THE FOUR TREASURES

 

"And they brought, from those four cities ( the four cities were

Falias (the great,the capital citie),

gorias (the shining citie),

Finias,(the artistic citie) and

Murias (the richest and most southern)., four treasures:

A stone of virtue from Falias (the capital), that was called the lia fail, the stone of destiny.

From Gorias, (the shining citie) they brought a sword

From Finias (the poetic citie) a spear of victory

From Murias, (the rich citie) the fourth treasures, the cauldron that no company went away unsatisfied.

As we learn later in the storie the stone Lia Fail used to scream when the future king of Ireland would sit on it.

It is clearly a magic stone of power a little like escalibur in the Arthurian legends, is a sword of power.

The cauldron an other item commun to many celtic legends, is here a symbol of abondance and generosity a sort celtic cornucopia.

The celtic kings prided themselves on their generosity and on their hability to feed many guests.

Being mean and avaricious was a cause of empechment as we will learn later in the story of Bres.

The spear, from the poetic, and artistic city if Finias, is a symbol of mental hability, as it is one of the atributes of Lug, the great magician, owner of multiple talents and skills.

The sword from the Shining City of Gorias, is evidently a symbol of military power.

______________

*Extract from the book Gods and Fighting Men" by Lady Gregory" Copyrights 1904. Published by Colin & Smithe ISBN 0-901072-37.

TUATHA FRONT PAGE