The Loss of Nuada
Nuada was the king of the Tuatha De Dannan, the clan of Gods in Irish mythology. They are equivalent to the Aesir/Vanir in Norse mythology. Although he was the God of hunting and fishing, Nuada proved himself to be a capable leader, as he led his people to greatness. One of his most outstanding achievements was conquering Ireland’s island from the Firbolg, after some failed negotiations.
However, this also proved to be his greatest disaster as it temporarily removed him from power. It will also lead him to gain the epithet of Airgetlám, meaning ‘silver hand/harm’ but more on that later. It ended up as a disaster because the war dragged on without a clear winner emerging. Both sides decided to solve the dispute with one last fight between ten of their greatest champions. The night before the final confrontation, Nuada received the visit of the fearsome deity of war/death, Morrigan. The visit left the Tuatha De Dannan in a state of frenzied rage.
The next day, he went on the battlefield to challenge Streng, the Firbolg champions’ mightiest. Even though the Tuatha De Dannan were victorious that day, as the champions and king of the Firbolg were slain, Streng managed to cut off Nuada’s right arm/hand. This amputation was a catastrophe for the victors as due to the clan law, a mutilated man can’t take the lead. Although everyone loved him in the tribe, Nuada had to step away from power. Bres, the illegitimate son of the Fomorian king Elatha and the Thuata Eriu, replaced Nuada on the throne.
However, Bres revealed himself to be a true Fomorian, a vicious and tyrannical being. For this, the tribe banished him, and the warrior god Diancecht and the blacksmith Goibniu thought hard to find a way to restore Nuada to the throne. Their solution was to replace the fallen king’s missing arm with an artificial one made of silver, giving him his title of Silver-Hand. This idea proved to be a success for Nuada since he was technically ‘whole’ again; he was able to take back his place on the Tuatha De Dannan.
