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Luga
(Lug, Lugh, Lámfada)
The Irish name for the
Celtic sun god. Also known as Lleu in Wales and Lugos in France.
He was part Fomorii, since his grandfather was the Irish one-eyed god
Balor, the Formorii champion. The Formorii were sea gods who
challenged the Tuatha De Danann for control of Ireland.
Because of a prophesy that Balor would be killed by his own grandson,
he locked his daughter Eithne in a crystal tower on Tory Island. But
Cian, son of the Tuatha De Danann healing god, Dian Cecht, managed to
seduce the girl with the help of the druidess, Birog. Triplets were
conceived but Luga's two siblings were turned into seals.
Luga became a great warrior and eventually took over the leadership of
the DeDanann from Nuada. At the second great battle between the
Formorii and the De Danann, Luga fulfilled the phophesy by killing
Balor with a sling shot.
Before delivering this blow, Luga circled the ememy army on one foot
and with one eye closed (Balor had one eye) then produced the battle
frenzy as Cuchulainn, by withdrawing one eye
into his head and expanding the other into a hideous, paralysing
stare. Balor's own single eyelid had to be raised by four servants,
and Luga send his shot smashing into the eye as soon as it was opened.
Balor's eye was forced back through his head and his ferocious gaze
fell on his own troops. Balor died and the Formorii scattered
One of the
great heroes of Irish mythology, usually known as the Hound of Ulster.
First called Setanta, he did not win his name Cuchulainn, until he
slew a huge ferocious hound at the age of 7 with his bare hands. The
hound was guarding the royal party of King Cochobar Mac Nessa while
Culann, a wealthy smith, was entertaining them. Culann was so upset by
the loss of his great hound that Cuchulainn offered to take its place.
The offer was declined but thereafter he was known as Cuchulainn (the
Hound of Culann)
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His powers as a fighting machine were awesome. Before going into
combat he went though a transformation known as ríastrad (battle
frenzy); his body quivered violently; his heels and calves appeared in
front, and his feet and knees to the back; one eye receded into his
head and the other huge and red on his cheek; his mouth meets his ears
and foam pours out of his jaws. The muscles on his neck stand out like
the head of a baby. The beats of his heart sound like the roar of a
lion and from the top of his head, a column of blood that scattered in
all directions forming a mist of gloom. When a horn, the size of a
man's fist projected through the top of his head, he would be ready to
fight. In battle he would surprise his enemies when he pounced on them
with a huge leap.
To calm him from his battle fury, the Ulster Queen Mugain once sent
150 naked women carrying three vats of iced water. The embarrassed
Cuchulainn was quickly put into the vats; the first one burst, the
second boiled, and the third warmed.
Acclaimed as the champion of Ireland in a beheading contest he was
unbeatable and his skill was needed in his most famous campaign as
told in the story of 'the Cattle raid of Cooley', where Cuchulainn
single-handedly defended Ulster against Connacht's Queen
Madbh
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