The Creation of the World and All Within It.
This is the story of the history of man and the formation of the Gods. This story will take you from the beginning up until the time the "veil" between the worlds came into existance.
In the beginning there were two spirits; The Great Mother and The Great Father. They were in love and joined in union. From their union sprang forth the elements in their purest form. To each of these was a spirit that was of the Great Mother and Great Father. Somewhere in time these spirits became known to us as Ghob, Paralda, Djinn, and Nixsa.
These elemental spirits adored their mother and in an act of adoration created the planet Earth for her to call home. The Great Father, who became known as Father Sky, had the cosmos and all within them that shined brightly for him but The Earth was just for the Great Mother.
The Great Mother seen what her children had done and was pleased. The spirit of the Great Mother went down to the Earth and allowed her spirit to reside there. The Earth at this time did not look the way we know it today. When The Great Mother came unto the earth she transformed herself into a Great Oak Tree which in turn solidified the planet into existence and gave it life. This was the introduction of the 5th Element; Spirit.
The 4 Elemental Spirits rejoiced in their mother and celebrated her blessing their creation. The Great Mother became known as The Earth Mother. This Great Oak Tree, that is the Earth Mother, has been known to many people in many lands by many names such as Yggdrasil, The World Tree, or The Goddess Tree. To us, she is Danu. Danu is the Mother of ALL.
The elemental spirits, with the blessing of Danu, created nature to the glory of the Great Mother Danu. In this creation new spirits were formed and these are the spirits of The Shining Ones (Faeries). The Shining ones were brought forth to tend to nature and to glorify and adore Danu. Danu gave the 4 elemental spirits dominion over the earth and the Shinning Ones and they became The Four Elemental Kings that we know today.
Of the element of Earth and all its properties was King Ghob, of Air was King Paralda, of Fire; King Djinn, and of Water; King Nixsa who is sometimes refered to as Nixsu/Niksa/Niksu. They are benevolent rulers whose sole purpose is to guard and guide the mysteries of Earth and all its bounty all to the glory of Danu.
The Spirits of Nature, who today are known as faeries, each had a certain element they were associated with because of the nature of their spirit and the duties they performed. This began the first division of the Shining Ones. The nature spirits of the Air became known as Sylphs and were ruled over by King Paralda. The nature spirits of Fire became known as Salamanders and were ruled over by King Djinn. The nature spirits of Water became known as Undines and were ruled over by King Nixsa. The nature spirits of Earth became known as Gnomes and were ruled over by King Ghob. Be mindful in remembering that what some call a gnome are not the only gnomes in existence. All spirits of earth are in the classification of Gnomes, such as elves, trolls, and others.
The Shinning Ones, whom get their name from the light they emit, were as unique and individual as we all are. They do and did as we all do; fall in love, get married, have children, and even die. Each one was unique and had abilities that sometimes transcended the boundaries of one elements power. They all resided within nature and were governed by their respective King. Some of the Shining Ones, however, chose to living within a city that was created by each of the ruling Kings. King Ghob establishes his Kingdom in the Sacred City of Falias in the North, King Paralda in Gorias in the East, King Djinn in Finias in the South, and King Nixsa in Murias in the West.
All of the Shinning Ones and The Elemental Kings would sing, dance, and make music for Danu all to her glory especially on Beltane; the day all life began. It was one such Beltane that Danu decided that she wanted to have more children that would not only honor her but also enjoy the beauty of creation. From her branches, bark, and leaves came forth the first women and men. The Shining Ones and the Kings rejoiced at this the newest of Danu's creation and welcomed them warmly. It was at this time that Danu sanctioned that for each human spirit to come into creation, so shall there be a shining one to be their guardian as the humans are part of nature.
The Shining Ones and the humans lived harmoniously with each other. They took care of the world around them and joined together at Beltane to honor Danu, The Mother of ALL. It wasn't long before Shinning Ones and humans feel in love with one another and created children with one another. It was these children that became great heroes and champions of the people.
A time came when Danu saw fit for the humans to have a stronger guiding force amongst them. Once again from her bark, limbs, and leaves she created yet another race of being; a being with the powers of Gods. Each of them as unique as everything else in creation. Some were good, some were bad, and yet some didn't seem of either. The ones that were bad despised humans and sought out to enslave us and keep us oppressed and away from Danu.
