Date: Fri, 09 Aug 1996
From: slogan@northlink.com (Stuart Logan)
The Legend of Eithne (text by Stuart Logan)
Eithne Ni Bhraonain (Enya) is a native of Donegal County, Ireland. Her grandfather, a school teacher on tiny Tory Island suggested the name Eithne, after a goddess of legend...
Off the Donegal coast lies Tory Island which holds a place in Celtic legend. The island was the home of the Formorians the first residents of Ireland. Fifty in number they were descendant's of the Biblical Noah. Of their number all perished in the great flood save one who turned into a salmon. As a people the Fomorians were regarded as the embodiment of evil, monstrous and hideous. Others came and in turn defeated those before them - the Nemedians, the Fir Domhnainn, the Gailion, and the Fir Bolgs. From the islands of the North, the next invaders, armed with magic, came not in boats but wafting through the air like an army of spirits. A handsome and honor- able race they called themselves the Danaan. With them they brought four magical possessions: the Stone of Destiny that cried out when touched by the lawful king; the spear of the warrior-god Lugh which, when hurled, brought inevitable victory; the sword of Nuada from which none could hide; and The Daghda, a cauldron that satisfied all who ate from it with porridge. Armed with magic the Danaan had little difficulty defeating the Fir Bolgs. The leader of the deposed Fir Bolgs raised a Formorian army to challenge the Danaan. The mightiest and most evil of the Formorian's was the one eyed Balor of the Baleful Eye, a resident of Tory Island. His odious eye required four men to lift it's lid and its gaze, when opened, was deadly. His only fear was an ancient prophecy that he would be killed by his own grandson. Balor's only child was a daughter, Eithne. To forestall the prophecy he imprisoned her in a remote cave on the island. Though unseen, she grew to be a great beauty. One day, Kian, a Danaan champion disguised himself and through guile gained entry to the cave and seduced Eithne. An outraged Balor discovered the truth when his daughter bore triplets. To avoid the prophecy he threw the newborns into the sea. Those that drowned became the ancestors of the seals. One baby though had magical powers and swam to shore unseen. He was raised by his uncle, a black- smith, who educated him and named him Lugh. Lugh was to become a great hero and his son (Eithne's grandson) the hero-god Cu Chulainn. At the age of twenty-one Lugh became King of the Danaan and prepared for a final battle with the evil Formorians. In the afternoon of the great battle, surrounded by a phalanx of men, Balor of the Baleful Eye moved into a position in which he might gaze upon the greatest number of Danaan. His gaze killed all within his sight but Lugh, armed with his great sword 'The Answerer', was not among them, being just out of sight. When Balor's eye closed Lugh rushed forward on his horse, which could outrace even the wind, and hurled a stone from his sling just as the evil eye re-opened. The stone traveled into Balor's brain and he died instantly, at the hand of his grandson, just as prophecy had foretold. The remaining Formorians fled Ireland leaving the Danaan in peace. The peace was to last hundreds of years until a new people called the Milesians, or Celts, defeated the Danaan. Eventually the two sides made peace and the Danaan were given all that lay below the ground. They still reside there and, as fairies and leprechauns, and still practice magic.
Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996
From: Peter Pehrson (Peter.Pehrson@per.cybercity.dk)
This is to comment on the email Stuart Logan sent.
I liked to read about Ireland/Donegal ancient history.
Did any of you know that the real name for Donegal is Dun na nGall(Du/n na nGall), it means "Fortress of the foreigners". It was the stronghold of the O'Donnel clan. The town of Donegal, by the river Eske, was founded by us (=the Vikings). Nobody knows really how old the County is but the sources I've read suggests the early 5th Century. It also tells about a well-known hotel in Gweedore, which is now closed, and the reminiscense between Mount Fuji and Mount Errigal.
Wow! this is really interesting stuff... think I'm gonna read the rest too..!
Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996
From: Brian Baranoski (baranosk@umbc.edu)
Hi Stuart:
Thank you very much for sharing that wonderfully written story. It was really enchanting and reminiscent of some early Greek ledgends (e.g. the Cyclops). Knowing the background of her name must make Eithne very proud, as not many of us know the origins of either our first or last names. I'll bet that you had to look in quite a few references to dig up that amount of information.
I decided to look up Tory Island on my detailed map of Ireland. I found out that it is only about 14 km. (8 1/2 mi.) north of Meenlaragh, a coastal town in the Gweedore area. The island is quite small, only 4 1/2 km. (2 3/4 mi.) long and about a quarter of that in width. There is a ferry that goes from Meenlaragh to one of the two towns on the island.
Again, thanks for crafting such good and entertaining reading for us on this mailing list. I am glad that I joined Sail Away International. We all feel a little bit more Celtic (or maybe it should be Druidic). This makes listening to her first album, subsequently re-released as The Celts, more enjoyable. One can now get pictures in our imagination while listening to such songs as Fairytale and Bard Dance (among others).