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Long before the Tuatha de Dannan, Partolon, the leader of the first race that inhabited Ireland, already had Druids with him, although only three: “These are the leaders of Partolon: Partolon himself, Slanga, Laiglinne and Rudraige … Sembot, son of Partolon, the first in Ireland built a house, made a cauldron and started a battle. Malaliah was the first to think about safety and was the first brewer, the first to drink fern beer; he was the first to perform sacrifice, worship and witchcraft. And here are the three druids of Partolon: Tat, Fis, Foh-mark - "Strengthening, knowledge, search." [512 - Lebor Gabala, § 212.]
Partolon's successors are also accompanied by druids or soothsayers: “Ireland was empty for thirty years after Partolon, until Nemed, the son of Agnoman, came from the Greeks of Scythia, along with his four leaders, who were his sons. His forty-four ships spent one and a half years in the Caspian (?) Sea, but only one ship reached Ireland. The four leaders, the sons of Nemed, were called Starn and Yarbonel - the soothsayer, Annind and Fergus the Red Side. " [513 - Lebor Gabala, § 257. "Nemed" means "sacred"; the name of his son "Yarbonel" - "diviner", that is, druid or wat.]
One interesting geographic clarification is associated with Nemed's grandchildren: "The children of Betach, the son of the soothsayer Iarbonel, the son of Nemed, went to the islands in the north of the world to learn druidism, pagan worship and devilish sciences, they became experts in all arts and became Tuatha de Dannan." 514 - Leb. Gab., § 265; Wed § 304.]
Druids or Gods? Most often - both: "There were three gods Danu, which is why they were given the name" Tuatha de Dannan ": the three sons of Bres, the son of Elad - Triall, Brian and Ket, or, also, Brian, Iukhar and Iukharba; three sons of Tuirend Briccreo, three druids, after whom Tuatha de Dannan were named.”[515 - Leb. Gab, § 350.]
What do these mythological groups of Druids mean? The number four for the representatives of the Tuatha de Dannan should have been of secondary importance after the three: undoubtedly, such a numerical designation established a connection with the elements - air, earth, fire, water. [516 - See Ogam, X, 392.] But Tat, Fis and Fochmark - "Strengthening, Cognition, Search" or, according to one of the options, Fis, Eolus, Fochmark - "Knowledge, Cognition, Search" are excellently corresponding to the Celtic triad.
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All this is associated with myth, or at least provides for a continuation in myth: the three druids of the Tuatha de Dannan, for example, Brian, Iuhar and Iuharba, are at the same time three gods, one of whom, Briand, bears the same name (* Bren (n) os - Bren), as the conquerors of Rome and Delphi in the 4th and 3rd centuries. BC e. Of course, this data should be taken in the same spirit as Irish chronology and genealogy. Kiana, for example, is called the father of Lug; on the other hand, Lug, Dagda, Oghma, Dian Keht are considered brothers; but Dian Kecht is also Kian's father. The details are changeable and appear artificial, but the principle itself is stable and traditional. It would be equally childish to take all this literally, as it would be to underestimate the profound thought behind all these fantasies. Nothing, perhaps, could confirm this better than the answer,associated with genealogy, which Philid Nede [517 - See the present. ed. pp. 154, 222.] gives the senior Philid Verchertne in The Conversation of the Two Sages:
In addition, these three gods are the sons of the diviner goddess Druidess Brigita, she herself is the daughter of Dagda, just as Minerva was the daughter of Jupiter. [519 - Rev. celt, 26, 31, approx. 2.]
GOD-DRUID
In The Siege of Druim Damgair, at a difficult moment, Kenmhar summons the "first druid of the world" for help, and this druid, Mog Ruith, while a fire is being prepared on his orders, [520 - See present. ed. pp. 154-155.] gives a speech beginning like this: “God of the Druids, my god before all gods” (de dhruadh, mu dhe tar gac nde). [521 - Rev. celt, 43, 92 and 108.]
Since this "god of the Druids" or Dagda ("good god" or "most divine") [522 - Ogam, XII, 49.] is the father of Brigit, the goddess of the Philids, and thus the ancestor of the three original Druid gods, obviously that the power of the druids is quite justified. In fact, all gods are druids, and all druids are gods. Equality is manifested here in both senses, and this is how: "The beautiful-faced Katbad taught me for the sake of my mother Dekhtira, so that I became skilled in druidic knowledge and versed in secret wisdom." [523 - Matchmaking to Emer // Per. S. V. Shkunaeva - ("Courtise d'Emer", ed. Van Hamel, § 25, 30).]
Hence, it is quite understandable why the druids, in particular, had access to metepsychosis, which was the privilege of superhuman and mythological creatures. As if expressing the opinion of all skeptics, a certain Connle Cainbretach ("good judge") wrongly reproached the druids of his time that they were not able to change anything in the world: "Let the sun and moon appear in the north of the people of the world, and then we that everything you said is true. " [524 - Ancient Laws, I, 22.]
Obeying an unshakable principle, the heirs of the primordial druids, creators of the world and living beings, saw no reason in creating a useless and causeless "miracle" by order alone. Such is the cult, according to Celtic religious beliefs, that created the world; in addition, the priest is the driving force of the cult, and in the absence of faith, the cosmic order turns into chaos.
Celtic Druids. Book by Françoise Leroux
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