The Fomorians or Fomori (Old Irish: Fomóire, Modern Irish: Fomhóraigh/Fomóraigh) are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. They are often described as hostile and scary creatures. Originally, they were believed to come from under the sea or the earth. Later, they were shown as sea raiders and giants. They are enemies of Ireland's first settlers and opponents of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the other supernatural race in Irish mythology. Some members of these two groups had children. The Tuatha Dé Danann defeated the Fomorians in the Battle of Mag Tuired. This event is similar to other myths from different cultures, such as the war between the Æsir and Vanir in Norse mythology, the Titanomachy (a war between Olympian gods and Titans) in Greek mythology, and the conflict between Devas and Asuras in Indian mythology.

One theory suggests that the Fomorians represented the wild or harmful forces of nature, such as chaos, darkness, death, and drought.

Name

In Old and Middle Irish, the race is usually called the Fomóire or Fomóiri (plural), and an individual member is called a Fomóir (singular). In Middle Irish, they are also called the Fomóraiġ (plural) and a Fomórach (singular). In Modern Irish, this is spelled Fomhóraigh/Fomóraigh (plural) and Fomhórach (singular). Their name is written in Latin as Muiridi in the Lebor Bretnach. In English, they are called the Fomorians, Fomori, or Fomors.

The origin of the name is debated. The first part is usually believed to come from the Old Irish word fo, meaning "under," "below," or "lower." The meaning of the second part is unclear. One idea is that it comes from the Old Irish word mur (sea), suggesting the name might mean "the undersea ones." Some medieval Irish writers supported this view. Another idea is that it comes from mór (great or big), meaning "the great under(world) ones," "the under(world) giants," or "the nether giants." A third idea, supported by many scholars, suggests it comes from a word in Old Irish that might have meant "demon" or "phantom," similar to the name of The Morrígan and related to the old English word "mare" (as in "nightmare"). This would mean the name could mean "underworld demons" or "nether demons." Marie-Louise Sjoestedt suggests the name might mean "inferior" or "latent demons," describing the Fomorians as "like the powers of chaos, ever latent and hostile to cosmic order." John T. Koch notes a possible connection to the Tartessian word omuŕik.

Description

The Fomorians were originally believed to be harmful spirits that lived underwater and in the underground areas of the Earth. In one of the earliest mentions of them, a poem from around the 7th century, they are described as living "under the worlds of men." Later, they were shown as sea raiders. This change was influenced by Viking attacks on Ireland that happened around the same time.

The Fomorians are often described as monstrous. Some stories say they had the body of a man and the head of a goat, according to a text from the 11th century called Lebor na hUidre (the Book of the Dun Cow). Others describe them as having one eye, one arm, and one leg. However, some Fomorians, like Elatha and his son Bres, who had connections with the Tuath Dé, were described as darkly beautiful.

The Fomorians are shown as enemies of Ireland's first settlers and the supernatural Tuath Dé, who are their opposites. In some sources, though, there is a connection between the Fomorians and the Tuath Dé. A figure named Tethra is said to lead both groups.

The conflict between the Tuath Dé and the Fomorians is similar to other ancient stories about wars between gods. These include the war between the Æsir and Vanir in Norse mythology, the war between the Olympians and Titans in Greek mythology, and the war between the Devas and Asuras in Vedic mythology. Dáithí Ó hÓgáin notes that the Tuath Dé gaining agricultural knowledge from the Fomorians is similar to stories in Norse and Vedic myths, where the defeated groups represent the fertility of the soil.

Myths

The medieval story of Partholón says that his people were the first to come to Ireland after the flood described in the Bible’s Genesis, but the Fomorians were already there. Geoffrey Keating wrote about a tradition that the Fomorians, led by Cichol Gricenchos, arrived 200 years earlier and lived on fish and birds until Partholón came (this detail appears only in the third version of the Lebor Gabála Érenn). Partholón brought farming tools and oxen. He defeated Cíocal in the Battle of Mag Itha, but all his people later died from a plague.

Next came Nemed and his followers. Ireland was said to be empty for 30 years after Partholón’s people died, but Nemed and his group met the Fomorians when they arrived. Céitinn wrote that the Fomorians were seafarers from the Middle East, descendants of Ham, son of Noah. Nemed won several battles against them, killing their kings Gann and Sengann. Two new Fomorian leaders then rose: Conand, son of Faebar, who lived in Conand’s Tower on Tory Island, County Donegal, and Morc, son of Dela (note that the first generation of the Fir Bolg were also said to be sons of Dela).

