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THE OTHERS: FOMORIANS (FOMORI) OF IRELAND
Mar. 27th, 2023 09:59 amThe Irish have many and conflicting myths about the Fomorians, who are not mentioned in the “Book of Invasions.” What has been inferred about the Fomorians is that they were in Ireland before the other races, but were driven off, only to return. They either came from under the sea or under the earth. After being defeated a second time (Note 1) by the Tuatha De Danann, the Fomorians left in ships to the ends of the earth and to the deep places of the ocean. However, they were always ready to invade Ireland again.
After being driven off from Ireland, the Fomorians would still harass humans. They would come back from time to time to collect tribute from humans. If a human refuse to pay tribute or ransom, the Fomorians would cut their nose off. One myth tells of Cu Chulainn (son of Lugh, and part Fomorian, himself) killing the Fomorians who were collecting the royal women as a tribute.
The myths describing warfare with the Tuatha De Danann depicted the Fomorians as wild, destructive and monstrous. Their king, Balor, had one eye, which when he opened it, would kill whoever he saw. Other Fomorians were said to be ugly and preferred that to beauty. However, some were “darkly beautiful” and intermarried with the Tuatha De Danann.
I wonder if the reputed ugliness of the Fomorians has more to do with their actions than their physical being. What has been consistent in the myths is that they know the “old magic.” They sent the plague to decimate whole populations. Controlling the winter wind, Fomorians would destroy crops and kill livestock. To learn the past and future, they would summon chthonic beings. Fomorians seemed to be hostile to order, using their powers of chaos to deter others from completely civilizing Ireland.
Notes:
Note 1. The Second Battle of Mag Tured.
Works Used:
MacLeod, Sharon, “Celtic Cosmology and the Otherworld.” McFarland and Company: Jefferson (NC), 2018.
Sjoestedt, Marie-Louise, “Celtic Gods and Heroes.” Dover: New York, 2000.
