Description of the First Meeting Between the Mythological Danaans and the Firbolgs
The Irish Danaans and the Firbolgs
The Irish Danaans and the Firbolgs
They were wafted into the land in a magic cloud, making
their first appearance in Western Connacht. When the cloud cleared
away, the Firbolgs discovered them in a camp which they had already
fortified at Moyrein.
The Firbolgs now sent out one of their warriors, named
Sreng, to interview the mysterious new-comers; and the People of
Dana, on their side, sent a warrior named Bres to represent them. The
two ambassadors examined each other's weapons with great interest.
The spears of the Danaans, we are told, were light and sharp-pointed;
those of the Firbolgs were heavy and blunt. To contrast the power of
science with that of brute force is here the evident intention of the
legend, and we are reminded of the Greek myth of the struggle of the
Olympian deities with the Titans.
Bres proposed to
the Firbolg that the two races should divide Ireland equally between
them, and join to defend it against all comers for the future. They
then exchanged weapons and returned each to his own camp.
Irish, Danaans,
Firbolgs,
Description of the
first meeting between the mythological Danaans and the Firbolgs
