14-05-2025
5 things you didn't know about the epic Book of Invasions
Analysis: The Lebor Gabála Érenn tells an epic origin story for Ireland and the Irish language through a series of mythical invasions
By , TCD
In the 12th Century, a monastic scribe in the Irish midlands compiled an epic origin story of the Irish people to be included in the Book of Leinster, a manuscript now housed in the library of Trinity College Dublin. This story, as it is contained in the Book of Leinster, is now known commonly as the first redaction of Lebor Gabála Érenn, often called the Book of Invasions in English.
The title is now applied to five separate redactions, or versions of the story, which are preserved across 18 different medieval and early modern manuscripts, each containing an array of prose and poetic sections. Each version of this story can provide us with a fascinating insight into the attitudes and identities of Irish people at the time of their composition, so here are five interesting things that you might not have known about the Book of Invasions.
Ireland's origins are presented through a series of mythical invasions
As the title of the story suggests, the Book of Invasions presents the origins of the Irish people as the result of six successive waves of invasion. According to the most popular first redaction, these waves of invasion were as follows:
Cessair: Grand-daughter of the Biblical Noah, she arrived with her followers in Ireland before the Flood but their settlement was destroyed by the Flood, leaving only Cessair's husband Fintán. According to this story, Fintán survived and lived for thousands of years by becoming a salmon, an eagle, and then a hawk.
Partholón: Partholón is said to have arrived in Ireland from Greece with his followers 300 years after Cessair. They brought farming to the deserted island, but were all killed by a plague, leaving Ireland empty once again.
Nemed: Thirty years after the death of Partholón and his people, Nemed brought settlers from Scythia in modern-day Eastern Europe and Central Asia. According to the Book of Invasions, they came into conflict with the Formorians, a mythical group of supernatural beings who lived in Ireland. The descendants of the Nemedians became known as the Fir Bolg.
Tuatha Dé Danann: Probably the best-known group of invaders, the Tuatha Dé Danann are presented as supernatural beings who arrived in Ireland in dark clouds. They came into conflict with both the Fir Bolg and the Formorians, and included well-known characters from Irish mythology like their king, Nuada, the Dagda, and Lugh.
Milesians: Sons of a legendary conqueror of Spain, Míl, including Íth, Éremon and Éber Finn, who come into conflict with the kings of the Túatha Dé Danann. Ultimately, it is agreed that the Milesians would live above the land in Ireland, while the Túatha Dé Danann would retreat underground. As a result, the Aos Sí or Sídhe or Irish folklore are often claimed to be linked to the Túatha Dé Danann
It attempts to explain the origins of the Irish language
The Book of Invasions attempts to link the Irish language to the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel by creating the character of Fénius Farsaid. Fénius is claimed by the legend to have been a king of Scythia, and one of the builders of the Tower of Babel. When, as in the Old Testament of the Bible, the Tower of Babel is destroyed, a grandson of Fénius', Goídel Glas, is said to have combined the best elements of all of the languages to create Goidelic, the pre-cursor of the Irish language. According to the legend, the language is named after him but it is much more likely that the character was named as such to link him to the language.
From RTÉ Brainstorm, what's behind Irish language's religious roots?
Ireland's history is linked to characters from the Bible
Just like how the origins of the Irish language are linked to the Tower of Babel, the Book of Invasions makes a concerted effort to create Biblical origins for the Irish people. Partholón, for example, is described as a direct descendant of Noah through his son Japhet. The genealogy of Nemed is also traced through this line, through Japhet's son Magog. This Christianisation of Irish mythology is not surprising, given the fact that the Book of Invasions was produced in a monastic environment, and this process of Christianisation is particularly clear in the development of the story of Cessair. According to historian John Carey, an earlier version of the first settlers of Ireland, the first woman was Banba, an Irish sovereignty goddess, not Cessair.
Each version presents a slightly different history
As mentioned above, there are a huge variety of versions of the Book of Invasions, and each is slightly different. In its description of the arrival of the Milesians in Ireland, for example, the first redaction tells of three kings of the Túatha Dé Danann, Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Gréine, who divided the island of Ireland into three and ruled these three parts equally. In a different version of this story, known as Tochomlad mac Miledh a hEspain i nErind, or The Progress of the Sons of Míl from Spain to Ireland, the three kings shared the kingship of Ireland alternately, each holding the kingship for a turn at a time.
Historian Edel Bhreathnach suggests that this version of the story dates to the 12th Century, a period during which the dominant political family, the Uí Néill, were struggling to maintain control of the kingship of Ireland. This difference between the first recension and Tochomlad mac Miledh a hEspain i nErind may be a result, then, of this changing political landscape.
The story was likely influenced by European Christian writing
The writers of the Book of Invasions were likely inspired by the Old Testament, and by epic origin stories of other civilisations. It is clear that they were influenced by famous 4th and 5th Century Christian writings, including Eusebius' Chronicon, Historiae Adversum Paganos by Orosius, and De Civitate Dei, or The City of God, by St Augustine.
Overall, the Book of Invasions is a fascinating compilation of Irish mythology, composed as a Christian history of the Irish people, and can teach us much about Christian attitudes in Ireland at the time that it was composed.