After Nemed’s death, Conand and Morc enslaved his people and demanded a heavy tribute: two-thirds of their children, grain, and cattle. Nemed’s son, Fergus Lethderg, gathered an army of 60,000, attacked them, and destroyed Conand’s Tower. Morc then attacked with a large fleet, and many died on both sides. The sea rose, drowning most survivors. Only 30 of Nemed’s people escaped in one ship, scattering to other parts of the world. The next group to arrive was the Fir Bolg, who did not face the Fomorians.

Then came the Tuatha Dé Danann, who were usually thought to be the gods of the Goidelic Irish. They defeated the Fir Bolg in the first Battle of Mag Tuired and took control of Ireland. Their king, Nuada Airgetlám, lost an arm in the battle and could not rule. Instead, the half-Fomorian Bres became their first king in Ireland. Bres was the son of Ériu of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomorian prince Elatha, who arrived by sea in a silver boat. Both Elatha and Bres were described as very handsome. However, Bres was a poor king who forced the Tuatha Dé to work as slaves and pay tribute to the Fomorians. He lost power when he was mocked for failing to provide proper hospitality. Nuada was later given a silver arm and restored to the kingship, but the Tuatha Dé still suffered under the Fomorians.

Bres fled to his father, Elatha, and asked for help to regain his throne. Elatha refused, saying Bres should not try to win unfairly. Bres then turned to Balor, a Fomorian leader on Tory Island, and raised an army. The Tuatha Dé also prepared for war, led by Lug, a half-Fomorian. Lug’s father was Cian of the Tuatha Dé, and his mother was Balor’s daughter, Ethniu. Early texts describe this as a marriage between families, but folklore tells a more detailed story similar to the Greek myth of Perseus. Balor, warned he would be killed by his own grandson, locked Ethniu in a glass tower. Cian, who had stolen Balor’s magical cow, entered the tower with help from a druidess named Biróg and seduced Ethniu. She gave birth to triplets, whom Balor ordered to be drowned. Two of the babies died or became the first seals, but Biróg saved one, Lug, and gave him to Manannán and Tailtiu to raise. As an adult, Lug joined Nuada’s court because of his many skills and was given command of the army.

The second Battle of Mag Tuired was fought between the Fomorians, led by Balor, and the Tuatha Dé, led by Lug. When the two sides met, it was said that fighting the Fomorians was like hitting a cliff or entering a snake’s nest. Balor killed Nuada with his poisonous eye, which could kill anyone it looked at. Lug faced his grandfather, Balor, and shot a stone from his sling, which struck Balor’s eye and caused it to fly out of his head, destroying the Fomorian army. After Balor’s death, the Fomorians were defeated and driven into the sea.

According to the Irish version of the Historia Britonum by Nennius, the Fomorians were called mariners who were forced into a tower near the sea by the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Irish or descendants of Nemed, led by Fergus red-side, pushed the Fomorians into the sea, except for one ship that survived.

The Fomorians were still present during the time of Cú Chulainn. In the medieval Irish tale The Training of Cú Chulainn, preserved in the British Library (Egerton MS 106), it describes a scene where Cú Chulainn sees a group of people mourning a young woman who is to be taken as tribute by the Fomorians. The Fomorians, led by three men named Dub, Mell, and Dubros, arrive on a ship. Cú Chulainn fights them, killing all three and saving the woman.

In later times, any pirates or raiders at sea were called Fomorians, and the original meaning of the word was forgotten.

List of Fomorians

The Genealogies from Rawlinson B 502 shows the complete family tree of the Fomorians, tracing back to Noah from the Bible. Noah was the 10th person in the line from Adam and Eve.

Rawlinson B 502, Section 26, page 330, includes the following lineage:

Bress m. Elathan m. Delbáeth m. Deirgthind m. Ochtaich m. Sithchind m. Molaich m. Lárgluind m. Ciarraill m. Fóesaim m. Meircill m. Leccduib m. Iachtaich m. Libuirnn m. Lathairn m. Soairtt m. Sibuirt m. Siuccat m. Stairnn m. Saltait m. Cair m. h-Iphit m. Philist m. Fuith m. Caim m. Nóe m. Laméch.