's missing hand. Nuada's right hand was kept in jar with preservative liquid. Goibhniu fashioned a hand made of silver, while Dian Cécht planted the silver hand to Nuada's arm, with a combination of surgery and magic.
With a new hand, the people demanded that Bres should step down. Without the support of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Bres had no choice, but to face expulsion. Nuada was crowned king and named Nuada Airgedlámh – "Nuada of the Silver Hand".
Bres returned to his mother and asked her, whose his real father was. Eriu revealed that he was the son of Fomorian king named Elatha. She told her son, to seek out his father and gave Bres the signet ring of his father.
Bres went to the Fomorian tower on Tory Island, and sought audience with the king. Bres told Elatha that he was his son and revealed the ring. Elatha acknowledged his son, and promised military supports, to restore Bres to the throne in Ireland.
The Tuatha Dé Danann was powerless against the Fomorians. The Fomorians put Bres on the throne and the Dananns suffered from the oppressive rule of the Fomorians, who became the overlord of Ireland. Not only the Tuatha Dé Danann were forced to pay tributes to the Fomorians, but also scholars, bards and druid were banned from teaching.
A commander named Balor led the Fomorians in battle. Balor was a giant, with a single eye. Balor's eye was an extremely powerful weapon; bolt of fire would hurl from his eye, destroying his enemy. However, Balor was getting older and had troubles opening his eye-lid. We are told that rope and pulley were required to open his eye-lid.
Balor's Welsh counterpart seemed to be Ysbaddaden Pencawr (Pencawr or Bencawr means "King of Giants"), who was the father of Olwen. Ysbaddaden was giant, who also needed forks to prop up his heavy eyelids. See Culhwch and Olwen.
|Coming of Lugh|
Under the tyranny and oppression of the Fomorians, the Tuatha Dé Danann had to wait for the champion to liberate them from bondage. That champion was Lugh.
Like Bres, Lugh was half-Danann and half Fomorian. His father was Cian, son of Danu and brother of master-smith Goibhniu and Sawan. Lugh's mother was Ethlinn, daughter of Balor. Balor discovered from a prophecy that one day, his grandson would kill him. Balor sought to avoid this fate by imprisoning his daughter in the tower, very much like Acrisius tried to imprisoned his own daughter Danaë.
Cian was an owner of a magic cow that had endless supply of milk. Though disguise and deception, Balor lured away Sawan, who was guarding the cow, during his brother's absence. Balor then stole Cian's cow. Cian sought vengeance upon Balor.
Through stealth and the magic of druidess Birog, Cian entered Balor's tower in Tory Island and found Balor's daughter Ethlinn, locked away in one of the chambers. The two fell in love and slept with one another.
Balor later learned of Ethlinn giving birth to three sons. Frightened, but enraged, Balor ordered that his grandsons were to be thrown in a whirlpool.
One of Balor's men rolled the Ethlinn's children in a sheet and head toward the top of the tower. One infant fell out and dropped into the bay. Birog saved the child, who fell into the bay. The druidess brought the infant to Cian, who named him Lugh.
Thinking this child had drowned, the Fomorian continued to the top of the tower, before throwing the other two infants into the whirlpool.
In a different version of the Lugh's birth (which was less exciting), the Fomorians formed alliance with the arrival of the Tuatha Dé Danann to Ireland. Balor offered his daughter Ethlinn to Cian in marriage. This wedding happened before the First Battle of Moytura (Mag Tuired).
For awhile, his uncle Goibhniu brought up Lugh in the forge, and taught him his trade. He learned other skills as well. Lugh was sometimes called Lugh Samildánach ("Skilled in All Arts").
The story goes on, that the young man went to the house of Nuada of the Silver Hand, seeking service with the king. At the door, the doorman refused him entry. Lugh told the doorman that he wished to serve the king as carpenter, the doorman repli