Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 2 1884.djvu/188

180 recall Balor, the lightning-dealer, or to Perseus, slayer of Medusa, whose look, like Baler's, is death.

The victory of the Tuatha de Danann seems the final triumph of the light gods over those of darkness, but, as in Greek mythology, Zeus, overcomer of Kronos, is in turn assailed by Prometheus the Titan on behalf of the race of men, so Miledh, son of Bile (i.e. Balor, or the storm god), and his sons, dispossess the immortals. They too come from Spain, according to Nennius, i.e. from the land of death, and after a threefold invasion, thanks to the mighty charms of the file Amairgen, who invokes and compels earth and ocean and all living beings to his service, overcome the Tuatha de Danann completely. But the latter, in the popular traditions, enjoy a mysterious and immortal existence, unheeded of by the senses of mortals. They are found at all stages of the legendary history, down even to the seventh century, playing the same part in the strife of the heroes as is played by the dwellers on Olympus in the struggle of Greek and Trojan, in the fortunes of Jason and Odysseus, in the labours of Theseus and Herakles. But although the chief personages in the Irish Pantheon, their worship did not kill out that of the gods of darkness and death any more than the Milesian Celts killed out the pre-Celtic Firbolgs. Such a god was worshipped in Ireland down to the days of St. Patrick, under the name of Cenn Cruach (Bloody Head) or Cromm Cruach (Bloody Bow). The first-born children were sacrificed to it to obtain fine weather, milk, and corn (L. L.) This recalls the tribute of children made to the Fomore by the sons of Nemedh and the Gaulish sacrifices mentioned by Lucan and Cæsar.

Irish mythology may be described in brief as a series of variations upon the same theme: the struggle of the gods of light, life, and learning, against the gods of death, darkness, and storm, from whom they nevertheless proceed, and whom they never entirely overcome, as the latter retain their sway in that other world to which heroes go after their death, and to which they may sometimes penetrate in this