Tailtu~A Lughnasadh Tale Retold
Tailltu © Jim Fitzpatrick
O worthy listeners, who have ventured from near and far to be with us this day, hearken now and be blessed by the telling of this extraordinary legend of Lughnasadh, the legend of Tailtiu’s Fair!
Great Tailtiu was the daughter of Mag Mor, the King of Spain but she was brought to Ireland by her husband, Eochaid mac Eirc. Under the rule of Eochaid and Tailtiu, the first rule of justice was established in Ireland, falsehood was banned from the land, and there was never a year without harvest. However, all this ended when Eochaid was slain by the De Danaan in the Battle of Mag Tuired.
Tailtiu, last Queen of the Fir Bolg, is renowned for her just and gracious rule, and for raising the great champion Lugh as her foster son, but her greatest deed surpassed even those achievements. After high battle, Tailtiu led her people to Caill Chuan, which was a great forest that stretched as far as the eye could see. The red deer gathered within the wood and sustained the people for a time, but soon the Fir Bolg lay starving when the harsh winter drove the deer away.
Great was Tailtiu’s deed when she reclaimed the meadowland from the wood at Caill Chuan. They say that when the great wood was cut down by her, roots and all, within a year it became a plain blossoming with clover. And to this day, it remains the best farmland in all of Ireland.
This is why Lughnassadh marks a time when the labour of love that we invest in the Earth is rewarded. It is the time of the first harvest; the time when we begin to reap what we have sown. Today we celebrate and give thanks not only for the harvest but for the skills that go into all our labours. We remember Tailtiu for her efforts, the Earth Mother for her blessed bounty, the blessings that life bestows upon us, and we share our praise as a community.
Tailtiu’s deed was great indeed, but her heart burst from the effort of her toil. Long did she lay in weariness, sorrow, and sickness after her heavy labour and she asked that her people hold funeral games to remember her. Her last prophecy was that as long as every prince should accept her, Ireland would not be without perfect song. It was Lugh that set the games, and held them on each anniversary of her death in August so that none should forget her. Always while he walked the earth, Lugh was champion of the games, as the most skilled hero in the land. Those who become his champion in the games today honour Tailtiu and all creation with their effort. Tailtiu invested all of herself in her task, as we believe we should invest ourselves completely in all things we give our attention: including play.
The tale of Tailtiu holds three great lessons: the first is that we must sow, tend, and nurture in order to harvest; the second is that we should give all of ourselves to all things in life; and the last is the lesson of kinship within community. This last is revealed in the bond between Tailtiu and Lugh, a bond that was not borne in blood, but in the selfless love Tailtiu gave to Lugh and which he returned in kind.
Lughnassadh is a fair with gold, with silver, with games, with adornment of body and soul by means of knowledge and eloquence. It is a fair without trouble or dispute. Unbroken is the truce of the fair because all recognize that Tailtiu and Lugh moved beyond the confines of loyalty and love to clan and race. Today we honour those not of our blood who make our community strong with their love and their effort. Today we offer those groups and individuals praise and thanks for their contributions to our lives. Let any who wish to offer praise, do so now.
Tailtu: A Lughnasadh Tale Retold © Morrigan Sidhe 2005
Sources:
Metrical Dindsenchas, vol 4. translated by Edward Gwynn. Hodges & Figgis, Dublin 1925
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