Credible Theories
Ireland · Second Battle of Mag Tuired

Balor's killing eye

ReferenceSecond Battle of Mag Tuired
Writtenc. 1000–1200 CE
SetWar of the Tuatha and Fomorians
Balor of the Fomorians has an eye that destroys any army it looks at. Four men lift its lid by a polished handle. Lugh kills him with a sling stone that drives the eye out the back of his head, onto his own army.

Summary by the editors. Translation: Summary (Stokes, 1891) · About the translator

Read it literally

A weapon that needs a crew of four to operate, mounted on a giant.

What scholars say

Whitley Stokes published the text in 1891.

Giants and hybrids Looks like technology
People and places hereLughWhitley Stokes

Quick answers about Second Battle of Mag Tuired

Where is Second Battle of Mag Tuired found?

Second Battle of Mag Tuired (Ireland). Translation quoted: Whitley Stokes, "The Second Battle of Moytura," Revue Celtique 12 (1891).

When was Second Battle of Mag Tuired written?

c. 1000–1200 CE.

What do scholars say about Second Battle of Mag Tuired?

Whitley Stokes published the text in 1891.

Rabbit holes in this passage

BeingBalorThe Fomorian giant whose one destructive eye needed four men to lift its lid, and who died when Lugh turned it on his own army.

Sources

  1. Whitley Stokes, "The Second Battle of Moytura," Revue Celtique 12 (1891)Primary text
  2. Cath Maige Tuired (The Second Battle of Mag Tuired), trans. Elizabeth A. Gray (1982); earlier trans. Whitley Stokes (1891)Primary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

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