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History |
Dawntime |
Nuada |
Civil Wars |
Plague |
Culann
Fionn & Fianna |
The Gauls |
Britain |
Ireland
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The history of the Celtic people is quite a long one, ranging from the initial tribes of Celts back in Sigmar's time to the
present day. The origins are very shady and hard to find exactly what happened, as a lot of the Celtic mythology is mixed in
with the historical fact of what the Celts call the Dawntime, when Tir na nOg was formed. The best sources of what happened
are The Tain and the Sacred Texts of the Dawntime. These manuscripts tell of the oldest heroes and the formation of Celtic
society, whether they are completely trustworthy is unsure. According to the Tain, the origins of the first Celts can be dated
back to the Tuatha De Dannan, a clan of Celt like people who lived in the Grey Mountains. Further North, past the Grey mountains
in the area which today is known as the Reikland lived a similar tribe who shared many customs and traditions with the Tuatha
De Dannan and were called the Nemedians after their great leader Nemed.
On the year 100 before the formation of the Empire, Nuada, the legendary leader of the Tuatha De Dannnan, was roaming the
forests f his demesne on his own. Although he believed he was on completely safe from intruders in this forest, a mysterious
shadowy figure approached him and beckoned him to follow. The figure moved very quickly through the woods, and Nuada had to run
to keep up with him. Eventually they reached a clearing and the figure stopped and turned around, and Nuada could see it clearly.
Initially he was frightened and wanted to run or attack, because the figure looked like some twisted Goblin or some spawn of
Chaos. It was like a Centaur with four legs and an animal body but with a humanoid torso and arms at the front. He was mostly
green with dark-gray smooth skin. He had large scales over his armadillo like body, and had not a single hair on his head. "Do
not be afraid "the creature whispered, barely moving his lips "I am a Zoat, one of the holy creatures of the goddess sent to
tell you of your fate." Nuada listened intently as the Zoat told him of the oncoming Empire that would unify the tribes of man
into one united empire under his leadership. The tribes of Nuada's race could not join this Empire as their destiny lied along
another path, they were different, the sacred race of the goddess, and would have to be led to their real home. The Zoat told
him of The land of the Young, a group of islands off the mainland to the North-West and that he must lead his tribe there. Nuada
did not no what to say, and before he could put a word in edgeways, the Zoat darted off through the woods and was never seen
again.
At first Nuada hesitated for a few years, as he did not feel he could trust the mysterious visitor, and his advisors told him
not to trust this probable spawn of chaos. Even so, it built up in the back of his mind, and constantly niggled at him. In his
heart he knew he had to leave, and two years later he mustered the clan De Dannan and headed off to find a new home. After
wandering across what is in modern days Bretonia, they gathered a fleet of ships and set sail for the islands that the Zoat had
told Nuada about. At first they completely went the wrong way and ended up in Norsca. They stayed here for a few years but Nuada
knew that this was not their spiritual home. They left and eventually found Alba, and Nuada found it to his liking. He knew he
had finally found the land of the young. After 15 years of living in alba, he left some of his clan behind and crossed the
channel of water and arrived in Eriu. By the bank of the river Boyne the clan De Dannan settled and prospered for many years.
While Nuada and the Tuatha De Dannan where settling in at the Boyne valley, a tribe of Celtic like people who already lived in
Eriu, the Portholoin, were preparing for war. To the North of Eriu lay a small island, known as Tory island. On this island was
a gateway between worlds, a gateway to the place the Celts call the el worlds, a spiritual land where both the gods and demons
live. A race of such Demons, the Fomorians, were hardly known to the rest of the Old World because they spent most of their time
harassing Eriu and trying to enslave its population. They were known as Sea Demons, large green or brown monsters that were
largely deformed in human terms of view and were fierce and brutal warriors. At this time they inhabited the whole Northern half
of Eriu, the present day tuathamhoir of Ulster. And so the Portholoin clan were readying to launch a massive assault against the
Fomorians to get them out of Eriu. They met the Cessair clan, another tribe that had arrived in Eriu who had come from Albion,
and together they succeeded in driving the Fomorians away.
About twenty years later, the Nemedians saw that the whole time the Tuatha De Dannan were right as they saw the hero Sigmar
was uniting the tribes of men, and under Nemed the clan journeyed to Eriu. But when they got near in their fleet of ships, a
surprise attack of a large Fomorian fleet destroyed half the ships and they were lucky to get any of them to safety. In the
battle, Nemed was killed by the Fomorian leader, Connan and Nemed's son Fergus demanded vengeance. Together with the newly found
friends of the Portholoin clan and the Tuatha De Dannan, they mounted a large assault on Tory island where Connan had his large
fortress. The tribes overwhelmed the fortress guard and Fergus killed Connan in a mighty duel. With the death of Connan, the
Fomorians couldn't cope and they fled through the gateway back to the El Worlds. The tribes were happy and lived in peace
together in different parts of Eriu and Alba.
