Celtic Myth: Gods in Exile
Cool. I have a new book on the Celtic Myth, The Religion of the Ancient Celts by J.A. MacCulloch. Rather than just telling the myths, this books talks about the variations of the myths and the religion involved. Under the chapter regarding the Tuatha de Danaan, the author describes how a 10th century scholar wasn't sure if he could classify the Tuatha de Danaan as deities or "devils." He also gives the best possibility for the Tuatha de Danaan: Gods in Exile. The myths say that they were the children of the Goddess Danu and her three husbands and that they came from their magical cities, but they walked the earth and were eventually defeated by men. Their final fate was to be turned into the Aes Sidhe, the little people that live in Irish hills according to faerie lore. From giants to little people, the Tuatha de Danaan were not very god-like. They were painfully mortal, yet descended of the gods.