{"id":6680,"date":"2017-07-06T05:00:53","date_gmt":"2017-07-06T11:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/?p=6680"},"modified":"2017-07-30T12:15:13","modified_gmt":"2017-07-30T18:15:13","slug":"the-coming-of-lugh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2017\/07\/the-coming-of-lugh.html","title":{"rendered":"The Coming of Lugh"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Last week\u2019s post The Birth of Lugh<\/a> generated quite a few comments on Facebook. Most talked about how they really liked Lughnasadh even if the holy day isn\u2019t widely observed. Some complained about our attempts to create modern celebrations based on an Iron Age Northwestern European calendar even when we live in places like Florida and Arizona. A couple pointed out that historically, Lughnasadh was celebrated not in honor of Lugh but in honor of his foster mother Tailtiu.<\/p>\n

But perhaps one of the reasons more people don\u2019t celebrate Lughnasadh is simply that they don\u2019t know much about Lugh.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re past the Fourth of July and well into the season of Lughnasadh. And so continuing on this mission from a God, here\u2019s the story of the coming of Lugh. This is the story as I\u2019ve told it for years \u2013 the sources are many.<\/p>\n

\"Not<\/a>
Not the true king of Ireland. Also dealing with horizontal rain at 30 MPH.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About 30 miles north of Dublin is the Hill of Tara, the seat of the ancient high kings of Ireland. And on top of the Hill of Tara is the Lia F\u00e1il \u2013 the Stone of Destiny. It is said that when the true king of Ireland touches the Lia F\u00e1il it will cry out \u2013 the land chooses the king.<\/p>\n

I have been to Hill of Tara, twice.<\/p>\n

I put my hand on the Lia F\u00e1il, twice.<\/p>\n

It did not cry out. Sadly, I am not the true king of Ireland.<\/p>\n

But a long, long time ago, before the coming of the people who were the ancestors of today\u2019s Irish people, the king of the Tuatha De Danann \u2013 the Children of the Goddess Danu \u2013 had his court at the Hill of Tara. Some people said he had a beautiful palace on top of the hill. Others said his court was underhill \u2013 underneath the Hill of Tara and the Lia F\u00e1il.<\/p>\n

One evening the king was holding a banquet, as kings often did in those days. They put a guard at the palace gate, to make sure nobody got in who wasn\u2019t supposed to get in, and to keep an eye out for the Fomorians. The guard had only been on duty a short time when a young man approached. Eager to prove himself competent, the guard jumped out to challenge the new arrival.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you, and what are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man answered \u201cmy name is Lugh, and I have come to take my place at the court of the king of my father\u2019s people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNone may enter here unless they have a skill or an art.\u201d The guard looked at Lugh skeptically. \u201cDo you have a skill or an art?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lugh stood proud and tall. \u201cYes, I\u2019m a warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n

The guard shook his head. \u201cWe have warriors aplenty \u2013 we need no more. Go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m also a commander.\u201d<\/p>\n

The guard smirked. \u201cOur commander is King Nuada himself \u2013 we need no other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lugh thought for a moment, then said \u201cI\u2019m also a scholar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have Ogma, who invented the art of writing. We need no more scholars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a sailor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have Manann\u00e1n mac Lyr, son of the sea himself. We need no other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a healer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have Dian C\u00e9cht, physician of the Gods.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a magician.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the Morr\u00edgan, queen of all magic and sorcery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a smith.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have many highly skilled artists and smiths \u2013 we need no more.\u201d The guard was getting tired. \u201cNow, since you obviously possess no skill or art we do not already have, go away and bother us no more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lugh smiled. \u201cAh, but do you have any one person who has all these skills?\u201d<\/p>\n

The guard thought for a moment, then decided he\u2019d better check with his superiors before he ran off this very unusual young man. He went into the hall where the feast was underway, and he said \u201cKing Nuada, there is a young man at our gates, the likes of whom I have never seen. For he is truly skilled in all arts.\u201d<\/p>\n

King Nuada said \u201cbring him into my hall, and make a place for him at my table.\u201d So Lugh was brought into the hall, he was given food and drink, and he took his place among the Tuatha De Danann. And from that night on, he was known as Lugh Samild\u00e1nach, which means \u201cmaster of all arts.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Lugh would go on to do many great things. One day he would become King of the Tuatha De Danann and lead them to victory over the Fomorians.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s another story for another time.<\/p>\n

\"Lugh<\/a><\/p>\n

The 2017 Celebration of Lugh<\/strong><\/p>\n

June 27: The Birth of Lugh<\/a><\/p>\n

July 6: The Coming of Lugh<\/p>\n

July 13: The Leadership of Lugh<\/a><\/p>\n

July 20: The Victory of Lugh<\/a><\/p>\n

From 2015: Lughnasadh \u2013 A Solitary Ritual<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Perhaps one of the reasons more people don\u2019t celebrate Lughnasadh is simply that they don\u2019t know much about Lugh. Following last week\u2019s post on his birth, here\u2019s the story of the coming of Lugh to the court of the Tuatha De Danann. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":6684,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[1351,721,394,531,718,4,5,8],"class_list":["post-6680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-polytheism-2","tag-hill-of-tara","tag-lammas","tag-lia-fail","tag-lugh","tag-lughnasadh","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-polytheism"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Coming of Lugh<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Perhaps one of the reasons more people don\u2019t celebrate Lughnasadh is simply that they don\u2019t know much about Lugh. 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