These were a race of gigantic warriors who liked nothing better than to invade somewhere, pillage it and then gloat horribly. Balor had one huge leg and, with his one evil eye, could kill someone just by peering at them. But he usually kept it closed to avoid tripping over dead bodies all the time.

Hearing a prophecy that he would be killed by his grandson, Balor took the precaution of locking daughter Ethlinn in a transparent tower. (This was probably made of crystal as no Irish deity of double glazing has yet been discovered.)

But he’d not reckoned on the craftiness of Cían, who disguised himself as an old crone and wangled his way inside. The sneaky Cían had his willful way under the duvet with no-one the wiser until little Lugh popped out.

Balor was furious and hurled his baby grandson into the sea, but Lugh had an amazing escape and eventually killed his nasty grandpa with a sling.

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Article last revised on May 19, 2019 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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