The Second Invasion – Partholón’s People

The story of Partholón can also be seen to have links to Christianity as it is said that he was a grandchild of Noah, as was Cesair. How much of this is a result of the oral stories being written up by Christian monks is unknown, but it is a possibility to be considered.

Partholón’s story could be said to have a similar start to that of Cesair in that he fled his homeland to Ireland to escape his fate. His story begins around 500 years after Noah’s flood, and so it is clear that was not what he was running from. Partholón is believed to have been caught up in a battle for succession and following the killing of his parents (or in some stories it is said to be a family member) he was forced to flee, along with his family, to escape a curse that was placed upon him as a result. The curse meant that nothing he did would ever be successful and so he decided to try and escape from that fate.

Partholón did not go straight to Ireland, instead he sailed from Gothia, on the Euphrates River travelling via Anatolia, Greece, Sicily, and Iberia.

For some, Partholón is seen as both a hero and a tragic figure, forced into exile and looking for redemption.

Partholón did not travel to Ireland alone and we will take a small break from the story to look at the people who travelled with him. These figures play other parts in the settlement of Ireland and Partholón’s story so it would be remiss of us not to acknowledge them.

Partholón travelled with his wife, Delgnat and his four sons and their wives. His sons were named Rury, Slanga, Rudraige, and Laiglinne. Their wives were Nerba, Cichba, and Cerbnad. These names are listed in the Book of Invasions along with Partholón’s brother, Starn.

The number of followers who came with him varies depending on the documents you read, but a translation of the Book of Invasions mentions the figure of one thousand. Other sources have figures of between 5,000 and 9,000. The dates of their arrival also vary with the Annals of the Four Masters stating they arrived around 2680BC and Seathrín Céitinn dating the arrived at around 2061BC.

Amongst these follows were the important people from his household and included the following –

·       Toba – his Chief Attendant

·       Accasbel – his Steward

·       Tath, Fis, and Fochmare (three druids)

·       Saith – his poet

·       Barcorp Ladra – Leech

·       Milchu, Meran, Muinechan – his three champions

·       Senboth – his advisor and son

·       Tothacht, Imus, Aitechbel, Cuil, Dorcha, Dam, and Ith – his farmers

·       Rimead – his Tail Ploughman

·       Tairrle – Head Ploughman

·       Fetain – Coulter

·       Fodbach – his Share

·       Lee, Leemag, Imaire, Etirge – his previous oxen

When Partholón and his people arrived in Ireland, they found a land that was wild and uninhabited and, for Partholón, it seemed to be the perfect place to begin his redemption. Partholón’s people were seen as pioneers and they built a community from nothing, beginning to transform Ireland into a thriving landscape. The land was divided into four with each of Partholón’s son’s becoming Chieftain of an area. The areas were named as follows:

·       Er which was given to Rury

·       Orba which was given to Slanga

·       Feron which was given to Rudraige

·       Fergna which was given to Laiglinne

Rury unfortunately died and his land was taken over by Partholón himself. In Partholón’s story we see a group of people who are trying to make a community, despite the harshness of their surroundings and, for a while, it looked as though they were going to succeed. They cleared land of forests, drained marshes, and cultivated the wild lands to make it suitable for agriculture and farming of livestock. They introduced brewing of ale from the ferns and for a while all seemed to be well.

Partholón and the Fomorians

The first sign of trouble came at the hands of the Fomorians, who play a big part in early Irish Mythology and their role in the stories is an important one. The battle with Partholón’s people is one such time where they have an important part to play.

The first battle with the Formorians was with Partholón’s people, but they reappear later in the cycle however, for now, we should focus on Partholón and the battle. So, who were the Fomorians? The answer to that depends on which story you read, they have been described as a sea pirates in some, but the most common description is of them is as mythological beings who are associated with either the sea or the underworld.

In the Book of Invasions, it states that Partholón came across the Fomorians 10 years after his arrival in Ireland, and three years after that it became apparent that the two races could not live in peace and it resulted in the Battle of Mag Itha. The battle ground had been cleared previously by Ith, who was one of the seven farmers who travelled with Partholón to Ireland.

There were two battles: the first being a battle of magic.

For the first battle the draoithe (druids) took the lead and used their magic to try and best their opponents. Although this first battle lasted a week, no one was killed. The Fomorians were led by Cichol Grichenchos, who also had a link to the people of Cesair as his mother was one of the Cesair’s followers.

As the draoithe faced each other across the battle field, Partholón’s druid was able to bring forth a strong wind which was so forceful that it was able to pick up the Fomorians and throw them into their companions. In response, the Fomorian druid caused the grass to come alive, willing it to crawl up the legs and bodies of the Partholón warriors forcing them to constantly have to free themselves from the entwining greenery. The Fomorian’s followed this by causing fire to erupt from the ground, but Partholón’s druid counteracted the fire by summoning thunderstorms, using the rain to extinguish the flames and scaring the Fomorians with cracking thunder and flashing lightening. The battles did not go in favour of the Fomorians, and at this time it was seen that many of them only had one arm, one leg, or one eye. This made them grotesque to look at and although they were known to be shapeshifters, they had not yet found a way to change into more manageable forms.

