Spring Clean 2021 - Totally historically accurate fantasy Celtic army
Review: The Celtic Myths - Chapter 3
FomorianChapter 3 focuses on the Irish myths which retained stronger pagan elements compared to Welsh mythology.
Their creation myth (in a nutshell) was that in the beginning the land was occupied by the Fir Bholg. They were defeated by the Tuatha De Danann (the People of the Goddess Danu). These people were the gods, and in turn were invaded by the Formorians, which were giants. Their king was Balor of the Baleful Eye. His gaze had the power to kill people instantly. The Formorians were defeated, and then there was another invasion by the Gaels/Celts which the Tuatha De Danann were not able to defeat. The Tuatha De Danann retreated underground and to the Otherworld.
A common theme in other myths was love triangles. In these stories typically an old man is engaged to a young maiden who falls in love with a younger man. What I found interesting is that these stories are considered to be metaphors for sovereignty and replacing old kings with younger ones which is better for the kingdom. The older man represents the old king, the woman represents the Goddess of Sovereignty, and the younger lover represents a new potential king. These stories were told to encourage people to accept the idea of replacing older kings with younger, more lively ones.
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