The Mythology Of The Tuatha De Danaan

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The Tuatha De’ Danaan were more a “godlike” people than anything else, although Celtic mythology would like to have us believe otherwise; “…the Tuatha De’, to some degree, became gods by the time they arrived in Ireland.” (Leeming, 81) This is due to the tradition of the Celts and their telling of the settlers of Ireland all being deities. “In accordance with Irish tradition, much of its history and mythology were viewed as one and the same- many diverse races of both gods and humans alike settling Ireland.” (Rosenberg, 369) We learn, though, that the Tuatha De’ are divided into two societal castes: deities and mortals. Those that were “deemed” deities were craftsmen, artists and noble combatants. The others, “mortals”, were farmers and field workhands. The Tuatha De’ Danaan “deities” were considered such as “…they were the gifted and powerful of their race.” (Rosenberg, 372) This is what elevated them to a godlike status; the ability to perform and execute tasks that required more than just the average education or experience needed by a simple farmer or worker.
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The human characteristics here are clearly seen in his “crafts”. He is an artisan, a warrior and a priest. These are all roles inhabited by humans, but because of his stature in the society of the time, we see a more divine quality emerge about him rather than the human element that would belie who he really may have been or was entirely or partially based upon. He may have even been a culmination of the best of what the Celtic society offered at the time and this amalgamated representation simply fit the need that the Celts had for someone to fill in order to inspire the

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