Nuadha's Tale

Ignorance can be tolerated, where reason is left free to combat it. -Thomas Jefferson

Wednesday, October 08, 2003

Celtic Myth: The Knowledge of the Gods
Found this on a website on bardic poetry:

The Knowledge of the Gods
By Skip Ellison © 2001

Long ago before the Tuatha Dé Danann came to Ireland
They dwelt in a land to the West
A land of many mysteries
The land where they learned their magic

In this land there were four great cities
And in those cities were four great teachers
From those four great teachers came four great treasures
The treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann

The first of those cities was called Gorias
And the great teacher there was Esras
From Esras came the great lance, Gae Assail
Whose head had to be kept in blood to keep from bursting into flame

The next of those cities was called Findias
And the great teacher there was called Seamus
From Seamus came the great sword, Claimh Solais, Sword of Light
From whose stroke none ever escaped nor recovered

The next of those cities was called Murias
And the great teacher there was called Uiscias
From Uiscias came the great cauldron, The Undry
Which gave all sustenance based on their need and worth

The last of those cities was called Falias
And the great teacher there was called Morfessa
From Morfessa came the great stone, Lia Fail, Stone of Destiny
Who would roar and cry out when touched by the rightful King of Erin

And the great lance, Gae Assail, was given to Lugh
Who had learned that power needs to be controlled
And the great sword, Claimh Solais, was given to Nuadu
Who had learned that power needs to be tempered with justice

And the great cauldron, The Undry, was given to Dagda
Who had learned that everything worthwhile comes from within
And the great stone, Lia Fail, was given to all the Tuatha Dé Danann
To show them their rightful kings

Having learned the knowledge of the masters
And having gained the treasures from the masters
The Tuatha Dé Danann traveled to the East
To the land that would be known as Ireland


It's neat that it refers to the Tuatha de Danaan coming from the West. I've not seen that before. The closest I've seen to a version giving a location for the four cities was one that hinted that the Tuatha de Danaan came from mainland Europe, but that was one of the books that also suggested that the Children of Danu were actually a tribe of Celts, one of the first to arrive in Ireland, which makes a lot of sense.

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