DeDanaan

Filed by Aine MacDermot

1700 The Nemedian survivors of a plague in Ireland return to Greece and accept a position low in the social structure to near slave status. They are called Firbolgs (also Fir Bolg, Fir-Bolg, Fir Volg, and Firvolgs). The Firbolgs (the name means “bag men”, leading most historians to believe they were laborers who carried out the earth in excavation projects. Other historians interpret it to mean the Fir Bolgs were archers with their ever present bag or quiver. Considering their social status the former would appear to be the more accurate.

1400 The Firbolgs escape serfdom in Greece and using stolen Greek ships, sail for Ireland. The Firbolg were the descendants of the surviving Nemedians who escaped a plague in Ireland to find shelter in Greece.

The Firbolg took control of Ireland, the first group ever to rule the whole island. Their capitol was on Tara Hill. Except for occasional raids by a group called Fomorians, seafaring raiders from Tory Island, the Firbolgs controlled Ireland until the appearance of another people said to have originated in “Greek Scythia” known as the Tuatha de Danaan (tuatha means people. Danaan is said to have come from Danu the name for a goddess in what became Denmark, through which these people passed on a long journey over time and distance from Scythia to Ireland).
The De Danaan were more civilized and cultured than the Firbolgs, and the two groups could not live together. In the resulting clash, the De Danaan won in a climactic battle on the present Mayo / Galway border. The Firbolgs were left Connacht, the De Danaan ruled the rest of Ireland. A group of Firbolgs, unable to live with these conditions, left to colonize Alba, which we know today as Scotland.

The De Danaan were said to be a very cultured race proficient in the design of metal artifacts. It is known that gold came into the Mycenaean Trade community via Ireland about this time.

1300 The Sword Culture of Britain invades the Halberd Culture of Ireland. This may belatedly refer to the superiority of the De Danaan over the Fir Bolg, a process that took some time.

1220 The beginning of the breakdown of the Ùnêtice Culture of Central Europe (Bohemian Valley). The Teutons and Umbrians move toward central Italy, the Veneti to North Italy (these are the progenitors of the Illyrians of Belgrade, the Phrygians of Asia Minor and the later Armenians. The predecessors of the Doric Greeks move into Thrace and Macedonia).

Gaodhal Glas, said to be a contemporary of Moses, led his people from “Greek Scythia” to Greece where their skills in trade catch the eyes of a Pharaoh and they are invited to Egypt.

1200 The Urnfield culture emerges in the late Bronze Age (the names of some cultures comes from the location or a major common artifact found).

When Mereneptah becomes Pharaoh*, things change in Egypt. To secure his throne, he begins killing rivals, and foreigners are no longer as welcome as they were under the previous Pharaoh (Ramses II). Moses* leads the Israelites out of Egypt by foot for Canaan; at the same time, Neill, the grandson of Gaodhal Glas, who married a daughter of the previous Pharaoh, leads the Gaels from Egypt via the sea. *Note: the sequence of Pharaohs has long been debated, but not the change in political climate.

Dorian Greeks together with the Aeolian and Ionian Greeks supplant the Mycenaean Culture in Greece which includes the Asia Minor coast and other trading outposts on the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean. Many historians agree this is when Jason and the Argonauts made their voyage into the Black Sea.

1180 The Trojan War, an aspect of the Greeks establishing themselves on Asia Minor to control the trade going into and from the Black Sea. The Trojans and their allies were forcing tribute from any ships passing through the Dardenelles.

1100 The beginning of the Halstatt Culture.

The Ionians are pressured from Greece by the Dorians and set up in Asia Minor with their principle city being Melitus which is located on the coast below what will become Ephesus. The city of Melitus continues the Greek tradition of colonizing (the word ‘colony’ comes from the Greek word ‘kolon’ which means limb), the people of Melitus are called Milesians and they set up 900 colonies. The most important are on the Black Sea.

Other colonies were established at Ephesus, Samos and Smyrna. Melitus founded trading posts of its own at Abydus, Lampsacus and Cyzicus.

1000 The Gaels, who were led from Egypt by Neill, the grandson of Gaodhal Glas, took them first to Crete and then to other areas before they settled in Spain. There, a leader by the name of Miled or Milesius became leader of the group. He planned to move the clan to Ireland as Spain was becoming crowded with other Celtic tribes. Considering the fact this group originally came from “Greek Scythia” and that they were known to have travelled to many places before settling in Spain, it may be possible that they returned to the Pontic region via one of the many colonies of Melitus or even stayed in Melitus itself and thus became known as the Milesians.

Tradition says that Milesius died before he could complete his plans, but his wife Scota (named after Neill’s wife), and his eight sons continued the plans to place the extended family, now called Milesians in honor of Milesius, as the rulers of Ireland. Their invasion was a great success in that they were able to defeat the De Danaan for control of the island, but at a great cost. Scota lost six of her sons in the struggle, the surviving two, Eremon, and Eber, divided the island between them except for two areas they reserved for the families of their two married brothers who died in the take-over. The southwest corner of Eremon’s half was reserved for the family of his brother Ith. Eber gave the northeast corner of his half to the family of his brother Ir.

Many believe Ir to be the origin if the word Ireland. For a time, the island was called Irland. The name comes to us from the vikings who first landed in the northeast corner of the island. Scota and her family called the island “Erinn”, after a De Danaan queen named Eire. It would appear the Milesians gave all the names by which the Emerald Isle is known today: Ireland, Erin, and Eire. The family is also the source of the old world’s name for Ireland.

During Caesar’s time, he referred to Ireland as Scota, and its inhabitants as Scoti. Later, when the Scoti invaded Alba, the Romans changed its name to Scotland, or land of the Scoti.

An ancient legend says a Cornish Giant named Goemer wrestled a Trojan named Corineus.

900 Goidelic-speaking peoples arrive in Britain and Ireland. One of these peoples became known as the Picts. The Romans called them the Pretani. The Irish called them the Cruithin.

The Aegean trade community extends to France, Spain, and more of Italy, and the islands off shore, south to Libya and to the Unetice Culture of central Europe.

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