Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

82 Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race[102]The Nemedians, as we have seen, were akin to thePartholanians. Both of them came from the mysterious regionsof the dead, though later Irish accounts, which endeavoured toreconcile this mythical matter with Christianity, invented forthem a descent from Scriptural patriarchs and an origin in earthlylands such as Spain or Scythia. Both of them had to do constantbattle with the Fomorians, whom the later legends make outto be pirates from oversea, but who are doubtless divinitiesrepresenting the powers of darkness and evil. There is no legendof the Fomorians coming into Ireland, nor were they regarded asat any time a regular portion of the population. They were coevalwith the world itself. Nemed fought victoriously against them infour great battles, but shortly afterwards died of a plague whichcarried off 2000 of his people with him. The Fomorians werethen enabled to establish their tyranny over Ireland. They hadat this period two kings, Morc and Conann. The stronghold ofthe Formorian power was on Tory Island, which uplifts its wildcliffs and precipices in the Atlantic off the coast of Donegal—afit home for this race of mystery and horror. They extracteda crushing tribute from the people of Ireland, two-thirds of allthe milk and two-thirds of the children of the land. At last theNemedians rise in revolt. Led by three chiefs, they land on ToryIsland, capture Conann's Tower, and Conann himself falls by thehand of the Nemedian chief, Fergus. But Morc at this momentcomes into the battle with a fresh host, and utterly routs theNemedians, who are all slain but thirty:“The men of Erin were all at the battle,After the Fomorians came;All of them the sea engulphed,Save only three times ten.”Poem by Eochy O'Flann, circ. A.D. 960.