THE SHIELD OF MANANNAN
Unnumbered centuries ago there came to Ireland a wise race of beings called the Tuatha de Danann. How and whence they came is a mystery: the very earliest legends say they came on the wings of the wind from an unknown world, or else they came out of the heavens. The same legendary history says that when the Tuatha de Danann—who were the people of light and goodness—arrived they found Ireland populated by a gigantic and dark race of beings; this was the race of the Fomorians, who were the people of evil, and naturally the enemies of the Tuatha de Danann. The king of the Fomorians was the great giant, Balor of the Death-giving Eye, so called because he had an eye in the centre of his forehead, which dealt death to whoever he looked at. When he wished to slay an enemy he opened this eye; at other times he kept it closed.
The Fomorians resented the mysterious advent of the Tuatha de Danann, and Balor, placing himself at the head of his people, led them in battle against the Tuatha de Danann, who were assembled on the plain of Moytura, in the north of Sligo, and there the legends say this battle of the gods was fought.
Every time Balor opened his eye of death on the Tuatha de Danann they fell in long lines, just as corn falls before the reaper. Even Nuada, the king of the Tuatha de Danann, was struck by its venomous glance, and seeing him fall Lugh Lam-Fada—who was so wise that he was called the Master of all Knowledge—determined to avenge him. He walked to within a short distance of Balor, who at that moment had his evil eye covered; but when Balor saw this new and powerful enemy standing before him, with a sling that shone like white fire in his hand, slowly, very slowly, he began to uplift the heavy eyelid from his evil eye. Then, before Balor could look at him, with all his might Lugh slung a fiery ball, which entered Balor's eye of death, and killed him. When the Fomorians saw their king fall they fled from the plain of Moytura, leaving the dead Balor on the battlefield; leaving, also, the Tuatha de Danann the victors and masters of Ireland. It was then the Mor Riga sang her wonderful song of concord, beginning, "Peace up to heaven," of which I have told you before.
After the flight of the Fomorians, Lugh walked round the battle-field, noting those of his people who were slain. Soon he came to the giant Balor, and not knowing what magical power he might still possess, though dead, he cut off Balor's head, and ordered some of his men to place it high in the fork of a hazel-tree, so that the rains and winds of heaven might cleanse it of its evil power. This was done, but the venomous dropping from Balor's eye of death gradually killed the tree.
Many years later Manannan was walking through a grove of hazel-trees, which he liked beyond all other groves, and seeing a dead tree in its midst he called some men to him, and said:
Bring axes and hew down that tree. Why should it be left standing when it is dead?"
The men brought axes and began to cut down the tree, and as they shook it to see whether it would soon fall a bleached and gigantic skull rolled out of a forked branch, and they wondered how it came there. They continued their cutting, and soon from the hollow heart of the tree a white vapour arose, like the mist that hangs over marshy meadows on a hot summer evening. When it reached the men one after another fell dead to the ground, until eighteen were lying there. The others, seeing their companions fall, ran away from the deadly mist; but they did not escape altogether, for the poisonous vapour entered their eyes, and they were blinded for ever.
Manannan, who alone remained uninjured by the enchanted mist, picked up the skull, and when he saw the empty eye-socket in the middle of its forehead he remembered that, long years before, Lugh Lam-Fada had hidden the head of Balor of the Death-giving Eye in a tree. Seeing that the venom from the eye had given such a strange power to the tree, Manannan caused some of the branches to be taken to his dún; but before any one went near the tree again he placed a spell on it, so that it could not injure any more of his people.
Then Manannan sent for Luchtine the carpenter, and from his hidden island in the sea he called Culain the smith. When they came he said:
"From these dead branches, Luchtine, make me the frame of a shield; and you, Culain, forge white bronze points with which to stud it, and make the centre of white bronze also. When it is finished bring it to me, and I will say a word of power over it, and call demons to dwell in it, so that it shall be a true shield of protection for any hero who may carry it hereafter; but for his enemies it will be a shield of death."
"This shall be a shield such as the world never saw before," said Culain, "for I, too, will invoke war-spirits to guard it night and day, and when any danger threatens it will warn the hero who carries it. Like the rush and thunder of a mighty wave its warning will be, and the sound of it will awaken fear in the hearts of the enemy."
Culain and Luchtine carried the wood away, and after some days they returned to Manannan, bringing a very perfect shield with them. The centre shone like the moon, and the frame, with its white bronze points, was like a circle of stars surrounding it. Manannan then took it, and put a powerful enchantment on it, so that to the hero who carried the shield it should be a silver cloud of protection, but to his enemies it should be a red mist of war.
Whenever the hostile powers of the dark underworld were contemplating war on Manannan the shield would give him warning, and taking it in his hand he would go out alone against his enemies, conquering and destroying them without receiving any hurt himself.
Often, too, Manannan would lend his shield to great kings and heroes for whom he had an affection, and so long as they carried it they were neither hurt nor killed. The last
MANANNAN PUT A POWERFUL ENCHANTMENT ON THE SHIELD
great hero who carried it was Fionn mac Cumall, and whenever he went into battle the shield would thunder like a great wave crashing against cliffs, bringing fear to Fionn's enemies; but to his own ears it sounded like a very sweet war-song. After the death of Fionn no other king or hero bore the enchanted shield, for it disappeared; but the legend says that when St. Patrick came to Ireland he found it and caused it to be burnt.
This I do not think is likely. I imagine Manannan took the shield back to his own world, knowing that when Fionn passed away the long line of great heroes and warriors had come to an end.