The Milesian Legends

   The Irish redactions of the Lebor Gabala Erren may be divided into two sections, the first (but appearing last in the text) containing a description of the invasions of Ireland prior to the arrival of the Milesians from Spain and the second outlining the early history of the Gaedil (Milesians) in Scythia, their subsequent migrations to Egypt and Spain and their later invasion of Ireland. According to the Lebor Gabala Erren, the first to invade Ireland was Cessair, the granddaughter of Noah, who arrived forty days before the great Flood which destroyed the world. All her people died in the Flood except Fintan, who survived to relate the succeeding takings of Ireland to later arrivals.
   Next came Partholan to Ireland, with a thousand men and women, three hundred and eleven years after the great Flood. All his people later died of the plague.Forty years later Nemed, the son of Agnomain of the Greeks of Scythia, invaded Ireland. In his time the people of Ireland were sorely oppressed by the Formoraig, mysterious sea-rovers described in the Partholan redactions as "men with single arms and legs." The progeny of Nemed were subdued by the Formoraig and forced to pay on onerous yearly tribute. At length they rebelled, were defeated in battle and forced to flee the island. Some went into the north of the world to learn druidry (the Tuatha de Danann); some went to Alba (Scotland); others went to Greece. Of the progeny of Nemed were the next two invaders of Ireland, the Tuatha de Danann and the Fir Bolg.
   Semion, a descendant of Nemed, led his people to Greece after their disastrous battle with the Formoraig in Ireland. There his people were enslaved and put to work by the Greeks carrying clay in bags to build a fertile plain on what had been bare rock (hence their name, the Fir Bolg or Men of Bags). In time the Fir Bolg escaped from Greece and returned to Ireland, which had lain waste for two hundred years after the light of their ancestors.
   Next came the Tuatha de Danann, also descendants of Nemed, from great "Lochlan" to the north, arriving without vessels or barks, in dark clouds over the air, by the might of druidry. On landing in Ireland they brought a darkness over the sun which lasted three days and nights, then demanded either battle or kingship from the Fir Bolg. The Tuatha de Danann and the Fir Bolg then fought the first battle of Mag Tuired, in which the Fir Bolg were vanquished. In the second battle of Mag Tuired the Fir Bolg and Formorians united against the Tuatha de Danann but were again defeated, after which the Tuatha de Danann became the undisputed sovereigns of Ireland.
   Then followed the invasion of Ireland by the sons of King Milesius of Spain, who defeated the Tuatha de Danann and whose descendants ruled Ireland until the Norman-English invasion of the 12th century A.D.

Professor MacAlister, editor of the Lebor Gabala Erren for the Irish Texts Society, grouped the surviving versions of the above Milesian legends into four distinct redactions, which he labeled Miniguid, R1, R2 and R3. These redactions are preserved in various Irish manuscripts dating largely from the 12th century or later, including the Book of Leinster, the Book of Lecan, the Book of Ballymote and several Stowe manuscripts. Their descriptions of the invasions of Cessair, Partholan, Nemed, the Fir Bolg and the Tuatha de Danann are essentially identical although obviously the result of different manuscript traditions. With the early history of the Gaedil, however, the redactions of the Lebor Gabala Erren begin to differ considerably. The Miniguid and the R1 redactions tell essentially the same story of the origin of the Gaedil in Scythia; the R2 redactions tell a radically different version and the R3 redactions yet another. It is this discrepancy between redactions which will enable us to trace their evolutionary development.

Of the invasions of Ireland prior to that of the Milesians, we need only concern ourselves with those of Partholan and Nemed. The invasions of Cessair and the Tuatha de Danann are demonstrably later insertions into the Milesian tradition while that of the Fir Bolg is simply a duplicate of the earlier invasion of Nemed. The invasions of Partholan and Nemed, however, are of crucial importance in understanding the evolution of the legends and will be covered in some detail before moving on to the early history of the
Gaedil.

R1 The invasion of Partholan

Partholan, the son of Sera s. Sru, was the first to take Ireland after the great Flood, accompanied by his sons, Laiglinne, Slanga and Rudraige. Partholan fought the first battle of Ireland in Slemna of Mag Ith (Plain of Ith) against the Formoraig, described as men with "single arms and legs," led by Cichol Clapperleg. All of his people, five thousand men and four thousand women, later died of the plague in a week's time. Elsewhere in the R1 redaction we learn that Partholan's sons were instead named Er, Orba, Fergna and Feron.