Ten Years later in the Empire, Sigmar with the aid of the dwarves finally drove off the marauding orc and goblin hordes and
united the tribes of the Old World into one Empire. In that same year, a large event happened in the Celtic lands. Lured under
the false pretenses of an emergency, the chieftains of the De Dannan, Portholoin, Cessair and Nemedian clans were drawn to a
hill called Uisneach in the middle of Eriu. Baffled at what had happened, and trying to retrace their steps to see who had caused
this, in case it might be a Fomorian ambush, the four leaders discussed amongst themselves. And as if an answer to their
problems, five of the mythical creatures that Nuada had called Zoats. came out of the woods. While the other leaders stood
baffled, Nuada stepped forward and greeted them in the tongue of his clan. The Zoats made them sit down and for forty-eight
hours non-stop they taught the chieftains of Tir na nOg of who they were, who the Gods were, what the gods wanted them to do
and how they all should live as one nation. The scribes who had come with the lords hurriedly scribbled down everything the
Zoats said, and these texts are still preserved today and are known as the sacred writings of the dawntime. The Zoats told them
of Lugh, the sun god, of Danu the goddess of the earth and her three different forms, of magic and how to use it, and the way of
life that they should live by. After forty eight hours, the Zoats said they must leave and informed them to study what they had
said and to return after 6 months. As quick as lightning, the Zoats disappeared back into the woods.
All four of the chieftains, including Nuada, were blown away and did not know how to react. They quietly left and went back to
their homes and most spent the whole six months reading over everything the Zoats had said and trying to live life the way the
Zoats said it should be lived. After six months they all returned and signed a binding agreement that they would unite their
clans as one nation with no one ruler. The Zoats kept on teaching them and instructed them to build a holy city called Tara at
the hill of Uisneach. This they did and they all lived there together, ruling their clans from the city of Tara. On and off the
Zoats returned, teaching them of the gods, teaching them a common language and a way of writing. They initiated a Cult of druids;
these druids became teachers of the holy way and learned how to channel the magical energy of the gods through them, priests in
one sense and wizards in another. And so the basis of Celtic society was gradually formed, and many druids and teachers spread across
the land to teach the way of the Gods to the people. |
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Twenty-nine years later, when most of Eriu was peaceful and calm, the Fomorians returned to harass the Celts. But this time they
found a united kingdom that was strong and powerful. However there was some unrest within the kingdom as the small Fir Bolg clan
was demanding their chieftain to be given the same respect and rights as the other four chieftains. Under the new law this was
not permitted and the Fir bolg was prepared to go to war about it. They first attacked the lands of the De Dannan clan, and
Nuada, now an old man, mustered his army to put out this little civil war. At the place known as Moy Tura below the forest of
Choillmharnach the two armies met and fought large battle. The Tuatha De Dannan were victorious but lost a lot of men, and Nuada
himself lost his arm in the fight. Under one of the strange provisions of the new Brehon laws, a warrior chieftain couldn't rule
if he was mutilated in any way (this often resulted in enemies or relations purposely mutilating chieftains), and Nuada was
forced to abdicate.
In his stead, his Nephew Breas became chieftain and ruled over the clan. However Breas was a tyrannical ruler and did not rule
with generosity and kindness that was demanded of a Celtic chieftain. He gave in to the new Fomorian oppression, rather than
fight and defend his clan like a true Celtic sun hero. The Fomorians put immense pressure on the Tuatha De Dannan and they were
forced to pay huge taxes to the Fomorians. Meanwhile, Nuada couldn't stand staying around and watching Breas destroy his kingdom,
so he left to wander Eriu. He eventually found the great forest of choillmharnach that was on the edge of his old lands. He
traveled for days into the center of the wood and eventually he stumbled on a small wooded village where a band of Zoats lived.
They explained to him that he was the rightful ruler and the gods hadn't intended for Breas to rule. He was then visited by
Dianceacht, the god of healing who gradually restored his arm for him. Over seven years he grew back and arm of silver that he
is legendary for having. On the seventh year, his arm was fully healed and he prayed to Dianceacht and then rode back to the
Tuatha De Dannan to be restored as king.
The clan rejoiced as Nuada returned with a new silver arm and seemed to have the strength of his youth back with him. He denied
the fomor taxes and mustered his army ready for war. At the second bloody battle of Moy Tura, the small De Dannan army defeated
the large Fomorian force in a bloody and savage battle. Half of the De Dannan army were killed including Nuada himself. The clan
were freed and began to live life again, and they buried Nuada in a massive passage tomb along in the valley of the Boyne river.
Nuada had died in battle at the age of 156 and although this may not be historical fact, it shows that the Celts lived a lot
longer than other men, while in Tir na nOg. The Fomorians that were left retreated back to Tory island and started plotting
revenge and made a secret pact with the Chaos Gods for help. The Celtic people lived in normal peace without any oppression
from enemies for a long while after that, but were without a great leader like Nuada for nearly one hundred and fifty years.
This new great leader was Slaine MacRoth. |
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Since there had never been a High King before Slaine, the high Druids debated for hours and then decided that the kingship should
be passed down through the lineage. Kai, Slaine's bastard son couldn't accept the kingship no matter how much he wanted to because
he was a druid. So it was onto Kai's cousin Conan that the High Kingship passed. Conn never stood on the Lia Fail and crowned king
by the earth goddess, but nevertheless he was a very good High King. He followed Slaine's example and didn't rule with an iron
will but rather as a generous father to the land, and let the chieftains still rule their lands. He was a fair and honest man, and
had his intentions on his eldest son Connla becoming the next king. He trained Connla the ways of ruling and war, and he loved him
the most out of his three sons. However, one day on patrolling the West Coast with a friend, Connla was enchanted by a beautiful
fairy who wanted to take him away to her land. She was irresistible and he left Tir na nOg, never to be seen again. Conn was
deeply saddened by the loss of his son and did not what to do. He spent months searching for Connla, and the stress and worry
brought him to an early grave. So Conn's second son Sengann had to take the throne, and it was clear from the outset that Sengann
was not a rightful High King. It was well known that Sengann was a weird and unstable man, and it turned out that he was possible
insane. He made some bad decisions and the different chieftains of the clans were furious and wanted to replace him quickly. When
they asked for him to stand on the Lia Fail, he sent his armies to burn down their lands and soon an all out civil war began.
