Pictish Mystic · Lore · Fomorians
The Forgotten Fomorian Chiefs: the Host Behind Balor and Bres
Not one Fomorian but the whole host, and the chiefs the story names but never explains. This is what The Second Battle of Mag Tured says about the Fomorian muster, with one verse from The Settling of the Manor of Tara, told from the Fomorian side.
The Muster
Bres was sent “to the champion, to Balor grandson of Net, the king of the Isles, and to Indech son of Dea Domnann the king of the Fomorians; and these assembled all the troops from Lochlann westwards unto Ireland, to impose their tribute and their rule by force on the Tuatha De.” “Men from Scythia of Lochlann and men out of the Western Isles were rivals in that expedition.”
The Bridge of Ships
“They made one bridge of vessels from the Foreigner's Isles to Erin. Never came to Ireland an army more horrible or fearful than that host of the Fomorians.”
The Camp at Scente
“Then the Fomorians marched till they reached Scente. The men of Ireland were in Mag Aurfolaig.” “The men of Ireland venture to offer battle to us,” said Bres son of Elotha to Indech son of Dea Domnann. “I will fight anon,” said Indech, “so that their bones will be small unless they pay their tributes.”
The Battalions
When the great battle came, “the Fomorians marched out of their camp, and formed themselves into strong battalions. Not a chief nor man of prowess of them was without a hauberk against his skin, a helmet on his head, a broad spear in his right hand, a heavy sharp sword on his belt, a firm shield on his shoulder.”
The Roll of Chiefs
“These were the kings and chiefs that were heartening the host of the Fomorians, namely, Balor son of Dot son of Net, Bres son of Elotha, Tuiri Tortbuillech son of Lobos, Gol and Irgol Loscennlomm son of Lommgluech, Indech son of Dea Domnann the king of the Fomorians, Octriallach son of Indech, Omna and Bagna, Elotha son of Delbaeth.” Balor, Bres, Indech and Octriallach have stories of their own. Tuiri Tortbuillech, Gol and Irgol Loscennlomm, and Omna and Bagna appear in this tale only in this roll, with nothing but their names.
A Servant's Son
Among the Fomorian dead, the tale names “Sab Uanchennach son of Cairbre Cole, son was he of a servant of Indech son of Dea Domnann, that is a son of a servant of the Fomorian king.”
The Wood They Carried Away
In The Settling of the Manor of Tara, Fintan son of Bóchra remembers “the legend of Magh Rain”: “It was a spreading wood, with supple branch in the days of the Tuatha De Danann, until the Fomorians bore it away to the east in their boat-frames, after [the death] of Balor.” The words in brackets are the translator's.
From Their Side
This part is a reading, not the text: the famous names were only the front rank. Behind them stood chiefs remembered by name alone, a host that crossed a bridge of ships and, in Fintan's memory, sailed home with a forest.
Sources
- The Second Battle of Mag Tured, Mary Jones, Celtic Literature Collective: https://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/2maghtured.html
- The Settling of the Manor of Tara, Mary Jones, Celtic Literature Collective: https://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/tara.html
Story told by John.
These are legends from medieval manuscripts, not recorded history.
First shared on TikTok @johnshaw333.
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