[I]“The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel” is one of the most popular tales of a king ignoring the prophecy of his fate. A hostel by the River Dodder owned by a Leinster chieftain, it is the place to which Conaire Mór, the High King, travels in spite of warnings of impending doom on the way. He contrives to break all his taboos (geis). The hostel is besieged by Conaire’s enemies. Although Conaire and his men wreak great destruction before perishing, he is slain.
[I] Father of all the gods. His name signifies “the good god.” He is also known as Eochaidh Ollathair (All-Father), as Aedh (Fire), and as Ruad Rofessa (Lord of Great Knowledge). He is also the patron god of druidism. He is the equivalent of the Dis-Pater, also identified in British tradition as Ceraunnos. He is visualised as a man clothed in rustic garb carrying a gigantic magic club, which, in Irish tradition, he drags on wheels. With one end of the club he can slay his enemies and with the other he can heal them. He has a black horse, Acéin (Ocean), and his cauldron, from the city of Murias, was one of the major treasures of the Dé Danaan. No man went away from it hungry. He also possessed a magic harp, once stolen by the Fomorii. With Ogma ad Lugh he set off in pursuit and recovered it.
After the defeat of the Tuatha Dé Danaan, it was the Dagda who allotted spiritual Ireland to his children, giving a sídhe to each of them. Only the love god was not allotted a sídhe, because the Dagda wanted Bruigh na Boinne, Aonghus Óg’s palace, for himself. But Aonghus Óg tricked the Dagda by subtle wording into obtaining possession of the palace for eternity.
As the Dé Danaan departed to their underground sídhe (eventually to change, in the people’s imagination, from gods to fairies),
| |