The first war split the kingdom into six different kingdoms, each chieftain claiming a right to the throne and bitter wars were
fought between them. After roughly fifty years, the wars got worse as the smaller chieftains within the kingdoms started fighting
and eventually the land of Eriu was broken down into nearly three hundred separate kingdoms, which provided the framework for the
small tuathai that exist today. Around the Imperial Year of 400, the all out civil wars died down as the country's resources were
completely depleted, and so the three hundred or so different Chieftains tried to live together peacefully. Even so clan blood
feuds and cattle raids were still very frequent and shifts in power were common. This setup lasted for hundreds of years. |
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It was probably the disorganization of the kingdom at that time which let the plague spread so rapidly through Tir na nog. It
initially started in Alba when a mysterious green ship collided into the port Liscrannagh. When the local militia investigated,
hundreds of teeming rats poured out from the ship into the city. They quickly spread a disease amongst the people of Liscrannagh
and it was not long before many towns in Alba and the whole of Albion were also overrun with the plague. The rats multiplied by
the hundreds and once some got across the channel on some boats, the plague swept Eriu like wildfire. Once the plague had really
set in and people were dying in droves, the Skaven launched their attack. They overran Eriu easily and started quipping out entire
towns and cities at a time. Their plan was to completely cover Eriu and Albion with pestilence and disease in a few short years
and claim them for themselves. When the kingdom was on the brink of utter destruction, one young lad killed over two hundred
Skaven with a simple sword and helps drive them out of Ulster. The precocious young Noble lad, Cormac MacAide, united the whole of
Eriu behind him, the ancient dividing lines not mattering anymore as survival was the most important thing. In a hidden meeting at
the hill of Uisneach in Tara, it was confirmed that he should be the next High King as the Lia Fail wailed out for him in the
moonlit impromptu meeting. And so the new High King Cormac united the people of Tir na nOg and fought valiantly with his depleted
army and drove the Skaven out of Eriu. Although Eriu was recovering, Alba was still being attacked by the Skaven, so Cormac led
his force across the channel in seven mighty ships as he always valued the loyalty of Alba through the years. With the combined
force of the army of Alba, they quickly rid the Northern province of the Skaven. After a year or so, once the country tried to get
itself back on its feet, Cormac died of the plague and was a great loss to his nation as without him, Eriu fell back into disarray
and the kingdom was still split into over three hundred tuathai. |
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It wasn't until nearly the Imperial Year 1200 that the Fomorians dared to venture back into this world. The Drune Lords would not
help them after the last disastrous attempt and the fate of Balor, but the Fomorians had found a new ally across the ocean, the
Dark Elves. Tir na nog had completely recovered from the terrible Skaven invasion by this time but the nation was still pretty
much as it was before the coming of the plague. In the area that is now known as Ulster, there was a good and righteous King
named Conchobar who had managed to unite many of the different Clans and was a few steps away from becoming total King of Ulster.
But it was not Conchobar who would become known for uniting Ulster, but his young Nephew, Setanta. There are many stories
surrounding the birth of Setanta and most agree that Devlin, Conchobar's Sister was his mother and that his Father was unknown.
Other more romantic stories (and most likely untrue) say that Setanta was the son of Lugh himself and given to Devlin to care for
and raise into the world. Whether this is true or not, it is a popular theory across Tir na nog.
One day when Setanta was seven, he was on his way over to see his uncle in the neighboring town. Along the road he was playing
with his Hurley and sliotar, and got delayed (a hurley is a long wooden stick used in the Celtic sport known as hurling, and a
sliotar is the small leather ball that is hit by the hurley in the game). Conchobar was taking with the local blacksmith, Culann,
and was in deep discussion and forgot about Setanta. When it started getting late, as his usual precaution, Culann locked his gate
and set his large hound out to guard the entrance. Setanta hurried along when he realized how dark it was getting and he rushed to
the smithy once he entered the town. Setanta never noticed the hound and when he banged on the gate the hound came from around the
side and lunged at his back. As quick as a fox Setanta darted around and used his Hurley to blast the sliotar at the Hound. The
sliotar struck him full force in the head and killed the hound instantly. When Conchobar and Culann came out, Setanta was very
apologetic and claimed he would get a new hound just as good. But Culann didn't care and was amazed that such a young boy could
kill a vicious trained hound. And from that day, Setanta was renamed Cuchulainn, the Hound of Culann.
