~History~ |
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~History~ |
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In the days before the five waves of invaders occurred, Ireland was inhabited by a horrid, gruesome and disfigured race known as the Fomorians (also: Fomorii, Fo-Moir and Fomorach). They are said to have lived in the sea where their base was Tory Island and are the evil gods of Irish myth. Their leaders consisted of Balor of the Evil Eye, Conann, Morc and Cical. They were usually depicted as having only one eye, hand or foot and one of them named Cenchos 'The Footless' was absent of hands and feet. After the Fomorians had occupied Ireland for sometime, the first invaders of sat foot upon its shore. They were called the Partholanians after Partholan their King. Early Irish writers recorded that he and his queen Dealgnaid (pronounced Dalny) came from Greece and arrived a few hundred years after the flooding of the earth. Other sources tell us that they came from the 'the land of the Happy Dead' an island said to be in the west and the place where fairyland is believed to exist. Ireland was quite a different land in the days before the Partholanians arrived. Indeed they were, the 'shapers' of the physical land mass that is Ireland. When they arrived there were three lakes, nine rivers, and one plain. One lake sprang up from the earth when a grave was being dug for Partholans son, Rury, from which the lake received its name. The Partholanians also brought with them all the animals and fish that were to inhabit Ireland. The Partholanians fought a battle with the evil Fomorii for possession of the land for three hundred years and eventually drove them out to the northern seas where they remained and continued to aggravate the Partholanians and future invaders of Ireland. At about this same time the Partholanians were wiped out by a mysterious plague. The next wave of invaders was the Nemedians, named for their leader Nemed. Nemed and his people were said to have sailed from Scythia in thirty-two ships, each of which contained thirty people. Somewhere along their journey the Nemedians got caught up in a storm that caused them to sail off course. This kept them lost at sea for the time span of a year and a half. During that time most of them died from lack of food and water. Nemed and four men and four women were the only survivors when they finally landed upon Ireland. After a time the Nemedians had increased in number to eight thousand sixty men and women. The Nemedians managed to defeat the Fomorians three times in battle, clearing sixteen plains. Unfortunately, the Nemedians were not the most skilled in warfare and were defeated by the Fomorians, which left only thirty men. One source says that the Nemedians originated from the same place as the Partholanians and that in fact, Nemed was a cousin to Partholan. Like the Partholanians, the Nemedians eventually died of a mysterious plague. Nemed, himself, died on a great island in Cork Harbor. Next to occupy Ireland was the Fir Bolg. This group actually consisted of three tribes, the Men of Domnu, The Men of Gaillion, and The Men of Bolg. It is uncertain as to where these tribes came from but speculation holds that they came from either Spain or Greece, and fled to the North to escape brutal tribes that opposed them. The Fir Bolg and the Fomorians intermarried after a time and became allies. The Fir Bolg had little choice but to ally themselves with the Fomorians, as they were even worse in battle then the Nemedians. They were so pathetic that some Fomorians didn't care to even attempt battle with the new settlers. By this alliance Ireland was divided into five provinces that met in the middle in County Meath at Balors Hill. They maintained occupation in Ireland practicing strange religious and magickal rites in forts around the country. |
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