Hello and welcome to the second part of our six part series on objects. My name is Rachel Nic Aoidh. Last week we started off with The Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann. This week we will be looking at The Three Values of The Tuatha Dé Danann.
In ancient Ireland, more than a few races existed. Among them were the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Tuatha Dé Danann were a magical race that possessed supernatural powers. Most of them were god-like creatures or divine beings that were worshipped. This race was known to believe in the Goddess Danu.
In the Tuatha Dé Danann, there were three brothers.
The first brother was Mac Cuill of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He was a son of Cermait, son of the Dagda. Mac Cuill’s given name was Éthur and he was named Mac Cuill after his god, Coll, the hazel.
In Irish Mythology, the hazel tree was held in high and mystical regard by the ancient Irish people. It was said to bestow wisdom and it is said to be the Irish Tree of Knowledge. Hazel woodlands are considered very liminal places with the boundaries between the physical and spiritual worlds particularly thin. Some traditions record that even by sitting beneath an individual hazel tree, a person could be magically transported to the Otherworld. The hazel tree is often seen as a doorway to the Otherworld. It is good to note that in some stories, it is said that the Tuatha Dé Danann came to Ireland flying on mystical horses from the Otherworld. The widely known tale of the Salmon of Knowledge said that Fintain the Salmon ate nine hazelnuts from nine hazel trees and gained all the knowledge of the world.
The second brother was Mac Gréine of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Like his brother, he was son of Cermait, who was the son of the Dagda. Mac Gréine given name was Céthur. Mac Gréine is Irish for ‘Son of the Sun’.
While the Tuatha Dé Danann didn’t worship the sun or make sacrifices to it, the still appreciated its power. The sun is said to be life-giving. It grows life such as plants and trees; it gives us light and heat. The sun is symbolised as many different things such as power, growth, health, passion and more. Some believe it is a representation of the higher self, while others see the sun as a god to be worshipped. For example, we built passage tombs such as Brú na Bóinne to mark the winter solstice which would have taken immense calculations to even calculate correctly. While this also honoured the dead, the builders of Brú na Bóinne understood that the Sun was vital to their existence.
The final brother was Mac Ceécht of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He was a son of Cermait, son of the Dagda like his brothers. Mac Cecht’s given name was Téthur and he was named Mac Cecht after his god, Cecht, the ploughshare.
The plough has been of importance for harvesting for centuries. The plough is used to break and turn soil, which can create new life when sowing new seeds. Even centuries after the Tuatha Dé Danann, the plough is still celebrated here in Ireland. Every year the ploughing championships have been held since 1931. They said that the reason for the first championship was "the message of good ploughing to all parts of the country and to provide a pleasant and friendly place to meet and do business".
There is one trait that is evident in all of these values and that is life. Hazel is said to give a person knowledge and wisdom, the sun symbolises growth and life-giving in plants and trees, and the plough is used to turn soil, which creates new life when sowing seeds. These three values were of great importance to the Tuatha Dé Danann, and they’re still of importance to us today.
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