This was the first incident of many that showed Cuchulainn to be a Strong and skillful young warrior. By the age of seventeen he
had gained himself the position as head of his uncle, the king's army. In a daring raid, he led the army on a massive cattle raid
against Cuchulainn's worst enemy queen Maeve of the tuath Cooley in North Chonnacht. They pulled off the cattle raid perfectly
and managed to steal the prized black bull of the Queen herself. At this stage in Celtic history it had developed that the amount
of cattle you had was a status symbol, much like gold in the Empire. So now Cuchulainn was renowned as a major warrior with great
power. It was when he was plotting a similar raid against Queen Maeve one day in the forests of West Ulster when he was approached
by a Zoat. He was initially startled as he had only heard of these mythical creatures in legends of his forefathers. The Zoat told
him that he must reunite the peoples of Tir na nOg and re-establish the glorious kingdom that was. When he replied that he had
little power and wasn't even king himself, the Zoat replied that soon he would be and that he had to use his powers to seek out
the hidden four treasures and claim high kingship. At this Cuchulainn laughed and quickly the Zoat vanished back into the woods
and he left the place wondering if he had been dreaming. Once he reached the open road he was approached by a scout. He was told
that Conchobar had killed his wife in a mad fit of passion as he found her sleeping with another man. He was filled with rage and
killed every living member of his wife's family with his large axe. As punishment to his crimes, he was to be hung the next day
and Cuchulainn would succeed him in kingship. Cuchulainn plunged into deep thought at this news and rushed back to Dun Feirste
where Conchobar was to be hung. Cuchulainn arrived too late and the king was already dead. When Cuchulainn received the new crown
he immediately decided to seek out the four treasured items.
After three years of hunting for the items among the hundreds of small tuathai in Eriu, Cuchulainn arrived in Tara and stood on
the Hill of Uisneach with high expectations. No others opposed him and only the high druids stood to witness the event. He stood
on the stone of destiny and it proclaimed him as the High King of Tir na nOg. He met the earth goddess and she gave him the secret
helm that was last worn by the late King Cormac, she told him to re-unite her broken people of Eriu and re-establish the former
glory, the feasts and the merry-making that was. The druids announced the news and the majority cheered and feasted that night in
Cuchulainn's honor, a few were displeased with the news.
A month later Cuchulainn released the news of how he was going to govern his kingdom and re-unite the peoples. He divided the
kingdom into five, the current day Tuathaimhora of Ulster, Chonnacht, Laighean, Mumhan and Alba. He stated that each province
would have an ArdRi to govern it, and the smaller tuathai would stay the same. When he announced that Queen Maeve would be the
ruler of Chonnacht she was genuinely grateful as initially she was opposed to his kingship except when she saw his generosity at
letting his sworn enemy rule a fifth of his kingdom she instantly forgot their differences and swore fealty to him. Although this
setup worked extremely well and most people were pleased at the clever way that the land was being re-united some of the older
clans were unhappy. It was Daingean, king of the ancient Clan of the Cessair that opposed the new system. He claimed that this
was not the way and that the old four ruling clans should be reinstated to rule. He claimed that Cuchulainn was not the rightful
High King and that he himself should be king as he was the direct descendant of Slaine MacRoth himself. Cuchulainn had no other
option than to take this as a direct challenge to his authority and declared Daingean and his clan outlawed and if they resisted,
they would be killed. He also added that if Daingean wish to apologies that Cuchulainn would accept it, this was very big of a
Celtic king, as Cuchulainn did not want to return to the time when civil war was rampant throughout the land.
Daingean realized he would be totally outnumbered so opted for a quick strike at the heart of Cuchulainn's kingdom, the holy
city of Tara. A small warband of Daingean's most elite force broke into the city and spread riot amongst its inhabitants. They
started a fire and with imported cannon's from Albion, they blew holes into the holy dun that surrounded the hill of Uisneach.
After shelling the dun, the set fire to it and then fled the city just as Cuchulainn's army was arriving back. On seeing what they
had done to the holy city Cuchulainn's men went berserk and completely slaughtered the army that had attacked Tara. All but a few
were killed and Cuchulainn was raging because Daingean himself had escaped. Cuchulainn would not let his men rest until they found
and killed Daingean. Daingean and his men retreated to the Boyne valley where he would summon all he had left and attempt a last stand.
The army of Eriu marched with great speed and reached the ford of the river Boyne in two days. When they arrived there was just
Daingean himself, ready for a one on one fight with Cuchulainn. His entire army had deserted him, wishing to except the new way
of life rather than follow this mad leader to his death. He wanted a one on one fight with Cuchulainn himself for the entire
kingdom. Amazingly Cuchulainn accepted this challenge and fought the fifty odds for his kingdom. In a valiant struggle Daingean
nearly beat him, but the god-touched warrior ultimately won, killing the rebel with the holy sword of the moon. Peace was restored to
the kingdom and the new way of life was accepted and the political system has not changed since then. Also a bridge was built
over the Boyne, as no one would cross over the ford, believing it cursed with the spirit of the rebel Daingean.
Ten years after the civil war, Cuchulainn again claimed glory as the strong united Tir na nog drove off the repeated attacks of
the combined Dark Elf and Fomorian forces. Eventually Cuchulainn defeated the leader of the horde himself, the Fomorian Lord
Nardul. The Fomorians fled and decided to attack Norsca instead, but the Dark Elves had found a new island to try and conquer
and over the next few hundred years, Dark elf raids on the west coast were common. Cuchulainn lived for another seventy years and
remained youthful to the very end. He was renowned as the only High King to die of natural causes and not killed by another hand.