As there was no final winner of the first battle, the second battle commenced using more conventional weapons and in this Partholón’s people had an advantage, and they outnumbered the Formorians greatly. Even thought there were only around 800 Formorians on the field of battle, they were giants and they possessed intense strength but lacked in intelligence. Partholón had around 6,000 warriors and so the numbers were not in the Fomorian’s favour.

It is said that by the time of the second battle, the Fomorians had managed to change themselves into forms better suited for battle, with two (or more) arms which allowed them to use their great strength to throw massive boulders at their opposition. They were also armed with blow pipes with poison darts.

However, as mentioned they were giants lacking in agility and intelligence and as a result Partholón and his warriors were able to outflank them again and again, cutting their tendons to make them unable to fight. The battle ended when the Fomorian leader, Cichol Grichenchos was killed and the remaining Formorians were driven back into the sea.

Unfortunately for Partholón the second battle led to his doom as he was struck by one of the poisoned darts. Following this, he died 19 years later. The rest of the Partholónians met their end to the plague which wiped out all but one of them in a single week. The survivor was Tuan, who was the son of Partholón’s brother Starn and was said to be a great Seer. Tuan was said to witness the arrival of the Nemedians, although he remained hidden surviving by taking the form of animals – a stag, a boar, and an eagle. This allowed him to witness the successive invaders of Ireland. However, his final transformation was into a salmon and he was caught, and eaten, by the wife of Cairill who fell pregnant immediately after eating and, in time, gave birth to a son she named Tuan mac Cairill, allowing Tuan to be reborn to continue to observe the history of Ireland.

A telling of the story from the Book of Invasions:

Partholon, whence he came to Ireland, 
reckon ye! 
on the day when he reached across the sea, 
what was the land from which Partholon came? 

He came from Sicily to Greece--
a year's journey, with no full falsehood: 
a month's sailing from Greece westward, 
to Cappadocia. 

From Cappadocia he journeyed, 
a sailing of three days to Gothia, 
a sailing of a month from white Gothia, 
to three-cornered Spain. 

After that he reached Inis Fail, 
to Ireland from Spain: 
on Monday, the tenth without blemish 
one octad took Ireland. 

He is the first man who took his wife 
in the time of Partholon without falsehood: 
Fintan, who took the woman through combat--
Aife, daughter of Partholon. 

Parthlolon went out one day, 
to tour his profitable land: 
His wife and his henchman together 
he leaves behind him on the island. 

As they were in his house, 
the two, a wonder unheard-of, 
she made an advance to the pure henchman, 
he made no advance to her. 

Since he made her no answer promptly the henchman, 
stubborn against an evil intention, 
she doffs her in desperation--
an impusive action for a good woman! 

The henchman rose without uncertainty, 
a frail thing is humanity--
and came, a saying without pleasure, 
with Delgnat to share her couch. 

Insolent was the prank for a pleasant henchman 
which Topa of tuneful strings wrought: 
to go by a rough trick, a happiness without pleasure, 
with Delgnat, to share her couch. 

Partholon, who was a man of knowledge, 
had a vat of most sweet ale: 
out of which none could drink aught 
save through a tube of red gold. 

Thirst seized them after the deed, 
Topa and Delgnat, according to truth: 
so that their two mouths drank 
their two drinks (?) in the tube. 

When they did it, a couple without remorse, 
there came upon them very great thirst; 
soon they drank a bright coal-drink, 
through the gilded tube. 

Partholon arrived outside, 
after ranging the wilderness; 
there were given to him, 
it was a slight disturbance, his vat and his tube. 

When he took the straight tube, 
he perceived upon it at once, 
the taste of Topa's mouth as far as this, 
and the taste of Delgnat's mouth. 

A black, surly demon revealed 
the bad, false, unpleasant deed: 
"Here is the taste of Topa's mouth" said he, 
"And the taste of Delgnat's mouth." 

Then said the sound son of Sera, 
the man called Partholon: 
"though short the time we are outside, 
we have the right to complain of you." 

The man smote the woman's dog with his palm
--it was no profit--he slew the hound, 
it was a treasure that would be slender; 
so that is the first jealousy of Ireland. 

Degnat answered her husband: 
"Not upon us is the blame, 
though bitter thou thinkest my saying it, 
truly, but it is upon thee." 

Though evil thou thinkest my saying it to thee, 
Partholon, its right shall be mine: 
I am the 'one before one' here, 
I am innocent, recompense is my due. 

Honey with a woman, milk with a cat, 
food with one generous, meat with a child, 
a wright within and an edge[d tool] 
one before one, 'tis a great risk.' 

The woman will taste the thick honey, 
the cat will drink the milk, 
the generous will bestow the pure food, 
the child will eat the meat. 

The wright will lay hold of a tool, 
the one with the one will go together: 
wherefore it is right to guard them 
well from the beginning. 

That is the first adultery to be heard of 
made here in the beginning: 
the wife of Partholon, a man of rank, 
to go to an ignoble henchman. 

He came after the henchman 
and slew him with anger: 
to him there came not the help of God 
upon the Weir of the Kin-murder. 

The place where that was done, 
after its fashioning certainty--
great is its sweetness that was there of 
a day in the land of Inis Saimera. 

And that, without deceit, 
is the first judgement in Ireland so that thence, 
with very noble judgement, 
is "the right of his wife against Partholon." 

Seventeen years had they thereafter, 
till there came the death of that man; 
the battle of Mag Itha of the combats 
was one of the deeds of Partholon.