R1 The invasion of Nemed

Thirty years after the death of the people of Partholan, Nemed, the son of Agnomain of the "Greeks of Scythia," invaded Ireland with his four sons named Starn, Iarbonel "the soothsayer," Annind and Fergus "Red-Side." Nemed fought and won four battles against the Formoraig in Ireland, now described less menacingly as "sea-rovers." After his death from the plague his progeny were sorely oppressed by the Formoraig, who demanded from them two thirds of their children, wheat and milk in tribute. The progeny of Nemed rebelled and attacked the Formoraig at the Tower of Conand, defeating them in battle. But reinforcements soon arrived, a terrible slaughter ensued and the progeny of Nemed fled from the island, some going into the north of the world, some to Alba (Scotland) and others to Greece. The descendants of Semeon who went to Greece were enslaved by the Greeks but later escaped and returned to Ireland as the Fir Bolg, the Fir Domnann and the Gailioin (different names for the same tribe - henceforth referred to as the Fir Bolg).

[Then follows in the text the invasion of Ireland by the Tuatha de Danann, who conquered the Fir Bolg and were inturn conquered by the Milesians. The invasions of the Tuatha de Danann will hereafter be ignored except to note that their invasion is universally considered a "theogonia of Celtic gods," to quote MacAlister.]

The following narrative traditions of the early history of the Gaedil appear in the redactions of the Lebor Gabala Erren:

R1 and Miniguid

   Feinius Farsaid, a king of Scythia, went into Asia with his son Nel to assist in the building of the Tower of Nimrod (Tower of Babel in biblical mythology). After the destruction of the Tower and the subsequent dispersal of the races, Feinius Farsaid is said to have learned all the new languages of the world then returned to Scythia where he founded a great school of languages on the Scythian plain. In time his son Nel became such a master of languages that pharoa invited him into Egypt to instruct his people in the new
tongues of the world.
   While in Egypt Nel married Scota, pharoa's daughter, and by her had a son named Gaedel Glas (from whom the Gaedil took their name). The progeny of Nel and Scota prospered in Egypt until pharoa was drowned in the Red Sea while pursuing the fleeing Hebrews led by Moses. Fearful for the safety of
his people, Sru and his son Heber Scot soon after returned to Scythia where Heber Scot won the kingship from a distant kinsman.
   A few generations later a descendant of Heber Scot named Agnomain killed a rival for the kingship of Scythia and was driven from the country by his rivals. He and his followers took to the sea in a fleet of four ships and spent seven years skirting the north side of the world. On this journey, their druid, Caicher, prophesied that their descendants would eventually prosper on an island named Ireland. The Gaedil settled first in the Macotic Marshes, until nearly three hundred years later, a descendant of Agnomain named Brath led them on a long sea-voyage across the Mediterranean Sea to Spain. After landing in Spain his son Breogain built a city with a tall tower named Brigantia, from which height Ith later caught a glimpse of Ireland on a winter's night, an event which led to the first exploration of Ireland by the Gaedil.

R3 redaction

   The narrative of this redaction is a nonsensical combination of the narratives of R1 and R2, heavily glossed by scribes and containing extraneous material interpolated into the narrative from various sources.
Briefly, as in R1, the R3 redaction begins with Feinius Farsaid, a king of Scythia, who went into Asia with his son Nel to work on the Tower of Nimrod in Asia. His son Nel later went into Egypt where he married Scota, the daughter of pharoa. After pharoa was drowned in the Red Sea, Sru and Heber Scot returned to Scythia. Then follows the R2 narrative of King Milesius killing a rival for the kingship, being driven from the country and going to Egypt. In Egypt (as in R2) he married Scota, daughter of pharoa. Then it is on to Spain with the Gaedil.
   At this point in the narrative, tacked onto the text, is the R1 narrative describing the flight of Agnomain from Scythia to the Macotic Marshes, complete with the genealogy omitted from the R2 redaction. As in R1 this section concludes with Brath leading the Gaedil from the Macotic Marshes to Spain.
   The result of this "scissors-and-paste construction" of the R3 narrative (to quote MacAlister's description) is that we encounter in the text two chieftains of the Gaedil killing a rival for the kingship of Scythia, being driven from the country (Agnomain and King Milesius). We also find two chieftains of the Gaedil leading their people to Spain (Brath and King Milesius). Unfortunately the R3 redaction was that most favored by early Irish historians (including Keating and O'Clery) and remains today the most frequently encountered version of the Milesian legend quoted in standard mythology textbooks.

Because the R3 redaction is obviously a combination of the R1 and R2 redactions (with some interpolated material) we will hereafter ignore it in our discussion of the Milesian legend.