With his help, the druids fully established the Brehon Laws and some of the more stranger clauses were removed. He died a happy
man, and he died with no heir except the nation itself which he had brought back from the storm and re-united. It was also around
this period when the Norrans first invaded Albion. The Norrans were an offset of the Norse who didn't want to stay in the cold
harsh conditions of their homeland and left to go and conquer someone else's land. They easily overran the not quite Celtic Albion
mainland, and whatever Celts there were left in Albion fled North to Alba. The Norrans were a week and greedy race that enjoyed
conquering other lands. They initially despised the Celts for giving such harsh resistance but eventually they lived to co-exist
peacefully, but many Norrans still plotted an invasion into Eriu.
One such chance came along when the Norrans captured the large port of Dubh-Linn on the East coast of Eriu. It was already a
trader's port set up initially by the Norse, so the Norrans felt they had the right to take it. Since most Celts didn't like
Dubh-Linn and it's people they let it go by but they didn't realize they had made a serious mistake. About fifty years later, the
Imperial Year of 1345 to be precise, the Norrans launched a full scale invasion. Like many races beforehand, they completely
underestimated the power of the Celtic army and although they held a large area of Laighean for about twenty years, they were
gradually pushed back and they retreated to Dubh-Linn. After the fiasco of that colony attempt, many Norrans left Dubh-Linn for
Albion and in their place came many Celts and Dubh-Linn grew more Celtic. However many of the Norrans, ashamed at their defeat
never forgot that colony attempt and wanted revenge. Nearly a century later, the ArdRi of Laighean, king Rudraige declared
Dubh-Linn the new priomhrath of Laighean in a very controversial move. He wanted to strengthen the city that left them open to
attack, but many Celts saw Rudraige leaving Cuchulainn's old town to another one which they felt was Norran. |
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A few centuries later, there was a great leader named Cumhal in Ulster. After the death of the Ardri of Ulster who left no heir,
there was a great conflict to see who would be the next king. The two chieftains who had the most support were Cumhal and
Morraithe of the Boran clan. By the brehon laws, if there was no heir to the throne, the Ardri would declare his Tanaiste, a
second in command who would succeed him. It was said that in the old king Duncan's last few hours he declared his tanaiste to be
Cumhal and signed a legal document with his consent. Morraithe was furious at this news and he hired a band of warriors to break
into the king's dun and destroy the document so that no one would know that Cumhal was to be the next king. When the document was
destroyed, Cumhal defended his honor and declared a blood feud with the Boran clan. However, Cumhal was doomed with this challenge,
as the Boran clan were much bigger and had a much larger warband. His fate was worsened when his druid told him that he had a
curse upon his fate and that if he ever married, the day after he would die. And so with a sad head Cumhal went off with his
small warband to defend his honor and possibly kill Morraithe whom he hated so much. During one of the small skirmishes it was
announced that Cumhal had died and his clan was shocked. A triumphant Morraithe marched in on his home town, razed his dun and
claimed the clan's land as his own.
Cumhal's two sisters were intrigued by Cumhal's sudden death and set about investigating at what had happened to him. They
visited the battlefield where he had been slain and on finding his body they gave him a proper grave. They then began retracing
his steps the fee days before the battle. Following his tracks the realized he had taken a detour into a wood nearby, they
followed the tracks and found a small farmers house at the edge of the wood. The farmer shouted to them to get off his lands but
they protested saying that they were Cumhal's sisters. At this news he brought them in and introduced Cumhal's siters to the
farmers daughter, who was a fair young maiden. On asking who she was, the girl replied that she was Cumhal's wife. The shocked
sisters couldn't believe it, but they had to since the prophecy had come through. Cumhal's wife explained that they had married
in secret to hide the knowledge so hopefully the prophecy would not come true, and then she broke down and started to cry,
blaming herself for Cumhal's death. The farmer told the sisters that members of the Boran clan had similar thoughts and had come
investigating several times over the last couple of days. So to keep Cumhal's wife, Lurien, safe the sister's took her with them.
They found a forest on the edge of the old lands of Cumhal and built a house there to live in secrecy from the Boran clan.
They soon discovered that Lurien was pregnant and she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, and just to add a final curse to the
whole sorry affair, Lurien died while giving birth to the boy. The sisters were shocked and did not know what to do, and
eventually took it to themselves to raise the boy in the forest. Like many a hero before him he was a strong and fit young lad.
He could swim like an eel, run faster than a wild stag and wrestle a bear to death; he was truly blessed by the Gods. As he grew
older he eventually learned of what had happened to his clan and especially his father. He decided at the age of twelve that he
would leave the forest and stop being a burden to his gracious Aunts. In the end they let him go and before he left they realized
his parents never gave him a name and so they gave him the nickname they had always called him, Fionn (which means fair headed)
because of his shiny crop of blonde hair.
And so Fionn Mac Cumhal left the forest he was raised in and tried to make a life for himself, always hiding his true identity.