Danu was in a deep sadness at the thought that some of her children could behave such ways, and this time created another race of beings that were all good and only interested in upholding what is right and good in the eyes of Danu. They were to be a race of champions skilled in all arts. This was the birth of the Tuatha De Danann which quite litterally means the children or tribe of danu.
It was a dark time for the human children of Danu as they were scattered throughout the lands and oppressed by many a dark people. This time of darkness and despair would only have to last a little while longer. The Tuatha went to the Sacred Cities of Falias, Gorias, Finias, and Murias and learned all acts of war, art, and magick. The time had come for the Children of Danu to be avenged.
They arrived on the western shores of Eire at Beltane; cloaked in a black smoke. They brought with them four sacred treasures of the sacred cities. From the North the brought the Great Fal which is the Stone of Destiny, from the East they brought the Sword of Nuada, from the South they brought the Spear of Lugh, and from the West they brought the Cauldron of Dagda. They were led by Lord Nuada and ferociously and fearlessly battled and conquered the Fir Bolgs; an oppressing force in Eire at the time. Many people were freed of oppression but the battle was far from over. This was the First Battle of Moytura.
Lord Nuada lost his arm in this battle and this prevented him from becoming the rightful King. This is because it was custom at this time for a King to be unblemished. Dian Cecht, of the Tuatha was a skilled healer and fashioned a working hand out of silver for Nuada so that he may take the throne. Bres, the son of the Fomorian King, Balor of the Evil Eye was outraged and the Fomorians waged war upon the Tuatha. This led to the Second Battle of Moytura. The Fomorians were slain but Nuada lost his life in this battle and Lugh took his place as High King.
At last the people of Eire were free. The people rejoiced and honored the Mighty Children of Danu for saving them. The land was once again in peace and plenty. After Lugh had ruled Dagda came to the thrown and brought with him his cauldron from Murias. It was through this cauldron that our people had no want or desire of anything. It is through the Cauldron of Dagda, The Cauldron of Plenty, that our people were prosperous in all things.
Shinning Ones, humans, and the Tuatha lived harmoniously for a long time. It is during this time that we were taught the mysteries of the world and learned the secrets of magick. This was so that we would always be capable to provide for ourselves.
The time of peace did not last forever though. A new threat was arising far to the East of Eire. The Milesians were readying themselves to declare war up the Tuatha and the people of Eire. They came from the Iberian Peninsula, what is today Northern Portugal. The Kings of the Tuatha De Danann at that time, asked for a truce of three days, during which the Milesians would lie at anchor nine waves' distance from the shore. The Milesians agreed, but the Tuatha De Danann created a magickal storm in an attempt to drive them away. The Milesian poet, Amergin; calmed the sea with his verse, then his people landed and defeated the Tuatha De Danann at Tailtiu. When Amergin was called upon to divide the land between the Tuatha Dé Danann and his own people, he cleverly allotted the portion above ground to the Milesians and the portion underground to the Tuatha De Danann. The Tuatha De Danann and the Shinning Ones were led underground by Dagda.
The Tuatha had been bested by the Milesians because they let their own egos take over. Because it was their nature to do what was right and fair in the eyes of Danu, the Tuaha had no choice but to submit to the direction of the Milesians. It was this time that the "veil" between the worlds came into being. The Tuatha and the Shinning Ones had to go underground into Tir na nOg; The Land of Eternal Youth and Beatuty. It is Tir na nOg, that lies at the roots of the Great Oak Tree and is where all things go when they die. Though it is a place for the dead to go to, it is still very much a place of life.
The Shinning Ones could no longer live in the physical world along side humans but instead were only allowed to return to the physical to tend to nature. It is rumored that there are still places in this world where we can walk into the "Realm of Faery" just as easy as we walk down the street; but their locations have been lost to time.
We honor Danu; The Mother of ALL through her children, our champions, The Tuatha De Danann. It was through them and the Shinning Ones that we learned her mysteries and the ways of magick. It is through them; at the changing of the seasons, do we exalt the spirit of The Great Mother. They are ever watching, guarding, guiding, and teaching us from a far in Tir na nOg. Their lessons are echoed through out all of nature; in the babbling brook, the crackling fire, the lush green land, and the sweet breeze. We need only take the time to listen and remember.