R1 and R2 therefore contain two distinct traditions concerning the early history of the Gaedil. In R1 the Gaedil are led from Scythia to the Macotic Marshes by Agnomain and from the Marshes to Spain by Brath. In R2 they are led from Scythia back to Egypt (rather than to the Macotic marshes) by King Milesius, who later led them to Spain. Confronted with two conflicting narratives, the question naturally arises: Which version is correct?
MacAlister proposed an axiom in his commentary on the Lebor Gabala Erren for the Irish Texts Society, that when studying Irish texts, the simpler the version, the earlier and more authentic is the text. As he notes, this axiom contradicts the commonly held view to the contrary - that later redactions tend to omit material rather than add to it - but is, he states, in the case of Irish texts, universally true. To this axiom we might also propose a sort of corollary - that any version containing a "doubled episode" is therefore a later invention. Under this criteria, our only possible conclusion to be drawn from a comparison of the R1 and R2 redactions is that the R1 redaction represents an earlier and more authentic tradition of the Milesian legends

   It must be emphasized that in the original form of the legend there could hardly have been two Scotas. As with many of the names in the narrative, the name Scota is eponymous, i.e., Scota, a quo the Scots (Irish). Similarly, we find Feinius Farsaid, a quo the Feni; and Gaedel Glas, a quo the Gaedil. The second wife named Scota in R2 is clearly redundant and an indication that something curious is afoot in this redaction. Why name two Scotas as the wife of a chieftain of the Gaedil when one would suffice to establish that the Irish took their name (Scots) from a maternal ancestor named Scota? In the R1 narrative, only one Scota appears (the wife of Nel), an indication (if not absolute proof) that it is the earlier tradition.
   In R2 we also have the inconsistency that while King Milesius is said to have been the first to lead the Gaedil to Spain, his grandfather Breogan is credited with building the city and tower of Brigantia in Spain. Admittedly, this is a possibility. Perhaps his grandfather left Egypt with him and after landing in Spain, took it upon himself to build the city of Brigantia. Logically, however, it should have been King Milesius who built the city of Brigantia after leading the Gaedil to Spain. Of course, the name Breogan is also eponymous Breogan, a quo the city of Brigantia. Here we have yet another indication that something is amiss in the R2 redaction.
   Lastly, we might consider the religious themes incorporated into the text of both R1 and R2. The most obvious intrusion of borrowed biblical history occurring in the Milesian legend may be found in the dating of their stay in Egypt at the time of Moses and the Red Sea episode, in which pharoah was drowned. MacAlister noted this was an obvious attempt by the Irish bards to equate the wandering of the Gaedil before finding a homeland (Ireland) with the biblical wanderings of the Hebrews in search of a promised land.
   A second intrusion of biblical mythology into the legend occurs with the association of Feinius Farsaid and his son Nel with the Tower of Nimrod (Babel) in Asia. R2 omits the Tower of Nimrod episode but contains a greatly expanded Red Sea episode. In R2 Nel is given an estate named Phi-Hahiroth in Egypt (a name borrowed from the Old Testament); and, rather than simply dating Nel's sojourn in Egypt to the time of the Red Sea episode, the R2 redaction informs us that Nel actually met Moses and his brother Aaron on the night before their escape across the Red Sea. Nel offered Moses provisions for his journey and was invited to join the Hebrews in their escape but declined. That night Nel's son Gaedel Glas was bitten by a poisonous serpent but was cured by the intercession of Moses and his god. Moses then prophesied that the progeny of Gaedel Glas would never again be bothered by the bite of a serpent (an early variant of the legend of St. Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland.).

Conclusion

   The greatly expanded religious imagery in R2 is also an indication that it contains a later narrative tradition than R1. Based on the Irish redactions alone, our conclusion must be that the R1 narrative represents an earlier, more authentic tradition than that of R2.

    There is another doubled episode in the Irish redactions that is not immediately apparent. In R1, the Gaedhil are said to have gone from Scythia to Egypt; Egypt to Scythia; then from Scythia to Spain. This going to and from Scythia to Egypt and back is in effect another doubled episode. There is no reason to suspect that the original version of the legend contained anything more than a simple itinerary of the Gaedil going from Scythia to Egypt; from Egypt to Spain and then on to Ireland. This is what we will be looking for as we examine other versions of the Milesian legends preserved outside of the Irish manuscript tradition. If and when such a version appears we will most likely have an earlier and more authentic version of the Milesian legend than any preserved in Ireland.

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The Invasions of Ireland

[1st invasion]	Cesair (all drowned in the great Flood of Noah)
[2nd invasion]	Partholan (all died of plague)
[3rd invasion]	Nemed (progeny driven from Ireland by the Formoraig)
[4th invasion]	The Fir Bolg (progeny of Nemed; returned to Ireland from Greece)
[5th invasion]	The Tuatha de Danann (also the progeny of Nemed; returned to Ireland from the north of the world)
[6th invasion]	The Milesians

R1	R2
Nel went to Egypt, married Scota, the daughter of pharoa	Nel went to Egypt, married Scota, the daughter of pharoa.

	King Milesius went to Egypt, married Scota, the daughter of pharoa.

The Milesian Legends

The Irish Tradition