He got many jobs here and there but always had to leave after a while because eventually people realized who he really was, or
sometimes they just shunned him because he was usually better than most people at things, and they hated that. Eventually he ended
up wandering outside of Ulster trying to find any work he could. He traveled for months and eventually reached the river Boyne in
Laighean. There he found the old poet Finegas. Finegas was a very old, but very respected man across Tir na nog. He was well known
for being an intelligent man and a potent scholar and poet. He took Fionn under his wing and Fionn was honored at being allowed to
help such a great man. Fionn wondered why he was living a solitary life, fishing by the Boyne and after weeks of building up the
courage to ask Finegas why, he told the young lad that he was waiting to catch the Salmon of knowledge. Fionn thought this was
nonsense or some sort of riddle but one day Finegas came back from the river to the little hut they lived in with a grin on his
face an a massive rainbow colored salmon in his arms. "This, my boy" he shouted "is the Salmon of knowledge! Anyone who eats from
it will be able to foresee the future and have knowledge that surpasses even people like me" he laughed and joked and Fionn was
honestly surprised as he had never seen the old poet so happy. He was instructed to fry the salmon and not eat one tiny morsel of
it, while Finegas went out to get more food for a feast. Fionn carried out his orders dutifully and fried the great salmon in a
big frying pan and did not dare to try any. While it was cooking a blob of fat flew off the pan and burnt his thumb, Fionn jerked
it back and stuck his thumb in his mouth to cool it. The instant he did it a vision filled his head, he saw himself, much older,
leading a great army of Celts and on his head was the great crown of the High Kings. The vision faded and he knew what had
happened, and when Finegas returned he explained the whole thing to him. "Then you know," he sighed" Yes, Fionn, you are destined
to become High King of your land." Brooding with heavy thoughts they both ate the Salmon together as there was no preventing
Fionn's gift now. A few days later he thanked the old poet and left for Tara.
Fionn throughout his life had never been a quitter, and now he realized he was destined to be a great lord, like his father could
have been. He rode to Tara and realized there was a great feast going on. All were invited to the feats as the King of Laighean
was celebrating a good harvest in the sacred hall, to join in the festivities both the king of Mumhan and Chonnacht were joining
in the feast. At the feast Fionn met a member of his father's old warband, a veteran warrior named Ferdia who had been second in
command after his father. They talked for hours about both warriors exploits as an exile and Ferdia showed Fionn the spear that
he carried with him wherever he would go, he claimed it was his father's spear and that it rightfully should be Fionn's. Just as
Ferdia passed over the spear, the gates of the hall burst open and in strode Morraithe and his elite warband. "I hear the three
other Tuathaimhora have been having fun without me!" he cried out in laughter. Most of the other kings and chieftains disliked his
company and he was purposely not invited to the feast. Fionn looked across the hall and he saw the man he was brought up to hate,
the man who killed his father. Without thinking of it he lunged the spear across the hall and it landed straight through
Morraithe's heart. The hall went completely silent and all eyes were on this young man who had just slain the high king of Ulster.
The King of Laighean asked who he was and he claimed he was Fionn, son of Cumhal and the rightful heir to the High Kingship of
Tir na nog. Many of the nobles laughed in response to this, but the high kings of the Tuathaimhora were silent. One by one they
marched out into the courtyard and Fionn followed, confident from the vision he saw. The marched out of the hall and up to the
hill at the center by the newly built temple of the Druids. They followed the age old tradition and placed the stone and the
Cauldron on the hill and then took turns to stand on the stone with the Sword and the Spear. The Lia Fail kept silent until the
true high King, Fionn MacCumhal stood on it.
When the four lords returned to the feast most were amazed to find the news that the land had a new high king, and many were
upset especially because they hardly knew the new High King. However they were all in glad in some ways, especially because it gave
them a reason to continue the feast long into the night! All the other previous High King's had ruled from the dun in Tara and
acted as an overlord in controlling the country. Since the dun was destroyed centuries beforehand by Daingean, and the city had
become a religious center, Fionn proposed another plan. He may have been noble born, but he knew nothing of etiquette and ruling a
kingdom. Instead he knew he was a charismatic leader, a good fighter who knew what it was like to suffer and to face hardship. He
thought that the separate kings could govern the land fine without him standing over their shoulders every other minute. And so he
set up the Fianna, a small band of warriors that would be his elite warband and he would roam the land that he was the high king
of, visit his people, help them in any way and help train new fighters into the national army. And so it was that Fionn Mac Cumhal
became a revolutionary new ruler, a diplomatic, strong man who could foresee the future and get in touch with the common born
peasant. His warband, the Fianna did end up roaming the land and as they road from town to town getting every chieftain to swear
loyalty and giving the commoners a chance to see their lord, every now and again they would find a hardened warrior who they thought
was good enough to join the band. And so the Fianna built up, from a small band of twelve elite subjects to the king, to a small army of
sixty riders. |
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The earliest Celts who were major players in the classical world were the Gauls, who controlled an area extending from France to
Switzerland. It was the Gauls who sacked Rome and later invaded Greece; it was also the Gauls that migrated to Asia Minor to found
their own, independent culture there, that of the Galatians. Through invasion and migration, they spread into Spain and later
crossed the Alps into Italy and permanently settled the area south of the Alps which the Romans then named, Cisalpine Gaul. The
Gauls were a tribal and agricultural society. They were ruled by kings, but individual kings reigned only over small areas.
Occasionally a single powerful king could gain the allegiance of several kings as a kind of "over-king," but on the whole the Gauls
throughout Europe were largely an ethnic continuity rather than a single nation.
Ethnic identity among the early Gauls was very fluid. Ethnic identity was first and foremost based on small kinship groups, or
clans-this fundamental ethnic identity often got collapsed into a larger identity, that of tribes. The main political structures,
that of kingship, organized themselves around this tribal ethnic identity. For the most part, the Gauls did not seem to have a
larger ethnic identity that united the Gaulish world into a single cultural group-the "Gauls" as an ethnic group was largely
invented by the Romans and the Greeks and applied to all the diverse tribes spread across the face of northern Europe. The Gauls
did have a sense of territorial ethnicity; the Romans and Greeks tell us that there were sixteen separate territorial nations of
Gauls. These territorial groups were divided into a series of pagi, which were military units composed of men who had voluntarily
united as fellow soldiers.
