in a ruler leads to the land’s barrenness. His rule strengthened the Fomorian grip, levying tribute on the Tuatha Dé Danann, and seeking appeasement and favouring from his father’s kin.

Thus, Bres stands out as a political warning; without generosity and protection, a king loses both the flaitheas (sovereignty) and the blessing of the land. When he was later deposed, he sought mercy from Lugh (begging for his life) by offering to make the fields yield “a harvest every quarter of the year,” but the people rejected his return.

Lugh Lámhfhada: The Messiah of the Tuatha De Danann

Lugh’s coming is heralded as that of the Samildánach; “he who has every art;” a master of crafts, war, and poetry. Of mixed Fomorian heritage like Bres, but being totally opposite in virtues, Lugh united the Tuatha Dé Danann in their struggle against the Fomorians.

Under Nuada’s restored reign, Lugh entered Tara and offered his service. The doorkeeper denied him entry unless he possessed a skill they lacked. Lugh answered each in turn: “I am a wright (Carpenter)… a smith… a champion… a harper… a poet… a sorcerer… a physician… a cupbearer… a brazier,” until at last they admitted him.

After Nuada’s death at Balor’s hand in the Second Battle of Mag Tuired, Lugh took command. The text recounts that “Lugh beheld Balor’s eye”; the single eye that could kill at a glance; and struck it with a sling stone, which hit so hard that it fell back through his skull, killing him (very similar to the David and Goliath tale). With this single act, Lugh ended the Fomorian oppression and abolished the tribute they had exacted since Bres’s reign. His kingship ushered in “peace, plenty, and right judgment,” marking him as the ideal ruler.

Conclusion

The sequence of Nuada, Bres, and Lugh in the Lebor Gabála Érenn forms a moral arc. First, we have the just and trusting (but naive) ruler brought low, the unjust usurper whose greed dries the land and the hero-king who restores both freedom and abundance.

Nuada stands for lawful and pure sovereign; Bres, for the corrupt and self-serving monarch; Lugh, as a Messianic type liberator who combines craft and justice with martial skill and power. For medieval Irish audiences, these stories were far more than myth; they were lessons in the sacred contract between ruler and land. As the text implies, “Truth in the king’s mouth brings fruit in the earth; falsehood brings blight.” The message is timeless: kingship, to be legitimate, must serve both the people and the balance of the world.

This applies and is reflected in the politics and rulers of the modern day. Whether male or female, a true leader represents and protects ALL their nation, ensures people receive adequate payments for work, and doesn’t apply excessive tributes (taxes). We need modern-day Lugh type leaders more than ever.

All Quotations from the Lebor Gabála Érenn