January: The Elder Gods, Children of Danu

The Elder Gods, the Tuatha de Dannan, were the great powers of the land in their time. Pale as snow, graceful as willows, they possessed all the power of the land, and magic ran in their blood. These are their stories.

The Start of the World

The World began in Fire and Water. 

First, there was the Fire; fire was in the rock of the land. There were no stags in the hills, no larks in the air. There were great winds, and hot fire belched from the earth and shot stones through the air.

And then came the day when one stone hit the top of the sky, and cut a hole in it, and a torrent of water was released from the sea beyond the sky,  falling on the land. Then there was Water.

From Fire and Water came the first living thing; the Great Tree, the Oak Bile, Oak of Eternity.

In little time the Oak matured, and it bore forth two acorns. 

These acorns fell to earth and broke apart, and within them were the first two beings; Dagda, the Great God, and Danu, the Lady.  They turned to Bile, and loved It, then turned to one another and were in love. Soon Danu gave birth to her children, and to amuse them, Dagda made flying birds for the sky. Then Danu, who was lonely, created animals to roam over the land and sea. And the children were happy, and called themselves Tuatha de Dannan to honor their mother. Such was the beginning of the world.