The Gauls, however, were not the original Europeans. Beginning in an area around Switzerland, the Celts spread westward and
eastward displacing native Europeans in the process. These migrations begin around 500 BC. The Gaulish invasion of Italy in 400
was part of this larger emigration. The Romans, however, pushed them back by the third century BC; native Europeans in the north,
however, were not so lucky. Two Celtic tribes, the Cimbri and the Teutones ("Teuton," an ethnic for Germans, is derived from
the Celtic root for "people"), emigrated east and settled in territory in Germany. The center of Celtic expansion, however, was
Gaul, which lay north of the Alps in the region now within the borders of France and Belgium and part of Spain. The earliest
account of the Gauls comes from Julius Caesar. In his history of his military expedition first into Gaul and then as far north as
Britain, Caesar described the tribal and regional divisions among the Gauls, of which some seem to have been original European
populations and not Celtic at all.
The Gaulish tribes or territories frequently built fortifications that served as the military and political center of the region.
These fortified centers took their names from the larger tribe-for instance, Paris took its name from the tribe of Parisi and
Chartres was originally named after the tribe, the Carnuti, which had built it. Gaulish society, like all of Celtic society, was
rigidly divided into a class system. Similar class systems predominated among the Indians as well with largely the same categories.
According to Julius Caesar, the three classes of Gaulish society were the druides, equites, and plebs , all Roman words. The druids
were the educated among the Gauls and occupied the highest social position, just as the Brahmin class occupied the highest social
position among the Indians. The druids were responsible for cultural and religious knowledge as well as the performance of rituals,
just as the Brahmins in India. However obscure these religious functions might be, the druids were regarded as powerful over both
society and the world around them. The most powerful tool the druids had was the power of excommunication-when a druid
excommunicated a member of a tribe, it was tantamount to kicking that person out of the society. |
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The British did not appear in history until Julius Caesar crosses the English Channel from northern Gaul and began his failed
conquest of Britain. The Romans returned in 43 AD and began a systematic conquest of the island until they reached the Pictish
tribes in the Scottish highlands. Rome would abandon northern England, however, in 117 AD. The Romans found a disunified group of
tribal kingdoms organized around the same logic of warfare as the Gauls. Most of the tribes were new arrivals-the bulk of southern
Britain had been conquered by the Belgae from northern Gaul. In the process of emigrating to the island, the Celts pushed the
native populations north-these refugee tribal groups would become the cultural ancestors of the Picts, a mysterious culture that
dominated Scotland until the Irish invasions.
Many of the tribes, particularly those in Wales, however, were restive. The Romans were beset by rebellions by some Celtic tribes
and depredations by the northern Picts-throughout the fourth century, as the Roman empire was strained in every quarter, the Romans
slowly lost control of Britain. The official break came in 446 when the Romans in response to a British plea for help against the
Picts and the Scots, declared Britain independent. As in Gaul, the Romans brought Roman urban and military culture; however,
other than southern England, Roman institutions and culture were not enormously influential on the British Celts. The Celts in the
north and in Wales fiercely resisted Roman culture, and the Romans never even set foot in Ireland. On the whole, the Romans more
greatly respected and tolerated Celtic institutions and religions in Britain, so there was considerably less assimilation than in
Gaul.
Because of this, when the Romans left Britain, there was a renaissance of Celtic culture. The British, however, had learned a very
important concept from the Romans: political unity. The most famous of the Celtic princes was Vortigern, who ruled over eastern
Britain. In order to fight against the Pictish invasions, he sent across the channel to get help from the Saxons, a Germanic tribe
that had begun emigrating into western Europe in the fifth century. The Saxon mercenaries, however, grew in number as more and
more Saxons came to Britain. Whether or not the story of Vortigern is true, Britain fell prey to the same Germanic emigrations and
invasions that spread across Gaul, Spain, and Italy. The Saxon emigration began in eastern England until they spread entirely
across lowland England. The mountainous areas to the west (Wales) and the north (Scotland), however, remained Celtic, as did
Ireland. By the end of the fifth century AD, only Wales, Scotland, and Ireland remained of the great Celtic tribal kingdoms that
had dominated the face of Europe. |
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It was in Ireland that Celtic culture and institutions lasted the longest-although Christianity was introduced at an early date,
Ireland did not suffer any major invasions or cultural changes until the invasions of the Norwegians and the Danish in the eighth
century. The Irish also represent the last great migration of Celtic peoples. In the fourth and fifth centuries, the Irish crossed
over into Scotland and systematically invaded that territory until they politically dominated the Picts who lived there. The
settling of Scotland in the fifth century was the very last wave of Celtic migration. For Celtic culture, Ireland is much like
Iceland was to the Norse. It was sufficiently removed from mainstream Europe to protect it from invasions and to isolate it from
many of the cultural changes which wracked the face of early Europe. It allowed a singular perpetuation of pagan Celtic culture to
fuse with Christian and the emerging European culture. This unique synthesis would provide the single most productive line of
cultural transmission between Celtic culture and the European culture which grew out of classical and German sources.
