Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Ch ...

, Elatha, Elotha, Elier or Elada (modern spelling: Ealadha) was a king of the

Fomorians The Fomorians or Fomori ( sga, Fomóire, Modern ga, Fomhóraigh / Fomóraigh) are a supernatural race in Irish mythology, who are often portrayed as hostile and monstrous beings. Originally they were said to come from under the sea or the eart ...

and the father of

Bres In Irish mythology, Bres (or Bress) was a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He is often referred to by the name Eochaid / Eochu Bres. He was an unpopular king, and favoured his Fomorian kin. Name ''Eochu Bres'' has been translated as "beautiful ho ...

Ériu In Irish mythology, Ériu (; modern ga, Éire ), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland. The English name for Ireland comes from the name Ériu and the Germanic (Old Norse or Ol ...

of the Tuatha Dé Danann, as well as Delbaeth, Ogma, Elloth (grandfather of

Manannán mac Lir Manannán or Manann, also known as Manannán mac Lir ("son of the sea"), is a warrior and king of the Otherworld in Irish mythology who is associated with the sea and often interpreted as a sea god, usually as a member of the Tuatha Dé Dana ...

), and the Dagda by an unnamed mother. The imagery surrounding him suggests he may be associated with sources of light and illumination, such as the sun.

Overview

Elatha is described as being the "beautiful Miltonic prince of darkness with golden hair". He was the son of Delbaeth and a king of the Fomor, and he was the father of

by Eriu, a woman of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He came to her over the sea in a vessel of silver, himself having the appearance of a young man with yellow hair, wearing clothes of gold and five gold

torc A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some had hook and ring closures and a few had ...

s. He was one of the Fomor who took part in the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh. During the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh, Elatha watched over his son the Dagda's magic harp, Uaithne, sometimes called Dur-da-Bla, "the Oak of Two Blossoms," and sometimes Coir-cethar-chuin, "the Four-Angled Music." He is said to have a sense of humor and a sense of nobility. Though considered to be the

Fomorian The Fomorians or Fomori ( sga, Fomóire, Modern ga, Fomhóraigh / Fomóraigh) are a supernatural race in Irish mythology, who are often portrayed as hostile and monstrous beings. Originally they were said to come from under the sea or the eart ...

father of Eochu Bres, Elatha (Elada) was also the father of the Dagda, Ogma, a son named Delbaeth, and Elloth, elsewhere known as Lir (the father of Manannan mac Lir) according to the ''

Lebor Gabála Érenn ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of the Taking of Ireland"), known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'', is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language intended to be a history of Ireland and the Irish fro ...

.'' The mother of these Tuatha Dé Danann chiefs may have been Ethne, the mother of Lug, based on Ogma' often cited matronymic "mac Ethliu." Since Ethne was Fomorian, this means they are all Fomorians. This is rather confusing, but may portray the battle between the two groups as actually being about the new generation of gods displacing the older generation.

Elatha and Bres

''She told him that his father was Elatha, one of the Kings of the Fomorians; that he had come to her one time over a level sea in a great vessel that seemed to be of silver; that he himself had the appearance of a young man with yellow hair, his clothes decked with gold and five rings of gold around his neck. She had refused the love of all the young men of her own people, had given him her love and cried when he had left her.'' Before he left he had given her a ring from his own hand and had bade her give it only to the man whose finger it would fit. Eri brought out the ring and put it on the finger of

and it fit him well. She and

and some of their followers then set out of the land of the

. At long last they came to that faraway land. Elatha the local King saw the ring on

’ hand and asked him the whole story and said that

was his own son. Elatha then asked

what it was that drove him out of his own country and his own kingship.

answered truthfully: “Nothing drove me out but my own injustice and my own hardness; I took away their treasures from the people and their jewels and their food itself. And there were never taxes put on them before I was their King. And still I am come to look for fighting men that I may take Ireland by force”. Elatha listened and then bade him go to the chief King of the

, Balar of the Evil Eye.'

Names

These are the names that Elatha has gone by and where that name stems from. * Elatha - T. W. Rolleston: ''Myths and Legends of Celtic Race'' * Elathan -

Charles Squire Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

: ''Mythology of the Celtic People'' * Elathan -

Lady Gregory Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (''née'' Persse; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre manager. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, ...

: ''Gods and Fighting Men'' ''Elathan'' is used incorrectly by Squire and Lady Gregory, as ''Elathan'' is the genitive case of Elatha and means 'of Elatha'. According to Lady Gregory the etymology of ''Elatha'' is "art" or "knowledge" in the bardic sense. The name Elathan could also mean "(he) of the art" the ''n'' is justified in this case. This could explain why Ogma (inventor of the ogham script) is son of Elatha(n) (bardic knowledge). Elatha is called "glory of weapons" and "a wolf of division against men of plunder" in the

.''

'
§64

References

External links

'Gods and Fighting Men: The Story of the Tuatha de Danann and of the Fianna of Ireland' by Lady Gregory, 1905

{{Celtic mythology (Mythological) Fomorians Irish gods