“Every particle of him quivered like a bulrush in a running stream. His calves and heels and hams shifted to the front, and his feet and knees to the back, and the muscles of his neck stood out like the head of a young child. One eye was engulfed deep in his head, the other protruded, his mouth met his ears, foam poured from his jaws like the fleece of a three-year-old ram. The beats of his heart sounded like the roars of a lion as he rushes on his prey. A light blazed above his head and his hair became tangled about as it had been the branches of a red thorn bush stuffed into a gap in a fence . . . Taller, thicker, more rigid, longer than the mast of a great ship was the perpendicular jet of dusky blood which out of his scalp’s very central point shot upwards and was there scattered to the four cardinal points, whereby was formed a magic mist of gloom.”
– Cuchulain’s
riastradh (Rolleston)
In the Fantasy world of the Blessed Isles, the Sidhe were powerful otherworld entities who shared the Celtic world with normal everyday humans. They would interfere with their lives, and often intermarry with them. They had many powerful abilities that normal humans did not. However, humans with Sidhe ancestry may have some of these powers. Most of the Fianna, a group of warriors based in Eriu (Ireland), would have Sidhe blood.
The Tuatha de Dannan
According to the people of Eriu, the Tuatha de Dannan, or "children of the goddess Danu," were the most powerful of the Sidhe. They came to Eriu in splended flying ships, it is said. Very little is known about their homeland, except it was somewhere in the Otherworld and that it had four cities. These were great Falias, shining Gorias, Finias, and rich Murias in the south.
When the Tuatha de Dannan came to Eriu, they brought the best of their people with them. These people eventually formed the basis of the religion and mythic cycles of the Celts. Eventually they were defeated by the Milesians, so they retreated to the hills. Despite this, they meddled in the affairs of humans.
The Tuatha in Mumu
When the Tuatha de Dannan fled the lands of their origin, they brought with them four sacred artifacts. These include the Stone, the Sword, the Cauldron, and the Spear. They settled down in Mumu. They fought battles with the Firbolg giants and the Formorian giants, and reigned supreme across Eriu. Then the sons of Mil defeated them, and they retreated to the Otherworld.
This period, called the Tuathan period, was when the people of Dannan prepared for the second battle of Moytura. This was the era of Mumu's greatest importance. The high king was Bres, according to the cycle. Nuada was his wife, and Lugh of the Longhand was yet to arrive. Everyone did know that the battle was inevitable and many people would die. However, no one knew the day of the battle, or it's first hour. But the making of weapons was a thing. Crafting the weapons of bronze to do battle with the enemy, required the weapons to be craft in stone or clay. Everyone could hear the clash of weapons that the young men made as they practiced. Formorian spies were captured and interogated for the eve of the battle. Also, talks were given on how the truce will be broken.
The Firbolgs and Fomor
When the Tuatha de Danann came to Eriu, they found the island was inhabited by the Firbolgs and the Fomor. They were primitive peoples, having a neolithic technology. The Tuatha de Danann had a bronze age technology. The Tuatha went to war with the Firbolgs and the Fomor. They defeated the Firbolgs and caused them to retreat and be confined to the lands of Connachta. They defeated the Fomor, and confined them to the islands between Eriu and Cymru. The Fomor and the Tuatha de Danann were alike in many ways. Except that the Fomor were extraordinarily ugly, and the Tuatha de Danann were extraordinarily beautiful.
Celtic Supers
As a campaign oddity, the case can be made for a Supers game featuring the Sidhe.
GURPS Supers,
Mutants and Masterminds,
Hero,
Heroes Unlimited, and
Champions could be used as the game bases for a game set in Bronze Age Britain. The Sidhe (including the Tuatha de Danann) would be superheroes battling against the Fomor.
GURPS Celtic Myth gives the realitive power of a Celtic Supers game, although the technology would be confined to the Bronze Age. Since this is a fantasy campaign set in Iron Age Britain and Ireland, using Rolemaster, a supers game is not pursued. Although it's certainly possible.
Historical Reality
The Sidhe (SHEE), also known as the Aos Sí, are a race of bronze age Britain. They originally came to Britain from the valley of Shinar (Mesopotamia). They are the principal inspiration for the elves and fairies of myth. As a bronze age culture, they cast bronze daggers, swords, spears, and axes. They made the beaker ware that is so common to their culture. They spread from Britain to Western Europe. They got their copper from Wales and their tin from Cornwall.
The Sidhe spoke a language that is descended from Sumerian, but has changed overtime into an unique language that can only be called Sidhe. It is unknown if they had a writing system, as none was discovered. They probably used cuneiform, having come from Mesopotamia. However, it changed over the centuries to match their language.
The Sidhe as Elves
Long ago, there were elves in the land of Shinar (Mesopotamia). When that tower was being built, a group of elves and man asked God not to confound their language. The request was granted. As time went on, this group of men and elves asked if they could find a land of promise. A land of promise was granted to them, and they gathered their things. Eventually, they left the land of Shinar and traveled north and west. Beyond the land of the Indo-European peoples. As they traveled, they reached Britain.
There, they stayed until God told them to leave in boats to travel over the Atlantic Ocean to the land of promise. The humans left, led by Monhonri Moriancumr. The elves stayed, and built a bronze age civilization. In time, the elves occupied all the land of Britain. They had made a sophisticated society as well. They mined copper and tin, and their smiths alloyed copper and tin to make bronze. They also made the bell beaker ware that is so common in Western Europe. They flourished for well part of two thousand years. Before the Celts came.
When the Celts came, the wars between them spelled defeat for the Sidhe. They retreated inward. Into the forests and mounds. It is unknown how long they lasted after that. Eventually they faded into myth and legend and were lost to history. A few elven communities exist, though. However, most Celts believe that they are of the otherworld, the spirit world. Some sidhe are worshipped as gods. Others are seen as wonders and are considered to be magical.
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