Written history in Ireland began in the fifth century when Patrick came to Ireland and introduced literacy. Patrick came to the
Celtic tribal kingdom of Tara, which was ruled by Leary, the son of Niall Noigallich. The sons of Niall ruled over two kingdoms in
northern Ireland; these rulers formed a dynasty that would be called the Ui Neill; the south of Ireland was largely under the
control of Munster. Patrick himself confined all of his activities to northern Ireland and the Ui Neill, particularly around the
area of Armagh. Because he introduced the Irish to Christianity, European culture, and writing, he became the patron saint of
Ireland. In the 700's, Ireland became subject to Scandinavian raids and emigrations, just as most of the rest of Europe. The first
to arrive were the Norwegians who attacked various islands and some of the headlands; in the 800's, however, the Norwegians began
to attack the western coast of Ireland. In the mid-800's and all through the 900's, the Norse actively began to build fortified
towns along the eastern coast of Ireland. In 841, they built the fortified town of Dublin (which the Irish called Ath Cliath, or,
"the hurdle ford"), and would later establish fortifications at Cork, Waterford, and Wicklow, some of the central towns of later
Irish history. Of these towns, however, Dublin was the center of all the Norse activity and served as their central base for raids
all around Ireland and the Irish Sea.
The Irish at this time did not concentrate their population along the coast but lived inland-the Irish also did not live in large
and fortified towns. The introduction of both fortifications and something resembling urban life was originally introduced by the
Norse. Eventually, however, the Norse would come in conflict with the Danish and the area around Dublin became part of the Danish
kingdom that had been established in northern England. The Irish, however, lived in individual tribal groups that were not
united-it wasn't until 1014 that Munster Irish under the leadership of Brian Boruma defeated the Danish at Clontarf and finally
expelled the Norse for good.
The Norwegians and the Danish, however, had largely stripped Irish culture of its greatest cultural artifacts. The only histories
that were written of the Norse in Ireland were written by the Irish-these historians were far from sympathetic to the invaders!
Ireland, however, gained a fundamental shift in its cultural and economic practices. The Irish inherited from the Danes and
Norwegians fortified coastal towns and a new economy based on trade and commerce with other Europeans. They also gave to the Irish
more sophisticated skills in ship-building and travel. The most important legacy that the Irish bequeathed to Europe was Irish
Christianity. When Patrick came to Ireland in the fifth century, Christianity had spread across the face of Celtic culture but
hadn't really penetrated the various Celtic cultures. It was spread very thin and practiced by a perishingly small minority in
Gaul and Britain. It was also assuming a new, distinct character among the Celts, who combined Christianity not only with native
Celtic institutions and religions, but with a plethora of eastern mystery religions. (Much of what we call modern "paganism" which
points to Celtic sources actually originates in eastern, mystery religions that had been imported into Celtic culture.) It was this
Celticized version of Christianity that Patrick brought with him to Ireland.
The Saxon invasions, however, wiped out Christianity in England, but not in Wales or Ireland or Scotland, where the religion had
been introduced by Columba, an Irish saint. It wasn't until the late sixth century that Christianity was reintroduced into Britain;
this brand of Christianity, more aligned with the practices of the Roman church, came into conflict with Celtic Christianity and
its unique practices. By the tenth century, the unique Celtic Christianity of Britain had largely been subordinated to Saxon
Christianity. It was in Ireland that Celtic Christianity thrived during the Germanic invasions and then the later subordination of
Celtic Christian practices to Saxon practices. The Christianity that Patrick brought to Ireland was Episcopal or diocesan
Christianity-the standard form of Christianity in Roman occupied territories. Episcopal Christianity is oriented around the
organization of Christians as lay people under the spiritual and partial secular control of a bishop ("episcopus" in Latin).
Episcopal Christianity, however, was wholly unsuited to Ireland, for it relies on a certain level of urbanization. For the largely
rural, disorganized, and tribal nature of early Irish society, the Episcopal structure had nothing to work with. So Irish
Christianity soon developed into monastic Christianity, which is oriented around the centralization of a small Christian community
under the leadership of an abbot. This would become the uniquely Irish form of Christianity that in spirit and in practice was much
different from the predominantly Episcopal character of Roman Christianity.
The monastic centers became the areas where Irish Christian culture thrived-they also introduced some political stability and
agriculture into Irish society. While they were nominally under the authority of Rome, because they were so removed they operated
with relative independence. This would eventually bring them in severe conflict with the Roman church. Before that, however, Irish
missionaries would spread Celtic culture and Christianity all over the face of Europe. Even though the Irish Christians eventually
submitted to Roman pressures, Irish Christianity had diffused across the face of Europe. This is because the most innovative and
distinct feature of Irish Christianity was wandering, called perigrinatio in Latin. While many Christians became monks in
monasteries, some became anchorites, that is, solitary monks. The Irish anchorites, however, saw their mission not as living in
isolation, but as wandering around by themselves. These were not specifically missionary wanderings, but they had that effect. In
the sixth century, one of Ireland's greatest saints, Columicille (or "Columba" in Latin), successfully introduced Christianity to
Scotland. As the middle ages progressed, however, the uniquely Celtic character of the Irish church, with its profoundly
brilliant fusion of Celtic art with Christian art, its fusion of Celtic social organization and laws with monastic life, and its
unique perigrinative character disappeared into the homogenizing trend of the higher middle ages |
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