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fandomhigh2005-10-12 08:31 pm
godinakilt.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2005-10-12 08:31 pm
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Celtic Studies class for Wednesday
Camulus is still suprisingy bouncy. Even the glass eyes of the moose head seems to be twinkling merrily at the students. "Welcome back, my students. If you would review the previous lessons, we can begin. Today's lesson will pick up with a brief history of the six waves of invasion of Ireland."
All information regarding the previous inhabitants of Ireland is contained in the Lebor Gabala Erenn - literally, the Book of Invasions of Ireland. The first to arrive were the people of Cessair. Cessair was a descendant of Noah, and was warned of the Great Flood before it occured, so she fled to Ireland with some of her people. However, many of their ships were wrecked, leaving eventually only three men and fifty women. The three men were named Bith, Ladra, and Fionntan. However, Bith and Ladra soon died - it is said that Ladra died "of an excess of women". Fionntan, probably not wishing to suffer the same fate, fled, eventually turning into a succession of animals, including a salmon, a hawk, and an eagle. He lived to be 5500 years old and advised succeeding waves of invasion as to the history of the land. Eventually, as a salmon, he was eaten by Finn MacCumhall.
After Cessair and her people, the land lay wasted for several hundred years, before the arrival of Partholon and his people. Partholon was a Greek prince who had fled his homeland after killing his mother and father in an unsuccessful grab at his father's crown. Although Partholon himself died, his people flourished and propered in Ireland for a further five centuries, until they were all wiped out by a plague in the space of a week. The only survivor was Tuán mac Cairill, Partholon's nephew. Like Fionntan, he lived for several hundred years in various animal forms, and also advised succeeding invaders.
The third invasion was by Nemed and his people. And only a very few of his people, as on their way they encountered various difficulties, meaning only about thirty people, including Nemed and his wife, Macha, arrived in one piece, about thirty years after the plague. they quickly grew to several thousand people - throwing them into conflict with a race of monsters who lived on the island, the Formorians. After three monumental battles, Nemed defeated the Formorians. However, he died of the plague after a long kingship and the Formorians returned, pushing the Nemedians into virtual slavery by heavy taxation. The Nemedians revolted but were crushed, and only thirty warriors escaped from Ireland alive.
One of these warriors went to Greece and founded the next wave of invaders, the Fir Bolg. The name 'Fir Bolg' is generally translated as 'Men of the Bag', for a number of reasons. One is that they carried small bags of Ireland's soil with them. Another is that they used bags to move dirt and rocks. They moved dirt and rocks because they were also practically slaves, this time in Greece. The Fir Bolg pushed the Formorians back to the small Isle of . They also divided Ireland into five provinces, which will be the focus of the next lesson.
The almost-final wave of invasion (sometimes referred to as the final wave) came some thirty years after the Fir Bolg, by another set of descendants of the Nemedians. These were the Tuatha de Danaan, the people of the goddess Danu. They would become the fairyfolk, the sidhe of legend. They were an almost invincible, magical race of demi-gods.
The final invasion was by the Sons of Mil, also known as the Milesians, or the Gaels. These were people from Spain who arrived when the Tuatha de Danaan had mostly passed into legend. They have become the modern Irish.
And here endeth the lesson.
[[OOC: *is tired from all the typing* C'mon guys, interaction! Roleplay!]]
All information regarding the previous inhabitants of Ireland is contained in the Lebor Gabala Erenn - literally, the Book of Invasions of Ireland. The first to arrive were the people of Cessair. Cessair was a descendant of Noah, and was warned of the Great Flood before it occured, so she fled to Ireland with some of her people. However, many of their ships were wrecked, leaving eventually only three men and fifty women. The three men were named Bith, Ladra, and Fionntan. However, Bith and Ladra soon died - it is said that Ladra died "of an excess of women". Fionntan, probably not wishing to suffer the same fate, fled, eventually turning into a succession of animals, including a salmon, a hawk, and an eagle. He lived to be 5500 years old and advised succeeding waves of invasion as to the history of the land. Eventually, as a salmon, he was eaten by Finn MacCumhall.
After Cessair and her people, the land lay wasted for several hundred years, before the arrival of Partholon and his people. Partholon was a Greek prince who had fled his homeland after killing his mother and father in an unsuccessful grab at his father's crown. Although Partholon himself died, his people flourished and propered in Ireland for a further five centuries, until they were all wiped out by a plague in the space of a week. The only survivor was Tuán mac Cairill, Partholon's nephew. Like Fionntan, he lived for several hundred years in various animal forms, and also advised succeeding invaders.
The third invasion was by Nemed and his people. And only a very few of his people, as on their way they encountered various difficulties, meaning only about thirty people, including Nemed and his wife, Macha, arrived in one piece, about thirty years after the plague. they quickly grew to several thousand people - throwing them into conflict with a race of monsters who lived on the island, the Formorians. After three monumental battles, Nemed defeated the Formorians. However, he died of the plague after a long kingship and the Formorians returned, pushing the Nemedians into virtual slavery by heavy taxation. The Nemedians revolted but were crushed, and only thirty warriors escaped from Ireland alive.
One of these warriors went to Greece and founded the next wave of invaders, the Fir Bolg. The name 'Fir Bolg' is generally translated as 'Men of the Bag', for a number of reasons. One is that they carried small bags of Ireland's soil with them. Another is that they used bags to move dirt and rocks. They moved dirt and rocks because they were also practically slaves, this time in Greece. The Fir Bolg pushed the Formorians back to the small Isle of . They also divided Ireland into five provinces, which will be the focus of the next lesson.
The almost-final wave of invasion (sometimes referred to as the final wave) came some thirty years after the Fir Bolg, by another set of descendants of the Nemedians. These were the Tuatha de Danaan, the people of the goddess Danu. They would become the fairyfolk, the sidhe of legend. They were an almost invincible, magical race of demi-gods.
The final invasion was by the Sons of Mil, also known as the Milesians, or the Gaels. These were people from Spain who arrived when the Tuatha de Danaan had mostly passed into legend. They have become the modern Irish.
And here endeth the lesson.
[[OOC: *is tired from all the typing* C'mon guys, interaction! Roleplay!]]
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